Does learning style
affect the way you learn online?
Results of the poll in Activity 1:
Visual 2
Auditory 2
Read/Write 2
Kinesthetic 2
Multi-modal 9
This survey has revealed that multi-modal learning style is dominant in this group; however, it also indicates that there are a variety of learning styles choosing to learn online.
Will my learning style affect my academic achievement when studying online?
The good news is that learning style does not significantly affect the achievement level of distant education and online students (Akkoyunlu, & Soylu, 2008; Saeed, Yang, & Sinnappan, 2009).
Does participation in online activities affect achievement levels?
There is a connection between achievement levels and online participation, particularly in the two areas of interaction with classmates and collaborating on projects. Satisfaction levels are also linked to participation (Cheng & Chau, 2014).
Is satisfaction important?
Many people have indicated on this Blog that they have experienced feelings of dissatisfaction with a distance education or online course. One explanation for this is that there may have been a mismatch between the student's learning style and the design of the course's learning activities. You may feel more like engaging in course activities if they are matched to your learning style.
Can you improve the experience by using your knowledge of learning styles?
If you are aware of your learning style, you can do two things:
- adapt your learning style to match the course activities
- modify the learning activities to match your style.
Studies suggest that being aware of other learning styles can motivate you to try other learning strategies and develop a mixed method approach. This may also help increase your participation levels (Bhagat, Vyas, & Singh, 2015).
Activity 2
Adapting
Below are three scenarios; each scenario describes a student with a particular learning style, who is experiencing some learning issues in their course.
Select one scenario and describe in the comments section, what you would advise this student to do to adapt their approach.
Scenario 1
Kamal is studying exercise science full-time by distance education, through a well-known university. Kamal works four days a week at a local gym, and feels this job will give him some insight into his future profession. He works two shifts a day; the first shift starts at 5;30 am and finishes at 9;30 am; the second shift begins at 4:00pm and finishes at 7:00 pm.
The exercise science program has three courses, two of which are science-based and involve learning large amounts of scientific and technical information. Kamal really enjoyed science at school, particularly the weekly practical experiment. However, he finds these two courses very difficult because of the way the material is presented. The course material is provided week by week on a course page, accessed via the university home page. Each week, the students are given a written outline of the content, a chapter from the course text-book to read, and 10 questions to answer by Friday of each week. The correct answers are provided the following week on the course page.
Kamal is finding the course very difficult and is afraid that he will not be able to retain enough information to pass his mid-semester exam. He states, "I just find it so hard to go home from morning shift and try to get through the material, and answer the questions in time. Even when I do, I don't feel as if I am retaining or learning anything. I can't see the use of this course, and yet I love working with people to improve their physical well-being suing exercise"
What would you advise Kamal to do?
Scenario 2
Emily is a hearing impaired student, studying a business degree by distant education. Previously, Emily has achieved highly in her courses as an independent and capable student with a strong visual learning style. As part of her Organisational Behaviour course, Emily has been put in a group with three other students for one of their assessment items. Due to the nature of the course, the students were required to take the VARK test to determine their learning style, before they collaborated on a case study report. This assignment required the students to communicate by Skype, email, phone and social media. The results of the VARK test revealed that two of the other group members are auditory learners and one student is multi-modal. Emily wants to do well in this assignment; however, one of the skills that the group needs to demonstrate is the ability to communicate effectively as a team.
How could Emily approach this situation to:
Scenario 3
Ricardo is a diligent student, who is studying finance by distance education. His learning style is Read/Write, so he is stimulated by the large amounts of reading material that he can work through each week and write copious notes about. However, Ricardo has to complete a course entitled "Emotional intelligence". The course lecturer provides very little written information. Instead, the lecturer posts statements and images that require students to respond by writing reflections and responses to other student's reflections. One of the course requirements is to participate in a one-hour online weekly tutorial. Ricardo is challenged by this activity, as it seems to him that the interaction is very personal with students talking about their feelings for the entire hour. Ricardo finds it difficult to write down anything of substance from the sessions. Half way through the term, Ricardo is feeling very frustrated and begins to dread the online tutorial.
How could Ricardo adapt his learning style to make the course more satisfying for a read/write learning style? Should he adapt his style or adapt the activities to his style?
Below are three scenarios; each scenario describes a student with a particular learning style, who is experiencing some learning issues in their course.
Select one scenario and describe in the comments section, what you would advise this student to do to adapt their approach.
Scenario 1
Kamal is studying exercise science full-time by distance education, through a well-known university. Kamal works four days a week at a local gym, and feels this job will give him some insight into his future profession. He works two shifts a day; the first shift starts at 5;30 am and finishes at 9;30 am; the second shift begins at 4:00pm and finishes at 7:00 pm.
The exercise science program has three courses, two of which are science-based and involve learning large amounts of scientific and technical information. Kamal really enjoyed science at school, particularly the weekly practical experiment. However, he finds these two courses very difficult because of the way the material is presented. The course material is provided week by week on a course page, accessed via the university home page. Each week, the students are given a written outline of the content, a chapter from the course text-book to read, and 10 questions to answer by Friday of each week. The correct answers are provided the following week on the course page.
Kamal is finding the course very difficult and is afraid that he will not be able to retain enough information to pass his mid-semester exam. He states, "I just find it so hard to go home from morning shift and try to get through the material, and answer the questions in time. Even when I do, I don't feel as if I am retaining or learning anything. I can't see the use of this course, and yet I love working with people to improve their physical well-being suing exercise"
What would you advise Kamal to do?
Scenario 2
Emily is a hearing impaired student, studying a business degree by distant education. Previously, Emily has achieved highly in her courses as an independent and capable student with a strong visual learning style. As part of her Organisational Behaviour course, Emily has been put in a group with three other students for one of their assessment items. Due to the nature of the course, the students were required to take the VARK test to determine their learning style, before they collaborated on a case study report. This assignment required the students to communicate by Skype, email, phone and social media. The results of the VARK test revealed that two of the other group members are auditory learners and one student is multi-modal. Emily wants to do well in this assignment; however, one of the skills that the group needs to demonstrate is the ability to communicate effectively as a team.
How could Emily approach this situation to:
- make the other group members aware of her hearing disability?
- emphasise the non-negotiable elements of her learning style?
- suggest alternative methods of communication to the aural and multi-modal learners so the group can interact effectively?
Scenario 3
Ricardo is a diligent student, who is studying finance by distance education. His learning style is Read/Write, so he is stimulated by the large amounts of reading material that he can work through each week and write copious notes about. However, Ricardo has to complete a course entitled "Emotional intelligence". The course lecturer provides very little written information. Instead, the lecturer posts statements and images that require students to respond by writing reflections and responses to other student's reflections. One of the course requirements is to participate in a one-hour online weekly tutorial. Ricardo is challenged by this activity, as it seems to him that the interaction is very personal with students talking about their feelings for the entire hour. Ricardo finds it difficult to write down anything of substance from the sessions. Half way through the term, Ricardo is feeling very frustrated and begins to dread the online tutorial.
How could Ricardo adapt his learning style to make the course more satisfying for a read/write learning style? Should he adapt his style or adapt the activities to his style?