Structuring an Online Course:
Experienced online instructors and students alike emphasize the need to have a clearly structured and well-planned course when teaching and learning online. Structuring the course effectively means planning the course well in advance of when it is being taught, thinking through the organizational structures and qualities that will help the users learn, and understanding that the online environment presents a number of communication challenges.
Course Planning:
Designing a course always takes a great deal of time and thought. That is no different with online courses. At the same time, the online environment offers particular obstacles and opportunities for both instructors and the users. As you think through the course elements, pay particular attention to the course components that may serve as stumbling blocks to them learning online. One particular tension that emerges is the need to have a clear and organized structure, while allowing flexibility for making adaptations mid-stream.
Allow flexibility in the course design:
Although it is important to make course expectations clear, it is also important to build in flexibility. Building flexibility into your course structure will allow you to compensate for unexpected technological problems as well as give you opportunities to respond the user feedback. Often new faculty discovers that developing online courses is time-consuming and that transitioning a successful traditional course to an online setting can be difficult. Experienced online instructors suggest developing your course well in advance and with a clear, concise objectives statement. The better prepared you are, the better your online teaching experience will be.
Course Organization:
Users in online courses are in particular need of a clear organizational structure. Keep in mind that each user is experiencing the course his or her own – without the opportunity to turn immediately to a neighbor if confused or unclear about something in the course.
Learning outcomes are inextricably linked to the learning tasks, and so the design of educationally valuable learning tasks calls for clarity and precision in the specification of learning outcomes. A crucial aspect of online course designing is that of creating learning tasks that will enable learning to take place through reflection, collaboration with others and interaction with the learning materials. Since learner engagement with materials is aimed at knowledge building, it follows that the design of learning tasks requires the designer to have a detailed knowledge of the course materials involved.
Lubetkin (1995) states in his research, strategies of doing research in Internet by learning how to navigate the Internet and understand its different elements, knowing what you're looking for and where to find it. Keep a list of key sites you are likely to revisit, Read Internet publications, and subscribe to Internet mail lists about Internet resources, journalism, public relations, and marketing.
As an unconventional instructional medium, the Internet not only changes the appearance of learning resources but also constructs fresh learning environments (Xiaoyan et al, 2001).
While some students regard the process of learning as simply involving the acquisition of information to be reproduced in an examination room, others experience it as a transforming process which leads to greater personal understanding. Marton and Saljo (1976) identified two differences in the ways that students carried out a reading task which were defined as ‘deep’ and ‘surface’ approaches to learning (Entwistle, Ramsden, 1983)
Validity, reliability, and practically are three dimensions that cover collection data method that are cheap, fast, and unbiased. Practically, which is more commonly called efficiency, concerns the complexity of the data collection process, and includes cost, ease of administration, and ease of analyzing and interpreting the data (Weible et al, 1998).
It may become necessary for self-regulating learners to adjust or even abandon initial goals, to manage motivation, and to adapt and occasionally invent tactics for making progress (Hargis, 2001).
Online course in Risk and stress management recommends:
a) Alpha music for better concentration:
By listening to this soothing music, you reach alpha state of mind. This background music can be heard anywhere and everywhere to enhance creativity. Recommended for students while studying, for better memory recall and concentration.
b) Relaxation and Stress Management:
Normally we use the logical left-brain. Hence a large portion of our brain is unutilized. We only use 10% of our real potential.
c) Improving memory and studying skills:
Memory is what you make it. The more you use it, the sharper it becomes. This course deals with various techniques of improving memory. What you study is not important, what you remember of what you have studied is important. This part deals with how to study, how long to study, when to study, how to manage difficult subjects, how to study for a longer time, and how to manage examination fear.
d) Motivation Plus:
Online study materials are being provided which serves as a booster dose of motivation that we require now and then.
It is important for learners to be sure that, through appropriate performance on their part, the desired learning has occurred. This entails an assessment of the learning outcome and an evaluation of the extent of its success. Assessment criteria and methods must be closely aligned to the stated learning outcomes to meet learners’ reasonable expectations of the kind of performance that is required of them.
