Week 2: Reflections on learning in a group

 

After much discussion about our professional contexts in Week 1 we now move on to Week 2. The focus of discussion is our reflections on learning in a group, and some of the key points are as follows:

• Although some find it daunting to engage in online discussion with people whom you have never met, others find the lack of non-verbal cues exciting and fun.
• There were suggestions of the possibility of trying to organise synchronous discussion sessions using video, but the majority of responses indicated that the asynchronous discussion was preferable (and was indeed the reason why some had signed up for this PhD - i.e. it's flexibility).
• The Rourke and Kanuka article raises issues such about expectations of the tutor/facilitator's role, different motivations of participants, what kind of interactions each is trying to make happen (Mary H.)
• Research suggests that intuitive, extrovert personalities prefer studying in online courses than introverted personalities (Daughenbaugh et al, 2002). Therefore there is a need to be aware of different personality types when teaching online and provide opportunities to increase student interaction in online courses - e.g. via group work.
• What is the etiquette of writing in online forums? Some members of the group were averse to overly-long posts while others didn't mind. Some were concerned that too many hyperlinks in a post could be distracting, while others liked the option of being able to investigate further if they chose to.