Reflection on activity 3

Time to reflect 

                                                                   Picture taken from relationalcontextofteaching.edublogs.

The reason I choose two completely different course’s in activity three to investigate was I wanted to see the contrast between how those courses were implemented.

On one hand the certificate in electrical technology was very fixed in how the course was delivered and assessed. This is very similar to the course I teach and I understand the reason’s that “Trade” qualifications have to be fixed in certain areas.

·         The student has to be trained in certain material and that material has to be delivered in a logical order that follows on from previous learning. (our level 5 qualification in Automotive cannot be completed if the student has not done all the previous levels from level 1 to 4)

·         There is a governing body that decides what material must be learned and completed to qualify in the industry.

·         If students do not learn the material in certain ways there is a high possibility that people can get injured or killed.

The next time you get an electrician in to wire up a switch or a plug in your house just think if that person didn’t pass very rigid training requirements you could get electrocuted when you use that switch or plug. The same goes for a lot of trades and medical professions.

On the other hand the course in Google Sketch up was very flexible and fully online. It still has certain flow to the course that is a logical way to learn the material.

Also one reason I see that the online course worked so well is that the program you are learning about is a computer drawing program so one of the main tools that you use to do the course (computer) is one of the main devices you will use to run the program.

This is a valid point when considering going online; in what way will the students (when qualified) interact with the technology after the course is complete.

Question

If we train students away from what they will physically use in the profession they are learning about are we being “Fair” and “responsible” to the student and are “we meeting the demands of industry”????

So my idea of flexible learning is to embrace new technology and ideas were applicable and always reflect on the tried and tested, put the students learning needs first and make sure they become “work ready” for the industry they are going into and also encourage them to embrace new technology if it will enhance their lives and their ability in the industry.

To do this I personally have to understand what the students learning needs are and understand not only where the industry is currently but where the industry could possibly head.

So the way I carry out my teaching and assessing must be flexible enough to cater for my students, but be inflexible enough to meet industry needs and expectations.

Activity Three Example two

Activity Three: Investigate and describe two examples of flexible teaching and learning

Example two: Google Sketch up

Who are the students?

            The students can be anyone that is interested in learning how to use the sketch up tool. The sketch up program is simple to use electronic drawing program.

There are two versions a free version and a pro version that has an annual fee. The free version is like the student version of office e.g. has basic drawing tools etc to satisfy the novice. The pro version has all the tools and drawing options like office professional.  

How flexible is the course?

Using the flexibility grid my findings are:

Time

• Start and finish times of course – there are various options for study depending on the depth of knowledge you are looking to get out of the program. Varies from free online videos that give the basic functions through to the more advanced functions, face to face training facilities and online tutorials at set times the last to have fees to cover the more in-depth training - Flexible
• Submitting assignments and interacting with course, Tempo and moments of assessment – Depending on what avenue you choose to take in your training the pathway is very flexible in assignments and how you interact with the course’s - Flexible

Content

• Topics of course, Sequence of the course – the training is set out that you progress through the material in a logical order (basic to advanced) to ensure the learning curve is achievable, but flexible enough that learners that can pick up the program faster can still find a challenge in the learning. The topic is all to do with the drawing program but does explain different drawing aspects that help you to understand the reason the program does certain things - Medium
• Orientation of the course, Key learning materials – The key learning materials and orientation of the course are all revolved around the drawing program and learning how to use it effectively - Fixed
• Assessment standards and completion requirements – The assessment standards and completion requirements follow the key points of how the program operates and as the course outline says - Upon completion of this course, you should be able to and the course’s learning outcomes follow - Fixed

Entry requirements

• Conditions for participation – Anyone interested in learning about Google sketch up can enroll - Flexible

Instructional approach and resources

• Language – Varies available all major languages – Flexible
• Social organization of learning – Depending on how course is completed can either be done online with no social contact and  self assessed or tutorials both online and face to face - Medium
• Learning resources, moderation and assignments – All revolves around the drawing program with students demonstrating skills in the operation of the program - fixed

Delivery and logistics

• Time and place, location technology – the learning is very self paced and can be done anywhere that the students have access to the internet and a computer that can operate Google Sketchup - Medium
• Methods, technology for obtaining support and types of help available – From what I have seen there is an enormous amount of online help and forums available to help not only students but anyone that use’s the program - Flexible 

References

Casey &Wilson, C. J.  (2005). A practical guide to providing flexible learning in further and higher education. Retrieved from http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/publications/a-practical-guide-to-providing-flexible-learning-in-further-and-higher-education.pdf

 
How I see the course against the Five dimensions of flexibility

 

Summary

 From the free online tutorials that I tried online I found the delivery and content easy to follow. The pace that the tutorials did move through the content and their explanation of how the program worked was quite fast and if you don’t keep up you will end up watching the video again.