The Internet makes it possible to organize businesses in new ways, to offer new products and services, and to distribute those products and services to tens of millions of people almost instantaneously. And this holds for everyone with access to the Internet, whether Fortune 500 companies or individuals looking to market their talents or ideas. This redistribution of the information value-chain from the internal to the external leaves the average corporation with much less "protection" in the open market. Competitive advantage can disappear overnight. No longer are internal proprietary networks creating natural barriers of entry for distributing information. Those proprietary networks were often patterned after the organizations that created them. (For example, rich flow of information to the top and controlled specific flow to the bottom of the organization.) But information is now widely distributed to everyone and anyone with access to the Internet. Whether that access is provided at work or at home, it is as evenly distributed to the corporation's janitor as to the CEO. Of course, organizations can build artificial boundaries through intranets, virtual private networks, and filters, creating private segments of the World Wide Web for organizational use. But a corporate-wide web doesn't dilute in any way the overall power of the Internet as a whole. (Cooper Smith, 2001)
Because technology can fail, provide a contingency plan in case students cannot access course materials. For example, provide printed copies of course material and 24-hour technical support, if available provide technical support, be able to answer common technological problems about your online course. In addition, know where to direct students for more complicated questions. Always assume that students have never participated in an online class before. Consider new users of threaded discussions or online quizzing.
Include simple, step-by-step directions the first time you ask students to complete a task. Avoid overemphasis of graphics to convey content Use graphics to supplement text. Minimize use of large graphics so that the webpage does not take a long time to load for users with older computers. Make sure all website links work correctly. Before your class begins, test all the links on your homepage to ensure that they all link correctly. Teach students how to recover lost files and backup their work Emphasize to students the importance of backing-up their work on multiple locations (E.g., floppy disk and hard drive, zip drive and hard drive, etc.). Make sure screen color combinations are legible. A simple light colored background with dark text is usually best for readability. In addition, sans serif fonts, such as Arial, are more readable online. Avoid over-use of special effects Special effects (plug-ins, such as java applets) vary considerably across Internet browsers. Some students’ computers may not have the capability to download special effects.
According to Kolb, learning is a continuous process and in the experiential learning cycle he explains the process of learning as consisting of a four-stage cycle (Figure 1 in Research Findings and Description) each stage of which links into one of the learning modes.
At the first glance, student effort appears to be paltry at best. The National Survey of Student Engagement (2003, reported that students in Business spend about 3 hours per week per course outside the class. The students in Social Sciences, the time spend is about 3.4 hours per course per week. This is comparatively high compared to the students using online risk and stress management.
Regarding vocational services, Internet offers several alternatives of rapid access, basically focused on data gathering. However, vocational orientation, among other services, does not have definite guidelines. This could mean a certain amount of risk in the quality of the services offered. There is also a pervasive lack of knowledge regarding how to use the Internet for developing one’s career.
Research shows that strong sense of community not only increases persistence of users of online programs, but also enhances information flow, learning support, group commitment, collaboration, and learning satisfaction (Dede, 1996;Wellman, 1999).
DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGY:
It is, perhaps, surprising that the suitability of the Internet for conducting research remains relatively unexplored. While there have been some early initiatives in a quantitative research setting, there has been little systematic analysis of how the Internet might be incorporated into qualitative research practices. While groundbreaking books such as Doing Internet Research (Jones 1999a) examine a range of theoretical and practical aspects associated with researching the Internet, they largely stop short of considering the Internet as a data-gathering tool. An explicit and sustained investigation of this area has yet to be undertaken.
(Mann, Stewart, 2002, p.4)
The Research Purpose:
A number of strategies can be considered in attempting to increase participation rates, such as introducing an assessment element into conferences, or presenting a class test as a tutorial exercise, or a combination of both. Assessing conferences is an attractive proposition, but it is not without its difficulties.
It is important for learners to be sure that, through appropriate performance on their part, the desired learning has occurred. This entails an assessment of the learning outcome and an evaluation of the extent of its success. Assessment criteria and methods must be closely aligned to the stated learning outcomes to meet learners’ reasonable expectations of the kind of performance that is required of them.
