How do I make time for studying?!

A quick confession [I had orginally written 'A quick rant...' I decided this was more of a confession than a rant]... In an earlier post, I asked 'How will I learn?'. In that, I noted that I would find it difficult to create the time and space to prioritise the work I needed to do for this course. And it has come to pass.

Occasionally I am asked, typically by one of the students on the MAPP, 'how is your course going...?'. I am usually reluctant to answer as I am very much aware that I am doing very little work that is dedicated studying or the course. Yes, I am spending much of my time reflecting on various aspects of t-eL as part of preparing and delivering courses that involve t-eL, and in seeking to validate a fully distance learning MSc course, but this does not include reading and writing that directly forms part of my coursework.

If nothing else, I now have a greater empathy for students on the MAPP, many of whom are in full-time employment, have families, and are studying in their 'spare' time. It is a challenge.

CO710 (week 1 notes) Developing an approach to t-eL

'Putting people in a safe place to learn'. A key aspect of learning in general and applied here in the context of e-learning where uncertainties and anxieties may be higher than normal. The phrase also resonates with comments made by Piers (Piers Worth, colleague, mentor, friend, and Psychology Head of Department) where he discusses good teaching in the context of attachment theory and the important of allowing students to explore by giving them a secure and safe base from which to explore.

Is there a 'precise' definition of blended learning?

Thinking about domains of learning... e.g., affective, psychomotor, cognitive (in relation to what I teach?)

How people learn - joint, social activity.

People often see a course as an opportunity to be assessed rather than an opportunity to learn. Big challenge for distance learning?

Learning styles. Constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999). Learning activities and assessment aligned to learning outcomes.

Salmon (2000) (updated 2006?). Five stage framework. Online learning, needs to be a pleasurable and successful experience.