Student Supports
From ElateWiki
E-learning requires a lot of work from learners. It also requires a lot from instructors. Student supports are a critical part of student success. Online courses may result more quickly in learner frustration, particularly for students who do not have strong social supports or some experiences in academia.
Faculty who let negative feedback loops develop may have a much harder time supporting the learning in the class. Student disgruntlement may escalate fairly quickly in e-learning, and negative information tends to move quickly through the WWW.
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Types of Student Supports
These supports may involve "scaffolding" for both novices and experts. This may be seen in proper instructional design for effective online learning.
These supports may involve the use of artificial intelligence in the form of digital tutors. These may also involve instructor care for learners. This care is sometimes referred to as "hand-holding" for new students.
Encouraging Intercommunications
Having open intercommunications among learners and the instructor is important. This way, if students have questions about their learning or difficult life circumstances, they can reach out and find helpful advisement and support. Some instructors will have a folder for student queries and comments, which all students may access in an online course, so the same questions do not have to be asked and answered continuously. This strategy magnifies the value of the shared information.
Addressing Questions Satisfactorily
Because much of the asynchronous communication occurs online, it would be helpful to work on having learners articulate their questions clearly. It also helps for instructors to offer fast, accurate, and supportive responses. That speed should be balanced against reasonable time expectations. Sometimes, students expect almost a real-time response, which is not reasonable. Setting the expectations for instructor responsiveness will be helpful.