Research Philosophy:
This study sought to document the personal and educational interactions of families given convenient, unrestricted access to the Internet. Building on Gallo's (Gallo et al, 1994) work with teachers and privileged families, this study investigated how a group of low-income, "informational disadvantaged" families made use of their home Internet access. We intended to gather data concerning how much time participants spent online, what sites they visited, what information they sought, and what obstacles they encountered. (Gallo, Horton 1994)
The socio-behavioral focus of this study was best suited to the naturalistic-inquiry (Lincoln, Guba 1985) paradigm with its characteristics of prolonged engagement, persistent observation, and focus on participant perspectives. This research was primarily pursued through ethnographic interviews in the natural setting and computer-generated documentation of participants' Internet use.
Research Approaches:
The self-assessment questions are short-answer questions designed to elicit a specific answer from the learner. Learners cannot guess what the right answer is or rely on partial knowledge. Learners can attempt a question and, if they are confident that their knowledge is sufficient, can choose to access the answer immediately. However, if they are unsure about their level of knowledge learners are advised to undertake further study before looking at the answer. The questions are designed primarily to encourage learners to consider in detail the concepts and ideas in the course materials. They are also intended to develop a deep approach to learning and to encourage learners to reflect on what has been learnt. In addition, they help learners to check their understanding of the course materials, as well as acting as a revision aid by highlighting and expanding upon important elements of the course. The questions also aim to reinforce learning by providing further in-depth explanations of difficult concepts. It is essential that learners be given detailed comments and feedback on work they have completed. The self-assessment questions allow learners to choose for themselves when to view the answers and feedback can be immediate or delayed at the learner’s discretion. Learners should be given feedback on their assignments as soon as possible after marking, so that they can evaluate their work in the light of the tutor’s comments and consider any suggestions made.
The self-assessment questions are short-answer questions designed to elicit a specific answer from the learner. Learners cannot guess what the right answer is or rely on partial knowledge. Learners can attempt a question and, if they are confident that their knowledge is sufficient, can choose to access the answer immediately. However, if they are unsure about their level of knowledge learners are advised to undertake further study before looking at the answer. The questions are designed primarily to encourage learners to consider in detail the concepts and ideas in the course materials.
Although access to the Internet is readily available, such access is neither universal nor equitable. Access to and use of the Internet requires a substantial investment by the user. At a minimum, users need time to learn, understand, and navigate the network. They require computers, modems, software, and telephone lines. They must also have the financial resources to pay for the recurring monthly charges associated with Internet connection. For these reasons, the economically disadvantaged are not well represented among current Internet users. The data collected during this study provide strong evidence for the Internet's potential to empower and enrich the lives of those with access. With more than a year of home Internet use under their belts, participants' evaluation of home Internet use is overwhelmingly positive. They are committed to its continued use as long as access remains available in their homes.
Research Strategy:
Qualitative research methods were developed in the social sciences to enable researchers to study social and cultural phenomena. Examples of qualitative methods are action research, case study research and ethnography. Qualitative data sources include observation and participant observation (fieldwork), interviews and questionnaires, documents and texts, and the researcher’s impressions and reactions.
The motivation for doing qualitative research, as opposed to quantitative research, comes from the observation that, if there is one thing that distinguishes humans from the natural world, it is our ability to talk! Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live.
Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) argue that the goal of understanding a phenomenon from the point of view of the participants and its particular social and institutional context is largely lost when textual data are quantified.
If the corporation is based on hierarchy, the World Wide Web is a hierarchy, in which everyone communicates richly with everyone else on the basis of shared standards. Thus, the Internet network goes beyond just being able to provide content to those who choose to access it; it can provide very specific content to as wide an audience as required! There are no organizational pyramids on the Internet. There is no flow up or down. The flow is continuously in and out, not on a two-dimensional plane, but through an ever-expanding three-dimensional cube. In fact, since the content of the web is ever increasing over time, we can picture it geometrically as a four-dimensional hierarchy. The concept of the hierarchy challenges all hierarchies.
Time Horizon:
Evaluation techniques available as part of an information gathering process to evaluate the effectiveness of the online learning environment included analysis of student assessments, use of learner and provider questionnaires, use of learner and provider interviews, feedback from people having an indirect link with the instructional system and network data such as usage data and participation data in a certain time period.
