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Supporting students in a flexible learning environment: can it be managed better?

With the increasing popularity of flexible learning, and the resultant large enrolment numbers, providing individualised support for all students has become increasingly difficult. The consequences of which are reflected in lower working retention, and completion rates in distance education. In the past, individualised ‘mainstream’ student support has generally been relegated to the teachers, with various strategies and solutions being devised. However, the tendency has occurred for the ‘wheel to be reinvented’ within an institution in regards to the trialing, implementation, and evaluation of these strategies. Faced with the enormity of the work alone, innovative ideas to support students have been localised, or at the worst, lost. At the Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) this problem is being addressed through the implementation of four Student Learning Managers, one of each faculty area. The role of the Student Learning Manager is still evolving, however, the primary aims of the position are to share information and ideas within, and between faculties, to assist staff in their efforts to steer the student to study success. The initial results - measured in terms of student working rates - reveal that this increased communication within OLP, which is facilitated through the Student Learning Management position, has been extremely successful. The aim of this workshop is to consider the management of student support for mainstream students engaged in flexible learning, and consequently discuss what role and responsibilities this management may entail.

With the increasing popularity of flexible learning, and the resultant large enrolment numbers, providing individualised ...  Show Full Abstract  

Authors: Twyford, Kylie
Conference name: Second National Conference of the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association: AVETRA: Quality and Diversity in VET Research
Date: 1999
Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia
Resource type: Conference
Subjects: Management; Participation; Quality;

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