10 Excuses not to engage in e-learning
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Henry Keil rebuts 10 common reasons for not engaging with the learning management system Moodle. He argues that Moodle now provides a reliable service with minimal downtime. Student surveys show they actually like Moodle when it is used consistently by academic staff. Moodle modules can be archived and reused for different classes. Academic staff own their teaching materials jointly with their employer and can reduce inconvenience to students by providing online resources when absent. Engaging with blended learning adds value to teaching and makes jobs more secure by opening new markets. The benefits include better student outcomes, feedback, and professional satisfaction. Rejecting Moodle due to age is ageist and life-long learning is important.
10 Excuses not to engage in e-learning
- 1. Ten reasons for not engaging with Moodle - and a firm Rebuttal by Henry Keil, e-Learning Unit
- 2. 1. Moodle doesn’t work ! It does now! Provision of a r eliable service – database tables subject to regular ‘health checks’ Minimum unscheduled downtime (<.1% over 24/7/365 ) Effective backup and restore procedures
- 3. 2. Students don’t like t he VLE Evidence we collect from independent surveys indicate that students actually DO like it - ask them yourself using anonymous feedback (on Moodle) ! Their main criticism though is that academic staff use it inconsistently They find it very useful for revision or for obtaining additional study material to support differential learning
- 4. 3. There is l ittle point – I’m teaching different modules anyway next year It is important for staff to have ‘ownership’ in their Moodle modules Become a ‘ sharer ’ instead of a ‘ hogger ‘- pass on or ‘part-exchange’ Moodle content with your colleagues Moodle modules can be archived and content can be readily moved to different modules
- 5. 4. I don’t want other ‘people’ to re-purpose my material You can ‘personalise’ and protect your work (PP-presentations, images) via an ‘ author stamp ’, copyright tag it via © or CC and then ‘freeze it’ by pdf or flash conversion Also remember that a PP-presentation is only a ‘wrapper’ – without accompanying explanations PP have only limited learning value
- 6. 5. If I put things on Moodle students do not come to my lectures There is little evidence to support this statement L ectures should not be ‘ information-transfer ’ sessions Use f2f sessions for interactive learning opportunities by applyi ng different types of communication tools such as Electronic Voting System or interactive whiteboard
- 7. 6. I’ve got no time for this! Attendance at both Beginners and Intermediate Moodle training sessions constitutes about 0.01% of your annual staff time Resource uploads do take very little time provided you ask for assistance Make a case at your annual PDR with your Line Manager to have some time allowance for e-learning, and justify it on the grounds of tangible corporate benefits (retention rates, better mark distribution etc.)
- 8. 7. My teaching material belongs to me only It’s very likely that your contract of employment states that ownership of your teaching resources (print and electronic) is shared with your employer If you’re off sick or on ‘emergence leave’ you can reduce the i nconvenience caused to learners by releasing the lecture notes online , thus minimising the potentially deleterious effect on their learning
- 9. 8 . I will put myself out of a job No - you will ‘ add value ’ to your teaching of students in the context of ‘blended learning’ You will assist your organisation in opening up new markets in work-based and employer engagement and work-based learning – this will ultimately make your job more secure
- 10. 9 . What’s in for me? Probably nothing in a tangible material sense (promotions on teaching excellence are still rare) but … Indirectly a) better pass and retention rate i.e. fewer resits , less marking b) better student feedback – makes you look good on your PDR c) provides professional satisfaction d) sense of achievement
- 11. 10. I’m too old for this! Come on - t his is ageism and of course politically incorrect! Even you employer could use this against you Ever heard of life-long learning ? We should practice what we preach! Potential returning students (alumni) could make an important financial contribution in any HE business model