Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Telelearning: A Case Study ...
Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Telelearning: A Case Study ...
Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Telelearning: A Case Study ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Table 34<br />
<strong>Benefits</strong> <strong>and</strong> Limitations <strong>of</strong> Novelty<br />
<strong>Benefits</strong> Limitations<br />
• Contributions to pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
development - first h<strong>and</strong> experience to<br />
be used in <strong>the</strong> workplace.<br />
Speed<br />
• Potential health problems due to<br />
increased computer use.<br />
According to Bates' (1995) ACTIONS model, speed is <strong>the</strong> final aspect that<br />
should be considered when assessing educational technology. Time<br />
considerations, technology, <strong>and</strong> course materials will be discussed in relation to<br />
speed.<br />
Time Considerations. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> potential benefits to online learning is that it<br />
can save <strong>the</strong> student time. Time spent traveling can be spent on <strong>the</strong> course:<br />
I work full time, have a family, commute 30 minutes to <strong>and</strong> from work <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> university site is 60 minutes from home on a good driving day. Gas<br />
etc. keeps increasing <strong>and</strong> so does job related responsibilities...I have to be<br />
practical in what I can reasonably accomplish without considering<br />
additional circumstances <strong>of</strong> illness in <strong>the</strong> family...or o<strong>the</strong>r needs. (student<br />
10)<br />
The benefits are many to me personally - my motivation <strong>and</strong> interest in <strong>the</strong><br />
technology, <strong>the</strong> time convenience, etc. (student 14)<br />
However, <strong>the</strong> online format does pose its own potential time constraints. First,<br />
responding by message takes longer than verbally due to <strong>the</strong> time needed to type out a<br />
response <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> more formal nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> discourse - responses are generally well<br />
thought out:<br />
At times messages can take too long due to <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>of</strong> time to think<br />
about a response. (student 4)<br />
Second, getting used to having people potentially available to respond to your questions<br />
right away can breed unreal expectations <strong>and</strong> frustration when responses are not prompt:<br />
Sometimes [<strong>the</strong>re was] a delay from <strong>the</strong> time I asked a question until I<br />
received a response. If I had to clarify <strong>the</strong> answer, took that much longer<br />
53