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Student
Feedback
At the end of each course the
students are asked the following questions, following are some of the
latest responses:
- Do
you have any tips for other students?
- How
has the experience of doing a distance education enhanced your
learning experience?
- How
has the experience of doing a distance education course benefited
you?
- How
do you understand the difference between distance education and face
to face?
- Could
you explain why you chose distance education instead of face to face
classes?
Tips from students
Be committed to your studies, have
fun with them and don't treat them as a chore.
Follow your instincts when it come to
answering questions, because the answers are often common knowledge.
Make sure you have a time where you
concentrate on your studies 100%...a rushed assignment is never a good
assignment.
Use family and friends around you to
bounce your ideas off on...it is always a good idea to hear opinions from
other people.
Check your work and check it again to
make sure you are happy with it. My bet is if you are happy with
it...then your tutor will be happy with it. Your tutor is skilled, so
they will know if you rushed through it or made an effort.
Ultimately...have fun with you studies :-)
I suppose the best advice I could
give is not to be afraid of getting in touch with your tutor if you don't
understand anything. Also don't leave all your assignments to the
last minute - probably the hardest thing to do!
Make a regular time to do some study
away from distractions so you don't keep putting it off.
My tip is go straight to the
computer or text book in the morning, I found if you don't you seem
to get too many interruptions later in the day.
Set yourself a timetable and stick to
it. Not having regular classes means there's less pressure to
complete assignments by a certain time and they can be forgotten about
until the last minute.
I feel that it is critical that
students sit down with partners, children etc, before commencing the
course and explain that there is a need for 'me' time - time which does
not detract from family obligations.
My tip is that students needs
to manage their available time in the best way possible in order to
maintain a steady level of study. Not to leave assignments to the last
minute to complete just in case you have unforeseen problems with them.
How has the experience
of doing a distance education enhanced your learning experience?
I find it quite easy, because I can
do it at my own pace. I am one of those people who likes to finish
them quickly and with distance education I can do so.
Having never done distance education
before, I now appreciate the effort required to organise your time
properly. It is very easy to let things distract you from the time
you put aside to do the assignments.
It's shown me I can complete and
learn things on my own if I want to.
It has given me more confidence and I feel confident enough to be a
medical receptionist.
Distant education course helped me to become more motivated and to
think seriously of doing another course very soon.
Distance education enhanced the
learning experience because I was forced to really study the material,
therefore better imprinting it on the memory, though the ability to
contact the tutor when necessary was invaluable. I felt that I
became more self-reliant, making sure that I had exhausted all possible
avenues before contacting the tutor.
It has given me knowledge and
skills on a variety of subjects that will assist me in my chosen
career. It gives me more confidence in my abilities to perform these
duties.
How has the experience of
doing a distance education course benefited you?
Hopefully I will be able to find a
job within this Industry. I haven't actually looked for work yet, because
my rehabilitation provider will be a part of this.
I suppose because you can organise your assignments around your day to
day life it was a benefit to me at this busy time of year. I also
really enjoyed getting the brain working after many long years.
I've been able to complete a course
that I wouldn't have been able to if I had to go to a class.
I enjoy distance education and found that the courses I've completed with
Lesley were nicely suited to that method of delivery. I always felt
able to contact Lesley for any queries I had and so felt supported the
whole way through.
Since finishing the courses I've passed several external tests (attesting
to the skills these courses provide) and am now working within the
medical field.
I have benefited from distance education because I have been able to set
aside a regular time for study, without the necessity for travel to a
learning centre. I tend to feel inferior to other, younger
students, so not having to 'compete' really took the pressure off, and I
was able to progress at own pace, without having to keep with class
progress.
I absolutely hated the thought of
studying after it has been so many years since I have done so. Distance
education has allowed me to commence studying by easing back into it at
my own pace.
I was lucky enough
to obtained part-time employment just after receiving the Medical
Terminology course workbooks etc. It was good to be able to work
through the workbook at my own pace when I had time. Along
with my previous work experience I believe the studies I am undertaking
contributed to me being successful in gaining employment.
I have previously applied for medical
receptionist jobs and have never had an interview. However, I
applied for a job last week and mentioned that I am doing this course and
they rang me to come for an interview! The job was for too many
hours for me, however, they said I was the only person they interviewed
other than people who already worked in this field and I am to call them
when I have finished the course and they may have some casual hours for
me. I was very encouraged by the positive comments the doctor made!