Data Collection Methods:
There are various data collection methods employed in this study, Secondary data will be used as it includes published summaries, saves time and when it comes to international comparisons it will provide the main source of answer my research question and address the objectives (Saunders, Mark 2000). Secondary data will also produce an in-depth understanding of the current status of cross cultural initiatives in organizations. An increasing variety of secondary sources on cross-border mergers and acquisitions have been deposited in and is available from data archives. Addition a rapidly increasing number of companies and professional organisations have their own Internet sites from which data on this topic can be obtained (Saunders, Mark 2000).
The data are from an extensive course questionnaire form administered near the end of each package. The course evaluation questionnaire focused on three areas, user characteristics such as assertiveness, risk and stress management, how the students use the course material through Internet and the evaluation of materials and the course in general.
The students who tried online sections closely resembled their face-to-face counterparts with two exceptions. How diligent were the students in using the course work? We asked the students to declare the number of hours per week they spent, on average, in the course. About half the percentage reported spending 0-3 hours per week on the course. Another 38 % claimed to spend 4 or 5 hours.
But, of course, the distinction between time spent preparing for class and time spent in class does not arise for an online course. Although being stuck by the apparent small amount of time spent on the online course, it is not possible to say that it is markedly different from students’ effort on their face-to-face courses.
RESEARCH FINDING AND DESCRIPTION:
After a brief analysis of work experiences, we arrive at the following conclusions on the advantages and weaknesses of this tool.
Advantages:
a) It is a new alternative for the teaching-learning processes.
b) Access to the Internet is available through home, institutional, or public computers.
c) Frequently updating the web page motivates users.
d) This is an efficient tool to assess aptitudes, interests, values, and to identify occupational alternatives and collect information on the occupational marketplace.
e) It allows offering academic services that support career election and decision.
f) Virtual orientation and counseling are provided through chat and e-mail modes.
g) The Virtual Psychological Consultation is a preventive, rapid and free alternative service.
h) Implementation of Virtual Psychologist Consultation depends on pre-established strategies that guarantee their effectiveness.
i) Virtual Psychologist providers require specialized instruction and training.
j) The Internet is a tool that could be used to address the massive worldwide impact of behavioral health problems such as smoking.
Weaknesses:
a) Many persons are not aware of the usefulness of the Internet yet.
b) Computers and Internet connections are still too slow.
c) It is difficult to follow up on the results or effects of Internet provided counsel.
d) There are no clearly agreed upon rules on the use of these technologies.
Over the years, researchers have identified a number of cognitive styles, each with its own characteristics. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory comprises four such styles or modes, namely active experimentation, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and concrete experience.
According to Kolb, learning is a continuous process and in the experiential learning cycle he explains the process of learning as consisting of a four-stage cycle (see Figure 1), each stage of which links into one of the learning modes.
Starting at the top of the cycle, in stage one, the learner has an active experience as a result of which new information is introduced as part of learning. During stage two the learning process alters at the observation and reflection stage, and here the learner considers and reflects on the active experience of learning of the previous stage and is where the learner reflects, begins to assimilate the new material and to replace it in the context of existing learning to allow an accommodation between the learner's new learning experience and previous learning. Stage three is where the learner considers theories and rules.
The learner is required to explore the interrelationships between the old and the new learning experience and to think about and fit the new learning into his/her body of existing ideas and theories. Stage four is where the learner applies the new theories and ideas to the problem solving and, having had a successful learning experience, the learner plans the next experience. Having learnt something new, reflected upon it, assimilated the new learning into existing theory and ideas and put these into practice, the learner moves on to the next learning experience. Kolb (1984) states the combination of all four learning forms produces the highest level of learning by allowing more powerful and adaptive forms of learning to emerge.
