What is so special about online distance learning at the EIT?

 

The vast majority of courses that can be studied at the EIT are presented using “synchronous” distance learning. We – and our students - are convinced that this provides superior learning outcomes to some of the alternative online solutions that are on offer.

 

The internet plays host to a huge number of courses which are “asynchronous”. This “self paced” learning appears attractive but in practice there is an enormous drop-out rate. There’s no doubt that it allows the freedom to download recorded lectures, reading materials and other courseware on demand. This is appealing because learners have all the apparent advantages of working when and where they wish. In reality students start with the best intentions, but in the longer term the distractions of daily life can interfere with the discipline required to complete the course. There are exceptions, but in practice well over 50% of students don’t make the distance.

 

Asynchronous learning seems to work well for short courses, but to achieve success in a higher level qualification over a longer time a system is required which has built-in motivation and uses techniques to maintain student interest.

 

Remember the boring teacher that we all experienced in our early schooling -the one who talked for ages while your mind wandered? Or the interminable talk of university lecturers that did not help your learning at all? This is not very different to poorly executed learning online. A web class may be “live” (with the instructor presenting in real time), but a presentation consisting of slide show and talk with no interaction is really no better than the old “chalk and talk”. It is all one way. As a student in one of these sessions, where the instructor does not engage you with opportunities for interaction, then it is not too far removed from the asynchronous learning already described.

 

Some of the features of modern online presentation software that can bring webinars to life range from instant “polling” of the class for feedback and questioning, video, live application sharing (where you get to experiment with an application on the instructor’s computer), shared use of the whiteboard, access to remote laboratories, right through to simple audience checks such as the active use of emoticons.

 

Interactive learning is “synchronous”, and the majority of course offered by the EIT are presented in this style.

 

The EIT’s training instructors appreciate the power of online learning. They know how to utilise the features in the software to bring the sessions to life and involve students. Students get the benefit of actual interaction with their presenters and their peers.

 

Our experience proves that students are far more likely to finish a longer program if they have a regular commitment to attend a live, interactive online class. Students will make the effort to attend classes that are genuinely valuable and interesting. This also provides the extra motivation to fulfil the coursework obligations. We have proved this model works as measured by the number of students who proceed to completion.