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Irish Times
Irish Times
Irish Times
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Any college can put a course online, but can every college do it well? While flexibility is key for students who
choose online or blended learning, what defines a high-quality online learning experience?
"The Covid-19 crisis forced university staff and students alike to rapidly find new ways of working within an
incredibly short space of time," says Dr Kieran Meade, Associate Professor at the UCD School of Agriculture and
Food Sciences.
"While we don't tend to associate benefits with the pandemic, the changed work practices it precipitated has been
welcomed by many. Flexible arrangements are now highly valued.
"The benefits are manifest from permitting personalised scheduling of learning and work around family time and a
reduction in peak time traffic and consequential stress."
Professor Martin Hayes, academic lead of the University of Limerick's UL@Work programme, says that online
learning technology-enabled learning at a pace and time that allows learners to develop their skills while
continuing to work fulltime or manage other responsibilities.
"Online learning gives students the opportunity, if they so wish, to stack their credits towards the next professional
qualification that is required for their individual upskilling journey," he says.
"Online learning is moving away from the classical closed book terminal exam form of assessment toward a more
continuous, activity-based approach to assessment that better reflects the day-to-day online work practices."
Flexibility, however, is not necessarily the only consideration for potential online learning. Hayes says that
students considering an online course should ask themselves some key questions:
1. Is the programme relevant to my upskilling requirements?
2. Will the programme help me pivot to that new job or role that I am considering, or maybe interested in applying
for, in the near future?
3. Has the programme been developed with significant industry or enterprise involvement at the design stage? Are
there strong testimonials from industry in relation to this particular programme meeting future skills needs?
4. Is the mix of live, recorded and forum based content that is provided right for my particular learning style?
5. My time is precious. Will I receive fast, focused, personalised feedback so that I know quickly that I am on the
right path?
6. Is there a moderated community of practice that will facilitate me achieving the learning outcomes (become an
expert) more quickly?
7. Is the workload manageable and will studying on this programme afford me the right work/life balance at this
time?
8. In addition to the specific technical competences that I am in interested in attaining will this experience provide
me with the transversal, power skills that are so valued by employers right now?
High quality
Even with all this, however, how can a student be sure that their course offers high-quality?
Kathy McLaughlin, learning technologist, both work at King's Inns, says that their college uses technology not just
to enable flexibility but also to allow students to review learning materials anytime they wish.
"Whether through the use of lecture capture software to record lecture content for consumption by the learner in
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