The second study by Stewart and Eckermann at Deakin University, Australia, comprised two sub studies of health risk perceptions and practice between young woman and men. These studies were Australia based although translational in their undertaking. Data on a range of health issues and practices such as smoking, alcohol/drugs, nutrition, stress and sexuality were gathered through both face-to-face and virtual or online focus group discussions. The participants took part in the face-to-face and online focus group discussions. The participants took part in the face-to-face and online focus groups from their home cities of Suva (Fiji Islands), Beijing (China), Geelong (Australia) and Kuching (Malaysia). The aims of the comparative studies where to explore globalization of risk among a small, purposive sample and to test the viability of the Internet, particularly in regard to the issues of gender, as part of multi-site public health research. A tertiary goal was to stimulate debate about the possible uses of Computer-mediated communication technology for health promotion and education initiatives. (Mann, Stewart, 2002, p.6)
With the explosive growth of higher education enrolments over the past few decades, growing choruses of critics and reformers have argued for an increased focus on the quality of instruction. Although we are all familiar with the age-old debate about the primacy of research versus teaching in an institution's mission, the issue of quality instruction involves much more. Issues of faculty training, course evaluation, analysis of learning outcomes, and increased focus on the learner and learning styles are all part and parcel of an increased consciousness of the need to think about how instruction is delivered in higher education.
Faculty who see the Internet as a solution to an instructional problem, not “technothusiasts” who simply enjoy the technology, has largely driven the adoption of virtual learning environments. Although some worry that the demands of using online resources are monopolizing the resources of instructional support teams, in reality it works both ways. Indeed, the very act of creating a course Web site is one that demonstrates thoughtfulness on the part of the faculty member as to how he or she is going to teach the course; this thoughtfulness typically leads to other no technology changes in a course's design.
The movement of technology from the back office to the front office, although higher education can rightfully lay claim to a number of critical information technology breakthroughs, including the Internet, conventional wisdom argues that it generally lags the private sector in the implementation of these technologies. For example, colleges and universities took much longer than their corporate counterparts to adopt integrated commercial systems for managing back office operations such as student records, finance, and human resources. This trend remained true as corporations transformed their corporate Web sites from brochures to vehicles for doing business.
Only recently have universities begun to accept applications, donations, course registrations, and the like over the Web. Most recently, corporate America has recognized the need for technology to transform the front office—those services that face the consumer of the business—investing in systems that improve activities such as support, service, customer relationships, and the like. Only recently has higher education begun to think of its student-centric units in quite the same way, and thus learning online resources is a core component of this trend. Today's student expects a technology-supported experience from application to registration to donation. Campuses are scrambling to deploy campus Web portals that offer everything from health centre scheduling to registration for season tickets to football games. Because the core daily activity of a student is teaching and learning, creating a baseline Web environment for instruction has become the core of a broader front office expansion of technology.
The high-stakes search for new funding sources. Certainly a significant context for the growth of learning online resources is money, more specifically, the need to tap new financial sources. For some institutions, financial opportunity has been the primary public rationale given for the creation of for-profit subsidiaries that have initial public offering (IPO) potential. For others, it is less stated but no less important. At a time when state funding is decreasing, tuition rates have begun to max out, and the cost of doing business only increases, colleges and universities have become increasingly entrepreneurial in their sources of new revenue streams. The growth of extension programs, executive education programs, certificate programs, travel programs, and other branches of the traditional curriculum all serve to educate broader audiences, but with the added benefit of doing so with much higher profit margins than traditional undergraduate education provides.
The pressure and opportunity to serve new enrolments and markets perhaps the most frequently mentioned context for the sudden rise in postsecondary resource is the transition of America into a knowledge economy. More than ever, human capital is the key asset of corporations and the primary determinate of our career potential and livelihood. More people are seeking advanced education more frequently in their lives than ever before. As a result, states such as Utah estimate a doubling of their public institution enrolments over the next 10 years. The strain is particularly acute in areas such as education, nursing, information technology, and other professional disciplines that face workforce shortages. One implication is the rise of the for-profit segment of higher education that offers a focused, cost-effective degree "product" for the market. Higher education has experience working with corporate America as an originator of research and development, but the demands of playing a similar role as the ongoing developer of professional capacity are new and touch the core activity of the campus. As a result, it is quite political and the uncertainty facing university decision makers cannot be overstated. However, in this uncertainty, and with the revenue potential mentioned earlier in mind, the new markets placing demands on higher education offer fertile ground for the development of online learning programs that can deliver courses to broader audiences, free of the limitations of geography and time.