I have found it very enjoyable and
rewarding (to say the least), so much so that as you know I have started
the Advanced Terminology course by distance.
How do you understand the
difference between distance education and face to face?
The way I see it is that you have to
be a lot more disciplined doing distance education than face-to-face.
Face-to-face education with tutors or teachers can be helpful, because
you get a lot of things explained. Distance education forces you to
think for yourself and work out issues etc.
I think you have to be much more disciplined when doing distance
education. My daughter just completed one of her HSC subjects by
distance education and although she did very well, it was a struggle for
her without the face to face interaction. Unfortunately her
distance tutor was not as readily accessible as you were and I think that
makes a great deal of difference. In a lot of instances you can
learn more in the face to face situation simply by listening to group
discussions.
Distance education is self-paced,
home based and up to you to learn the work and if you need help you can
contact your tutor. Face-to-face you have to attend classes.
Distant education lets you spend more time to learn some things that
you can be a bit slower at and face to face education is good but I
find the routine can become boring and it is not always easy to find
a good teacher. I have had some good ones and some bad and wondered
why I bothered going to some classes.
The only differences I've found
between distance and face to face study is that there are no
regular attendance requirements. I've always felt supported and
haven't felt that I've been 'on my own'. I also found the study
materials very thorough and didn't miss having a tutor/teacher lecturing
me.
Face to face education differs from distance education in that with
distance education, contact is not made with the tutor unless necessary,
whereas with face to face contact occurs regularly, but depending upon
the temperament of the tutor and/or student may not always be totally
beneficial. With face to face teaching, there is pressure to have
assignments completed on time. With distance education, although
the same requirements exist, there is less pressure.
Distance education allows you to
progress at your own pace and in your own time. You still have access to
your tutor via email, fax, phone and mail. Face to face means you have to
attend classes at set times and days. This doesn't suit my life at the
moment due to the fact I don't have a babysitter and I don't think
children would be appreciated in the lessons.
Could you explain why you
chose distance education instead of face to face classes?
I chose distance education simply
because of the flexibility. With distance education it is a great
advantage to be able to choose when you do the work instead of having a
timetable imposed on you. Also you can work at your own pace within
the time limit.
Working full-time shift work and
having two small children it is too hard to try to get to a class whereas
learning from home I was able to study at a time convenient to me.
Because we do not have these courses in our area it is easier to do
correspondence.
I found this course on the internet,
and living in Melbourne meant I was unable to undertake it with any face
to face contact. I have studied by distance education before and
enjoy being able to complete my studies at my own pace, and being able to
fit my study around my varying schedule.
I chose distance education for a variety of reasons. Firstly, where I
live, the opportunities for education are somewhat limited. Also, I
live a short distance from town, which isn't in itself a problem, but bus
services are almost non-existent, and it is not always possible to a)
utilise the family vehicle or b) arrange other transport.
One reason for my choice is that,
having recently completed another course by face to face teaching, I
found the attitude of some students intimidating towards mature age
students.
Distance education is much more
convenient for me as I have small children and find it hard to attend
face to face classes. It is also much more convenient to be able to study
at my leisure and in my spare time. I also like the fact that I can
complete the assigned tasks in a shorter amount of time.
As I have injured my back I chose
distance education so I didn't have to go to class and sit on
uncomfortable chairs, walk up stairs etc. I also like to do
my studying at my own pace and distance education will let me do
that.
One of the main reasons I chose to do
the course using distance education is because all the courses available
locally were held at times I was unable to attend. As I work
fulltime I am unable to attend during normal business hours and could not
find any courses where I could study during the weekend or at night for
office work.
My reason for selecting Distance
Education was largely based on practical reasons. I am working full time
and live in a rural area. It is much more convenient for me to undertake
an externally delivered course. There are drawbacks, such as not
being involved in class discussion, but doing this course by distance
education means at least I am getting some background. Another
factor is it's flexibility. I can pace the course to fit my life
and time demands.
The reason that I found the distance
course great was because I wanted and needed to do some sort of study and
with a sick husband it was terrific for me to do the study and not have
to leave the house for outside courses. It was very convenient for me.
The courses themselves I found to be very good, in my situation having
done clerical work and customer service previously I needed to brush up
on my skills, and that is what the Clerical Assistants Course and the
Customer Service Course have done for me. I have enjoyed them very much
and I would like to thankyou for all your help.
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