The Director's Cut

Tidbits, Resources, and Discussion for ELI Faculty

Monday, November 30, 2009

More on K-12 students and online classes

Here's another tidbit from the presentation I've been sharing from in my past couple of posts. Project Tomorrow asked K-12 students how taking an online class would make school more interesting for them. Here's what they said:
  • 47% said it would put them more in control of their own learning
  • 38% said it would make it easier to review class materials
  • 32% said it would be easier for them to succeed
  • 29% said they would be more comfortable asking questions
  • 27% said they would be more motivated to learn

What are your thoughts about the data I've been sharing? Do you think K-12 students are a different type of student due to the technologies they use every day? Do you think they are coming to us with a correct understanding of online learning? Do we have a correct understanding of them?

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Anonymous said...

You ask some great questions
Do you think K-12 students are a different type of student due to the technologies they use every day?
What is critical is the design of instruction and use of instructional technologies that are relevant to the unique intrinsic motivations of the student population. Many of my former K-12 students actively sought out web experiences that provided expert instruction on topics that were relevant to the program of study, these sites were social media intensive that would not be considered “acceptable” in the K-12 environment. Do we classify K-12 differently than Adult learners consequently providing a different technology based education environment that has an impact on learning outcomes? The short answer may be yes.

Do you think they are coming to us with a correct understanding of online learning?
Absolutely, but do we have a solid understanding of what learners expect through our design process? I am not sure we spend enough time in the analysis to really understand the characteristics of this learner population. The work referenced is a great starting point and more research would help us provide educational offerings that satisfy the target population. Colleges are in a great position to offer educational products that help K-12 populations reach “their” educational goals, just like the adult learner having success in an on-line environment and not wanting to go back to a traditional classroom, so could be the future of what is possible for community colleges offerings and the K-12 populations they could serve.

Thanks

December 5, 2009 at 8:24 AM

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