Scope of the course:
The workshop takes the user through a gamut of topics, which will unleash the colossal forces and drive forward the young mind towards greater prosperity. Topics dealt at workshop includes:
a) Sharpening memory.
b) Concentration and will power
c) How to study different subjects and difficult subjects?
d) How to remember the whole textbook?
e) Listening efficiency percentage at present.
f) The art of listening once in a classroom and reproducing accurately by improving comprehension.
g) How to study for a longer time with freshness?
h) Dynamic relaxation.
i) Career Planning.
j) Overcoming examination fear.
k) How to improve the reading speed?
l) Time Management.
m) How to plan whole year of study effectively?
Online Vocational Assessment:
Jeanne Hinkelman (Tulsa University, Tulsa) presented some advances on vocational psychology over the Internet and proposed some advantages and dilemmas.
Some of the advantages were as follows:
a) Usefulness of Internet for planning one’s career
b) Offering of academic services
c) Supervision of vocational counselors and research
d) Use of the web to assess aptitudes, interests, and values; to identify occupational alternatives; and to gather information about the occupational and the labor market.
e) Resources help the user to make decisions, give directions on-line, and use the multiple functions of computer-assisted systems, and obtain rapid results.
Some of the weaknesses of Internet are as follows:
a) There are no clearly agreed upon ethical rules; they are not specific or not taken into account.
b) No one guarantees the results of the professional services sought.
c) Services are unconnected pieces within the career development system.
d) Individuals who need information to develop a career don’t have access to computers, or they have no knowledge of how to use Internet.
e) Waiting time for an answer through the computer can become impractical and non-motivating to patients and counselors.
CONCLUSION:
Several limitations to the design of the present study should be acknowledged, which should be addressed in future projects. First, a major confounding factor is that the AI intervention was introduced within a workshop that included other team-building interventions. AI usually is conducted in a stand-alone workshop. It is difficult to discern if the positive results are attributable solely to the effects of the AI intervention. Using this intervention in isolation in future research might be a better indicator of its effect on reducing stress in the workplace.
Another limitation is that attrition occurred in both the experimental and control groups from baseline to post-intervention. Specifically, some individuals were eliminated from the study because they did not complete both instruments. A total of 10 subjects from the control group and 15 subjects from the experimental group were eliminated at the initial stage because they did not fill out the questionnaire post-intervention. This reduced the size of the experimental sample and its statistical power (Cohen & Cohen, 1975). A larger sample would have been more diverse and better representative of the actual population. Future studies might give the follow-up survey in person the day of the intervention to ensure that all those who participate in the survey complete the measure and to avoid lack of compliance with respect to filling out the measures.
The model for Internet communication in the future seems likely to be a hybrid of various forms, with users switching between texts, voice, video and graphics, and between synchronous and asynchronous communication, as circumstances dictate. One implication for research practice of these different types of communication will be the increased possibility of establishing ‘who is there’ at the other end of the link. Adding voice or video contact to text will not eliminate the problems of disembodiment, but it will help researchers to have more confidence that participants are who they describe themselves to be.
The study basically concluded the following:
a) The social psychology course students under study use the net basically to read email and to do course work. Nevertheless, according to the students’ judgment, using this didactic tool does not necessarily mean better learning. Internet is not really used to access the University Virtual Library, an issue that is related to the few references and articles downloaded from the net.
b) The students use the Internet 2 or 3 days a week. Internet connection time averages 45 min per day. This means that even though Internet connection frequency is low, Internet connection time is relatively high.
c) The main problems mentioned regarding using the Internet, decreasingly, are: speed downloading articles and references, not enough knowledge or experience using the net, difficulties in defining the specific required information, not enough knowledge about keywords and search sites.
d) Psychology students state that using the Internet for academic purposes is easy and safe. Nevertheless, not every student agreed that it improves learning the courses’ subjects, neither does it make learning more pleasant compared to the traditional class methodology.
e) Regarding Internet assessment as a learning resource, students state that if they had support for their courses on Internet, they would use it regularly because it improves learning when it offers something new daily.
f) The students state that the Internet’s major strength is the possibility to interact with other people. Regarding the information and the management of the sites, the students disagree about the usefulness of simple and synthetic information. They state that to learn on the Internet is only possible when contingent and quick feedback is received from the people who manage the subjects.
g) It seems that one type of student would disagree about taking an online course and another type of student would agree about the possibility of taking it.
