Many learners feel lost when learning at a distance, especially if this is their first experience of studying independently. However, there are many ways in which the tutor can provide structure and guidance to help learners manage their learning more effectively. Here are some techniques that are commonly used by tutors in successful online and distance learning programmes:

  • Providing a clear study schedule at the start of the course, indicating what content will be covered in what time period, along with the associated readings (or links to these), and deadlines for submission of assignments.
  • Making regular announcements reminding learners where they are in the programme and what the deadlines are for upcoming tasks/ assignments. The announcements are made in a predictable manner at predictable times – e.g. a posting to the 'Announcements' section of the discussion forum by 12pm every Monday, or a short note handed out in class every Friday if you have face-to-face sessions.
  • Providing a clear statement at the beginning of the programme indicating how the course will be run, what is expected of the learners, and what kind of support they can expect of the tutor - and the institution.
  • A learning agreement, jointly drawn up by the tutor and learners at the start of the programme, can help learners consolidate in their minds what their responsibilities and commitments are in relation to the programme, and can help avoid misunderstandings later on in the course.

Reflection

  1. Why do you think it is important that your announcements are made in a predictable manner at predictable times? In what ways do you think the tutor can provide a balance between predictability (comfort) and variety (challenge) for the learners?   
  2. Can you identify the kinds of behaviour that you expect from your learners? For example:
  • If the course includes face-to-face sessions, do you expect them to attend all sessions?
  • If there is asynchronous online discussion, how frequently do you expect them to participate?
  • What is your policy for late assignments?
  • Are you prepared to have learners call you on your mobile phone? If so, are there specific times in the week that you are available/ not available? Will you use your mobile to phone learners or send SMSs? How realistic is this in the long term, if you are bearing the cost yourself?
  • Do you want learners to communicate with you via e-mail? Are there certain kinds of questions that you would prefer to deal with on the class discussion forum so that everyone sees the conversation? (E.g. questions to clarify assignment requirements might fall into this category.)
  • What will you do if you find that your learners have plagiarised? (For more on this, see Unit Six.)
  • Can you think of any other expectations you have of your learners that they should know about at the start of the course?
  • Can you think of any specific promises you can make to learners at the start of the course, such as indicating how quickly you will respond to questions posted asynchronously, or other commitments you would like to make?