Job Discussion Forums

[da teacha]

So, grinding through the final stretch of the DELTA at the moment. Decided to give the distance learning specialism a shot; preparing myself for the future and all.

I might be going against the 'spirit of the course' by doing so or fail or whatever, but that's not an issue. I'm looking to develop a kind of MOOC for IELTS prep, and am trying my hardest to tie in my work to the diploma. 2 birds, 1 stone and all.

The content's no problem, but I'm finding it really difficult to throw in some references to keep the examiners happy. Does anybody have any links/pointers as with regards to online/distance education/teaching English which I could find useful?

Regards,
da teacha

[tina20]

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[Monorail Cat]

OP, have you tried using scholar.google.com and/or research.google.com as a starting point?

[smedini]

[mmcmorrow]

I think a MOOC (i.e. Massive Online Open Course) would be a challenging choice of course type for this assignment for two reasons:

Firstly, the 'massive' and 'open' aspects of a MOOC tend to mean that it's a generic kind of product, not especially tailored to the needs of a specific group of students

Secondly, again mainly because of the massive aspect, MOOCs tend to be low on interactivity and engagement in comparison to other forms of online or blended learning (such as those championed by Michael Power from Laval Uni in Quebec). As a result of the low levels of engagement, I believe that MOOCs typically have completion rates of something like one in twenty.

For the distance learning option in general, I'd mainly recommend you look at sources related to ELT or language learning online (or blended), rather than the huge and not always so relevant literature on distance learning in general. Good sources might include the books by Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hockley etc and the IATEFL Learning Technologies special interest group, which also has some useful links to relevant journals, resources etc.

For the Module 3 assignment in particular, I would recommend you stick closely to the recommended structure and word count for each section.

In section 1, you need to write critically and concisely about your topic (in this case, language learning through distance / online modes). I suggest that you focus on a small number of distinguishing features of learners, teachers, learning or teaching in the option you've chosen - i.e. what exactly is it that makes this type of language learning and teaching unique. Aim to identify particular opportunities and challenges.

In section 2, you need to summarise the principles of needs analysis and diagnostic testing and then show how you would apply these to particular learners (this is why the MOOC option is a hard one).

In section 3, you need to summarise the principles of learner centred course planning, including the setting of goals / objectives / learning outcomes and course design. You then need to explain how you applied this to designing a 20 hour course for the learners whose needs you identified in section 2. It's also important that, in explaining your course, you show that it's consistent with what you said about the topic in section 1 - e.g. that in designing your course you've made an attempt to maximise the opportunities and minimise the constraints which you identified in section 1. As a tip, I would suggest that an effective course includes one or more 'learning-to-learn' type goal - for distance learning, this might be one or two particular information or digital literacy goals (Digital Literacies, btw, is the title of Gavin Dudeney's and Nicky Hockley's new book).

In section 4, you need to summarise the principles of assessment and then apply these to the learners and course described in sections 2 and 3. It's important that your assessment focuses on the learning outcomes which you'd set for the course and that it's consistent with the learners' needs. There is a wide range of options to choose from, including forms of self-assessment, portfolio assessment, task-based assessment etc (in both formative and summative versions) - it's not just about 'tests'.

Good luck with the work on module 3 - hopefully your tutors will have some more useful advice and feedback for you.

Martin McMorrow, Massey University, New Zealand

[mmcmorrow]

Just following up on my earlier posting. There are some useful presentations in the online page of the recent TESOL-CALL conference. There are also a number of online interviews, as well as other resources, on the site from the recent IATEFL conference, though I think the link to online resources from the IATEFL online learning group, which I put in the posting above, would probably be the best place to start. Anyway, even if you're not especially interested in online learning, the interviews contain snippets on all kinds of ELT issues from a wide range of speakers, including Scott Thornbury, Gavin Dudeney, Alan Maley, Sue Leather, Jeremy Harmer, Graham Hall etc.

Just another reminder for people looking at DELTA module 3 - bear in mind, it's as much about course planning and assessment as it is about the particular option you choose. So you need to balance and integrate these three aspects in your research and your writing.

Martin McMorrow, Massey University, New Zealand

[mmcmorrow]

This free online book which has recently been published by the British council could also be a useful resource for people taking this option: Blended Learning

Martin McMorrow, Massey University, New Zealand