Selfdirected elearners and their social relations

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Self-directed e-learnersand their social
relations

• Perry Williams

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Self-directed learnersthe next generation?

• Anticipated since at least Knowles 1970!
• for reasons of educational effectiveness,
  psychological and political maturity, economic
  preparedness
• Enabled by technology?
• A world of learning from which to choose
• Creating a paradox for learning design
• The tension between personally meaningful
  interaction and guidance by a structured
  curriculum (Carroll 1990)
• How are our efforts to encourage and enable
  self-directed
• e-learning actually experienced by learners?

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Discourse analysis and e-learning

• Theoretical alignment of this research
• social, situated, discourse analytical (rather
  than individualist, rationalist, cognitive)
• Discourse analytical approach means here
• NOT use of conversation model (Laurillard, Pask)
• NOT focus on collaborative learning or ALNs
• treating talk as accomplishing social
  actions,co-constructing meaning, negotiating
  relations
• treating technology as mediator of human
  discourse and relations

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Who or what does the e-learnerexperience?
Interface
IT system
Content
Agency
Socialstructures
Controls
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Investigating learners experience ofe-learning

• Criteria for data collection method
• Situated (not abstract)
• Sequential (not synoptic)
• Authentic (not artificial)
• Method ethnographic, observation plus
• Audio-recording of think-aloud,
  reconstructions, reflections
• Observational notes of screen content and action
• Interviews

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Case studies

• Pilot study
• Software courses (postgraduate students)
• Higher education (The Open University)
• Study skills resources (first-time students)
• Postgraduate course on educational
  technology(e-learning professionals)
• Workplaces (two large public sector
  organisations)
• People management courses
• Health and safety management course

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Construction of a subjectWhat do they want?

• It wants me to put the cursor in there
• This little guys telling me to go on
• Right, Im going to do exactly what they say
• Is that what they want me to do?
• (Who is they?)

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Negotiation

• What should I be doing this week
• Where am I supposed to be
• No, I dont follow what my tutor says, but
  its good
• to know you do need that sort of sense where you
• should be.

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Resistance

• If you actually do it wrong, it doesnt give you
  an option
• saying, oh you did it wrong, do you want to know
  how you
• should have done it.
• Its like this is how you should have done it.
  No! (Laugh.)
• So Im really conscious of the fact now if I
  (laughing) make
• a mistake its just going to Ochhhh! This is
  how you
• should have done it. No, no, no, no! I want
  another go!
• You learn by your mistakes. (Laugh) Stupid thing!
  And, and
• his voice is very annoying! (Laughs) (Whispering)
  Sorry!

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Trust - losing it

• This is now ? really not worth my while now.
  Because Im,
• Im thinking that this facility is just not that
  useful for me to
• spending this much sodding time on it. You know,
  this is
• something I could do in my free time, now and I
  can piss
• about when Ive got free time. But Im in work,
  and I dont.
• Ive got better things to do, is what Im
  feeling.

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Trust - gaining it (1)

• Although Ive got through the first two weeks,
  Ill just have a
• quick look at this tip to see how what Ive
  achieved fits in
• with these ideas.
• (5 secs silence)
• Right.
• (4 secs silence)
• Thats right. The course study guide book was
  very useful.

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Trust - gaining it (2)

• Ah. The First Class conference. Ive been through
  to First
• Class conference, um, and read about it, and
  received any
• messages that were already there. Er. What I have
  to do
• with that now is, to learn how to, um, converse
  with other
• students, through the, um, First Class conference
  facilities.
• Right. Yeah. Im working on a diary. Yeah. Yeah.
  Certainly
• my family know what Im up to and, er, theyre
  trying to
• keep out of my way!
• (4 secs silence)

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Trust - gaining it (3)

• Yeah-um. Probably I have asked too much of myself
  in the
• initial two weeks, but now Ive sort of got into
  a, a regular
• routine. Er, I dont think Ill bother with the
  electronic
• planner. Um, Id rather do it manually.
• (He clicks on the sidebar title Keeping your
  momentum
• going.)
• Keeping your momentum going. Yeah, I would agree
  with
• that sentiment. Planning is one thing, getting
  going is
• another. Um.
• These hints and tips look very useful. Yeah.

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Conclusion

• We are in a social relationship with our learners
• They have their construction of us
• With which they negotiate their actions
• Push them too hard, and they will resist
• We may lose their trust
• but we can also gain it.

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Perry Williams

• perry.williams_at_open.ac.uk
• http//iet.open.ac.uk/pp/perry.williams/