The actual training that requires registration and fees may have better pacing.

Also because all the training and use of the program relies on your internet connection and quality of the computer there can crashes and connection issues, which is common anywhere

computers and the internet are concerned and this not an issue with the training or the program its more the quality of the tools need to carry out the training.

One thing I will add is I have found Google Sketchup very easy to use. As you can see from the below picture. I didn't draw the table or the car but drawing the house only took 1/2hr training and about an hour of drawing time and is a credit to design of the program.

Reflecting on two courses against Flexible learning and teaching (1)

Activity Three: Investigate and describe two examples of flexible teaching and learning

Example one: Certificate in Electrical Technology (Level 4)

Who are the students?

            The students are typically male with a small percentage of female students (approx          80/20 split). All students come from mixed backgrounds (social, economic, ethnic and      religious). The common interest between all the students is that they want to gain         knowledge and experience in the Electrical trade to gain an apprenticeship and a career   in the industry.

How flexible is the course?

Using the flexibility grid my findings are:

Time

• Start and finish times of course – its one year full time – Not flexible.
• Submitting assignments and interacting with course, Tempo and moments of assessment – the course has a large content that has to be studied in order and assessed straight after the unit has been completed to allow the students to understand the content and be able to achieve completion of the course by the end of the year. This also means the pace of the course is medium to high to ensure all unit standards are covered – Not flexible.

Content

• Topics of course, Sequence of the course – As above, because the course material complements the previous and following units that are studied there has to be a ridged sequence and topic material that is followed throughout the year – Not flexible.
• Orientation of the course, Key learning materials – The delivery of the course content is a mixture of theory/practical teaching and material is delivered through various materials that the students are provided access to e.g. books, manuals, PDFs, moodle and videos etc – Medium
• Assessment standards and completion requirements - Because the electrical industry is governed by various laws and standards the material all has to meet these standards to ensure regulations are meet (which is understandable when working in such a dangerous and unforgiving environment) – Not flexible

Entry requirements

• Conditions for participation – Students will receive preference if they have completed 3 years of secondary school education and received good results in mathematics and science. If English language is not their first language they need to have a average score of 5.5 in the IELTS overall band score – Medium.

Instructional approach and resources

• Language – English (see the above entry requirement) – Fixed
• Social organization of learning – The institutional patterns is tutorials and practical workshops all done in groups with one on one time as required (as time allows in the classes).
• Learning resources, moderation and assignments – Because of the industry that the students are being trained for has very strict criteria and standards, this reflects into the units, material, assessments and any learning material have to meet certain standards that are set by governing bodies of the electrical industry – Fixed

Delivery and logistics

• Time and place, location technology – the contact time with the students is set class times and only available in class rooms/workshops that are set up to train/assess the students and as the time frame that the course is delivered in is set the material is delivered in a set format and time to ensure all unit standards are completed by course completion – Fixed
• Methods, technology for obtaining support and types of help available – all material is available after lecture on moodle, but students are strongly advised not to miss lectures and workshops. All information that is required is available in the resources that the students are required and/or recommended to purchase at the start of the course. Lectures do provide extra support and mentoring if required. All Otago polytechnic student services are available to the students – Medium

How I see the course against the Five dimensions of flexibility

Summary     As you can see from the above information the course is ridged in many of the dimensions of flexibility, this is mainly due to the material that the course covers and the standards that the content has to abide by. The components that the lectures can be flexible in are limited and I believe they are doing their best in creating a flexible learning environment within those boundaries.

This course is structured like any other trades qualification all trades are bound to standards and all the students have to demonstrate that they not only understand the content but also can physically carry out the work that is required in the industry. This will always work against how flexible the course can become and I can only see that lectures in these trade qualifications (like me) need to find new and innovative ways to teach these students that makes the course seem flexible but still abides by all of the required standards.

The key areas that can be manipulated are how the students are provided the material and how we assess them against the standards.

Thank you to Jake and Barry for allowing me to quiz them on their course.

References

Casey &Wilson, C. J.  (2005). A practical guide to providing flexible learning in further and higher education. Retrieved from http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/publications/a-practical-guide-to-providing-flexible-learning-in-further-and-higher-education.pdf