1 Managing your study

As an online learner, you are responsible for managing the majority of your own study time. Like all online learners, you need to be able to work around other commitments, such as work and family. Your time for study may be limited, so you need to make decisions about when and where to study. This requires you – like the students you teach online – to be an independent or self-directed learner.

Being an independent online learner means:

Activity 1 Independent learners

Timing: Allow about 20 minutes

The video shows some online students describing how they manage to combine study with work and childcare, and the physical and mental space that they create in order to be able to do this.

As you watch the video, or read the transcript, look for evidence that the students are independent learners. List the constraints on your own study time and note which of these, if any, are likely to apply to your students as well.

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Transcript

EMMA: (Narrating)

I’m 28 years old. I work as a classroom assistant at a deaf school. I’ve worked there for three years. And the children that I work with, they’re deaf, but they also have additional needs.

EMMA:

Making bouncy castle. Yes.

EMMA: (Narrating)

Yeah. I really enjoy my job. It’s full time. It’s 32 hours a week.

EMMA:

Emily.

EMMA: (Narrating)

I’m really happy that I’ve done this course. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. It sounds really silly, but because I hadn't studied for six years, I never felt like this at school. But I was really excited because it has given me an opportunity to go on to my nurse training. I live at home with my partner.

EMMA:

Do you want to go mackerel fishing or do you –

EMMA: (Narrating)

His son George who’s 10. And his daughter, Alice, who’s 16. And then there’s my daughter, Emily. I study here. I’ve got a computer desk there. It’s really good. It folds out. I study mainly, like, when my children aren’t around. I just set myself a time, say between 9:00 and 10:30. And I try not to go over that.

WAGDI:

I just wanted to talk to you because I'm going away on holiday.

WAGDI: (Narrating)

I’ve been working at Tesco for about 19 years. And currently I’m the resource manager. And basically what that means is I’m in charge of recruitment.

WAGDI:

What I want you to do is recruit those people. So, interview them, screen them.

WAGDI: (Narrating)

So, I get to meet all the new people, which is good fun. I’ve wanted to go back to studying for quite a while. And I’ve always been interested in psychology. A friend of mine suggested The Open University to me.

What I found is that I needed to be quite structured in routine. I made sure that I spent at least an hour after work. So it would be the first thing that I did when I got home. And strange enough, this room isn’t used a great deal. It tends to be left unused. So it’s a very quiet environment.

End transcript

 

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Comment

Common constraints on online study are existing work and carer commitments. Other considerations include access to appropriate technology, a good internet connection, and a study space where it is possible to work undisturbed.