Learner Motivation and Participation:
To encourage and support learning, and preserve motivation, course materials have to be of interest to learners, to ensure that they continue to want to learn. Course materials must be carefully written and structured; with the aim of nurturing the learner’s interest in the subject matter so that they feel studying to be valuable and rewarding. The wish to learn has to be strong in online learners because of the high degree of learner control involved and the amount of responsibility that learners take for their own learning in the online environment.
A student’s cognitive strategy is the motivating factor is the motivating factor in choices about learning materials. Our correlation analysis suggests that some tools, such as practice quizzes and excel based problems, appeal to students with similar strategies. The relationship between student’s preferences for different learning tools is complex and, with a couple of exceptions, would not be easily predicted from mere introspection about the nature of the tools themselves.
One of the problems facing teachers is the issue of learners not contributing to conferences and tutorials. This may be due to learners feeling anxious about communicating in the conferencing environment or being concerned about their skills in the use of the technology. This is understandable, particularly in view of the uniqueness of the environment, its asynchronous nature and lack of immediate feedback. (Mark Stansfield, 2004)
The safest prediction to make is that the number of people with access to the Internet will continue to grow, and at a rapid pace. As it does so, the diversity users and their usage will increase, diluting the status of the technically proficient. Nevertheless, use will continue to be disproportionately concentrated among the better-off sections of society and the more economically developed countries; but there are signs of recognition that correcting this imbalance is a political task and cannot just be left to market forces.
While we cannot be sure exactly where the Internet will lead, we are confident that its influence on our personal and professional lives will only increase over the next decade.
We have already mentioned the difficulties, and the potential for embarrassment, that face those who try to predict the future of something as unregulated and rapidly developing as the Internet. But if researchers are to invest time and effort in coming to terms with this new medium, the attempt need to be made. Has online learning via the Internet now reached some sort of plateau, or will it soon be transformed out of all recognition? Can users improve their assertiveness through online courses? Will the challenges that we have identified turn out to be temporary issues or insuperable problems? Can the users really get rid from risk and stress easily through online?
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APPENDICES:
(1) ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING:
If we cannot refuse the requests of others, we may live our lives according to other people’s priorities rather than our own. Some times we fail to draw lines, set limits, speak up or say ‘no’ to people leading to suffering in silence, sloppiness, half heartedness or forgetfulness, adding more stress to our already stressed life.
Pinpointing your own difficulties:
Answer the following questions with YES or NO:
YES: NO:
1) Do you buy things you do not really want because
it is difficult to say NO to salesman? ___ ___
2) Do you hesitate to return items to a store even
when there is a good reason to do so? ___ ___
3) Can you begin a conversation with a stranger? ___ ___
4) Do people act as if they find you boring? ___ ___
5) Can you criticize a friend? ___ ___
6) Can you praise a friend? ___ ___
7) Is there someone with whom you can share
intimate feelings? ___ ___
8) Do people tend to exploit you or push you around? ___ ___
9) Do you find it difficult to upbraid a subordinate? ___ ___
10) Are you satisfied with your progress in your career? ___ ___
(2) TIME MANAGEMENT:
Time is one thing that we are all given in equal amounts but often misused. It has been said that time is your life. If you waste time, you waste your life. There are a lot of misconceptions about time. We think that time flies, that we can save time, that we can make up time. Contrary to this, time moves at a predetermined rate all the time!
Keep in mind that:
Time waster is time robber.
Take a time inventory.
First fix up your own goals.
DANGER SIGNALS OF POOR TIME MANAGEMENT:
Never: 0
Sometimes: 1 2 3
Frequently: 4 5 6
Most of the time: 7 8 9
Always: 10
- I am indispensable. I find myself taking on various tasks because I am the only one who can do them:
SCORE: _______
- Daily crisis take up all my time. I have no time to do important things because I am too busy putting out fires:
SCORE: _______
- I attempt to do too much at one time. I feel I can do it all, and I rarely say no:
SCORE: _______
- I constantly miss deadlines:
SCORE: _______
- I feel guilty about leaving work on time; I don’t have sufficient time for rest or perhaps relationships. I take worries and problems home:
SCORE: _______
(3) YOUR LEVEL OF STRESS AT PRESENT: