Sunday, November 25, 2007

Assignment 11, Discussion

The research confirms some well-known but significant information in relation to two components of new media in online learning.

An important consideration for effective learning is for the student to be comfortable in the learning environment in which they interact. This research confirms this idea when students state that their preference for communicating through email. Most people, whether for personal purposes or professional responsibilities, utilize or rely upon email as a major means of communication. Other forms of communication including blogs, message boards, voice over internet have yet to be mainstreamed into our daily professional and personal lives. Until other technologies are more commonplace, email will likely remain the more common mode of communication.

Because this study was performed with a random population which may not have had a high comfort level with various forms of the latest technology media, the results may not be reliable if a specified population were targeted. If a population of computer-savvy media majors were selected to participate in the survey, the results may appear quite different. With a tightly controlled population of participants who were comfortable with new technology, it could be possible to better determine the media most effective for online learning if all the media being considered were in common use for all participants involved.

It is also no coincidence that participants in the study who were experienced with non-music podcasts had a stronger preference for portable media in online learning. The portability of a podcast augments the flexibility of watching a lesson anytime. Given the numerous demands of adult learners outside of their learning circles, this is no small consideration. The research further reinforces the importance of students being comfortable in their learning environment – by not being comfortable with the format of the learning forum (new media), the students are less likely to utilize the forum.

The second component that is crucial for the success of new media in online learning is the andragogy. Whereas the conveniences of not travelling to class and flexibility are attractive to most adult learneres, they are not enough to sustain the learning process. Student input into the structure of the class and the learning process is effective in any educational setting, but is crucial for adults.

No surprise, the types of media used in the course emerged as the greates considerating, thus further reinforcing the idea of being comfortable in your learning environment. Additionally, selecting the type of assignments you receive ensures that the learning involved is better directed at targeting a desired or necessary learning goal. What is interesting in the data is that students place greater value on the class setting than on the learning goals themselves – in other words, the class environment in which learning occurs is more important than the learning goals themselves. This emphasizes the importance that if you are not comfortable in your learning setting, you are not as likely to effectively learn.

Another interesting set of data around the andragogy question was the importance of due dates for assignments and their grading. Both were considered important and were almost statisticly equal, but below type of media used and class assignments. Would such results be obtained from students in primary or secondary students? This is espceially true of the type of students who are striving to get into Harvard, Stanford or other elite schools, for which grades are the omnipotent consideration.

When comparing these results together, it clearly demonstrates a concern about grades on the part of adults, but also empahsizes the quality of learning as the greatest priority. Such results would likely be replicated in future studies performed at the college and professional levels. What is not know is what these results would look like with primary or secondary students.

Overall, the study of new media on online learning has confirmed the value of learning relevant material for adults and working in a forum that is comfortable for the participants to use. In designing an online class, it would be prudent on the part of a professor to understand the technology comfort level of their students in order to develop the best possible balance of incorportating new media and creating a comfortable learning environment to maximize the learning potential of their students.

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