The challenges I find with e-learning.

Authentic e learning:

When I speak to others about external study/e-learning, their biggest concern is often a lack of self-motivation to actually complete the tasks required. Having the flexibility, or as some see it, having less direct face-to-face guidance and classroom formality, tends to allow them to become distracted and making them falsely believe they have more room to "slack off." It seems easier to get away with not contributing when you're not all physically present, and it is harder to remain engaged.

For me it is not this at all. Although I do naturally find autonomous self-directed learning generally more challenging, it is more that I find interaction with others comforting; there is a reassurance offered. The connection and camaraderie that develops between classmates has always been a big thing for me going through studies I found difficult (sometimes even anxiety-inducing).

It may just be that I am unfamiliar with this type of learning. The solely e-learning method is a whole new experience for me. I am not hugely computer literate and am one of those people who prefers a hard copy book over reading from a screen. I have always relied a lot on my pen, paper (and lots of highlighters!) to solidify knowledge in my mind. I find the virtual world lacking a little something that real-time presence and verbal conversation brings.

Also, perhaps because a lot of my previous study involved rote learning and memorizing content, I was “fed” a lot knowledge rather than having to construct it myself, so the concept of reflecting, philosophizing and articulating our current learning via our blogs is taking me out of my comfort zone. (I did find the blogging initially quite time consuming as I have never used this platform before, but I feel I am getting more efficient). Of course grasping the factual content through e-learning is fairly straightforward, but I personally learn a lot by also doing, seeing and saying (out loud and not just in my head, via discussions/tutorials/workshops, asking clarification and questions immediately when they crop up, bouncing ideas and concepts off others etc.) Physically being present in the work or study place without outside distraction is beneficial. 

Furthermore, I think there are limitations in certain fields of study. In the vet world, for instance, although you can discuss cases, share pictures and test results and receive advice from all over the world through online networks (all very authentic!), you cannot (yet) recreate the vet clinic floor virtually, cannot communicate face-to-face with clients, cannot perform physical exams etc., so a large part of vet learning will always need to be in real life.

I think many of these challenges are being overcome just with experience, getting used to this method of learning, growing confident using the tools (including my autonomous mind). I have also set up a quiet study away from home distractions and with reliable technology, which I appreciate is not so easy for some people. Something I think/hope institutions do is ensuring equity.

Jenni has done a wonderful job of overcoming many of these challenges by always being actively present/in-contact, engaging and encouraging. By strongly encouraging ongoing interaction and discussion between us students, an increased sense of belonging is being nurtured. She has made it fairly easy for us to communicate with each other via our blogs, which also allow us to bring some “personality” into the medium. She has made access to the necessary resources quite simple, which is good for people like me who are technologically challenged! Additionally, the assignment lets us use our new knowledge in the real-world context, which is a key aspect of authentic e-learning! This has been a great help. It has reduced the distanced between the virtual and the real-world for me. Jenni has also set recommended time schedules for each task (and ensuring they are realistic goals), which has been extremely valuable for my time management. I have been involved in on-line real-time discussions in the past, which have been tremendously helpful, but I acknowledge the difficulty of getting everyone online at the same time. I would suggest this method of communication, if ever possible.

Thanks Jenni!

Julia