1. Warm up
1.1. discussion about recording the session
1.1.1. very large cohort we have so thought we might not
1.1.1.1. we would be sharing across 100+ students
1.1.2. recording for recordings sake
1.1.2.1. Shaun
1.1.3. recording to support another student
1.1.3.1. Shaun
1.1.3.2. Damain
1.1.4. question of us being more aware of our contributions now it's being recorded??
1.1.4.1. any thoughts on this??
1.1.5. recording started at 14.11
1.1.5.1. each new participant given the opportunity to allow or not allow the recording
2. Bearing in mind what Richardson said earlier about the role of rhetoric in reports of educational research, do you find his conclusion – that institutions can feel confident about exploring the use of online forms of tutorial support – a convincing one?
2.1. Damian
2.1.1. disagree - "probably" statement in his conclusions
2.1.2. choices in education
2.1.2.1. maybe students who choose face-to-face - want to have that support. Maybe they chose not to have computer-mediated-communication so why make them?
2.1.3. personal context
2.1.3.1. wouldn't use in my contexts due to culture of higher education - very 'school' like - structured, etc, etc
2.1.3.2. maybe use asynchronous as a support - as an addition as shaun said
2.2. Shaun
2.2.1. horses for courses
2.2.2. agrees with some of the conclusions
2.2.3. online education is cheaper?
2.2.3.1. recording cut out on this and we didn't recapitulate - Shaun if you wish you can add to this...
2.2.4. Support via these forums useful: expansion over cost-saving
2.2.4.1. better to have as an extra for students
2.3. Jane
2.3.1. Importance of context of students & courses on the conclusions in paper
2.3.2. issue of deep vs. surface learning
2.3.2.1. value judgment that surface vs. deep learning that it is better
2.3.2.2. is surface learning worse???
2.3.2.2.1. we agreed that it is, but is it???
2.3.3. difficult to control for other factors that affect the results.
2.4. Theodora
2.4.1. agrees with the conclusion just doesn't feel that the evidence was convincing to come to the conclusion
2.4.2. issue with choice for students choosing f2f over online - not a random sample
2.4.3. student profiles affected the results
2.4.3.1. mature students therefore able to obtain better levels of support (perhaps because they were more experienced learners)
2.4.4. similar in Cypres
3. How do the accounts given in these two papers fit with our own experience of online tutorial support in H800.
3.1. Shaun
3.1.1. different experiences in diff. OU courses
3.1.1.1. ranged from virtually no contact with others to loads (in this course)
3.1.1.2. prefers more participatory learning
3.1.1.2.1. vs.. solitary learning
3.2. Jane
3.2.1. this kind of course makes you try and keep up
3.2.1.1. because you have to complete activities with the group every week.
3.2.2. assessment
3.2.2.1. be strategic or attempt to be strategic
3.2.2.1.1. in our approach to studies - however this requires time. Which we don't always have
3.2.3. Lesley is very prompt
3.3. Theodora
3.3.1. would prefer a face-to-face course (at the beginning of her studies)
3.3.1.1. but had to choose an online course
3.3.1.2. amazed by level of collaboration - more than in any face-to-face course she'd had in the past.
3.3.2. has become used to the level of interaction in the OU course
3.4. Damian
3.4.1. learning strategies
3.4.1.1. we can use different strategies - not participate much but lurk or participate loads - depending on our scheduales etc
3.4.2. activities that exclude learners
3.4.2.1. synchronous may exclude people working in their 2nd language
3.4.2.2. excludes those in diff. time zones.... etc
3.4.3. Lesley
3.4.3.1. experienced
3.4.3.2. matches up with Richardson's paper.
3.4.3.2.1. need tutors who are trained etc in the same way you would face-to-face teachers to be trained and experienced.
4. Further discussion
4.1. using elluminate without a tutor?
4.1.1. lead into discussion about lack of visual cues etc with learners
4.1.1.1. are we missing out if we don't have face-to-face classes?
4.1.1.2. we felt that the forums - more than made up for the lack of face-to-face contact
4.1.1.3. didn't feel like it anything less than face-to-face
4.2. blogging
4.2.1. Shaun
4.2.1.1. formal vs. informal
4.2.1.2. as time has gone on not working as well
4.2.1.2.1. twitter is faster
4.2.1.2.2. other tools more interesting - e.g. facebook
4.2.1.2.3. posts on blogs are shorter
4.2.1.3. What were blogs really intended for?
4.2.1.3.1. sharing at first, bear in mind when they came out.... but now....?
4.2.1.3.2. but now other tools are better for sharing
4.2.2. Damian
4.2.2.1. is twitter dictating use of other tools?
4.2.2.2. Twitter
4.2.2.2.1. is for sharing through space - diff locations, but at same time
4.2.2.3. blog
4.2.2.3.1. for sharing through time - on a specific topic or person - s you have a history - in other words through time
4.2.3. Theordora
4.2.3.1. main use of blog is for reflection
4.2.3.2. "difficult to go in each blog and see, eaiser to see in forums"
4.2.3.3. if you go in the blog and leave a comment it's "nicer" - it's better to say something positive