Brown, Mark and Keppell, Mike and Hughes, Helen and Hard, Natasha and Smith, Liz (2013) Exploring the disconnections: student interaction with support services upon commencement of distance education. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 4 (2). pp. 63-74. ISSN 1838-2959
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Text (Published Version)
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Abstract
While provision of appropriate supports in the first year of study has been found to have a positive effect on student success, supports targeting online and distance learners are often applied in a 'goulash approach.' Against this backdrop, the research investigated the experiences of first-time distance learners with a view to informing the future design of supports during the early stages of the study lifecycle. The study was framed around Design-Based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases: a stocktake of services designed to support distance learning; a pre- and post-semester survey of first-time distance learners; and a video diary phase that gathered the lived experiences of 20 students upon commencement of their study. Triangulated results of the three phases highlight a disconnection between institutional support services and the majority of first-time distance learners who demonstrated a self-sufficient, lone wolf approach to learning.
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| Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
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| Refereed: | Yes |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | © Copyright of articles is retained by author/s. As an open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) |
| Faculty / Department / School: | Historic - Australian Digital Futures Institute |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Mar 2014 11:49 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Oct 2014 04:40 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | distance education; student support; first year experience |
| Fields of Research : | 13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130306 Educational Technology and Computing 13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130399 Specialist Studies in Education not elsewhere classified 13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130305 Educational Counselling |
| Socio-Economic Objective: | C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9305 Education and Training Systems > 930501 Education and Training Systems Policies and Development |
| Identification Number or DOI: | 10.5204/intjfyhe.v4i2.171 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/24952 |
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