Di’s E-learning Experience

This page is designed to track my experiences as I complete a short online course as required in Assignment 3 of E-learning Experiences. 

Assignment Objectives:

• Search for and select an appropriate short online course
• Complete the short course – (no longer than 4 hours)
• Throughout the online course experience post regular postings  reporting on learning experiences, including a final reflection.
• Develop a criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the course and based on  your individual experience, make recommendations for improvement.

10 October, 2007

Today, we discussed what was involved in our final assignment for this course.  We are to select an online course (no longer than 4 hours), complete it and document the experience on our blog.  (See objectives listed above).  I have decided I would like to do a Spanish Course.  I am at present studying Spanish and I hope to find an online course that will allow me to improve my vocab and knowledge of Spanish grammar. 

14 October, 2007

I have spent this morning looking for a suitable online Spanish course and have decided that the one offered by BBC Languages is a good option.  The course is designed to be done over a 12 week period.  However, it is divided into different topics so I can select a couple of these to make up the four hour of instruction required by this assignment.  If I find the course useful I will continue on with the rest of the lessons for my own benefit. 

The Course Objectives are:

• introduction to Spanish language and culture
• introduction to vocab related to holiday, work and everyday contexts
• enable learner to participate in spanish conversation
• allow learner to learn at their own pace
• expansion of knowledge of Spanish grammar

My Expectations

1.  Outcomes:

• to expand my knowledge of Spanish vocab and phrases
• to improve my ability to carry out a conversation in Spanish
• to gain a better understanding of Spanish culture
• to improve my ability to comprehend spoken Spanish

2.  My expectations of this learning experience.

• a range of different teaching methods
• interesting and relevant content
• provision of key vocab related to specific situations
• interesting and interactive exercises
• to be able to work at my own pace
• that tutors will provide of feedback on my work
• recognition of my learning
• to be provided with options to continue my learning after completing this course

3.  Support that I expect from the Course

• to be provided with a contact that can assist with any technical difficulties
• to be provided with feedback on my work
• to be provided with additional resources if I need more information
• to be provided with encouragement to stay involved with the course

I am looking forward to starting this course.

16 October, 2007

 ¡Hola! This morning I received an email from BBC Spanish Steps welcoming me to the course and advising me that I will receive an email and newsletter each week.  The message linked me to to the main web page and some tips on how to get started.  I guess it is time to get started. 

The tips seem to be very straight forward and I like their idea of linking up with a study partner, ie a peer or group of peers who are doing the same course. This will give you a person or group that you can compare notes with, practice new ideas and vocab and provide each other with feedback, support and encouragement.  (Mind you this is also a clever marketing ploy, as they provide you with a link to send to your friend so they can enrol in the course as well). 

18 October

This evening I commenced my online Spanish Course.  The first lesson is aptly titled Finding your way.   So far I have found the directions very easy to follow, with clear instructions on how to move on to the next exercise. I also like the bright and attractive layout of the lesson site.   The lessons use video, sound and interactive activities.  I have enjoyed the variety of different ways they are presenting the vocabulary and learning activities.  

21 October 

Well it is Sunday afternoon, and time to do some more of my Spanish Course.  I must admit I like the idea of being able to do the lessons at a time that suits me.  In my previous lesson we learnt some basic grammar and vocab related to catching a taxi and booking into a hotel.  Before you start the lesson there is a list of the objectives that outline the content of that particular section.  There is also a section which gives you a grammar tip that is designed to assist you with that section of the program, for example the first tip helps with the pronunciation of Spanish sounds.

Today’s lesson is on how to order food and  how pay the bill.  Oh! I forgot to mention each section has a very informative cultural link.  The link associated with this lesson is on Spanish snack and drinks.  This section provides you with an interesting cultural reference and additional  Spanish vocab. 

24 October

It has been almost two weeks since I enrolled in my Spanish online course.  I was reminded of this as today I received my second weekly email with tips  and extra information from the Spanish Steps Program.  Interestingly, the email asks me,

 ”Can you remember what you learnt last week?”

How did they know??  Actually one aspect of this program that I have found good is that it is easy to go back through the previous lesson again to refresh the grammar and vocabulary. 

The weekly tips and advice is actually very helpful and encouraging.  One tip that I found useful was to print off the new keywords sections and keep them in a folder.  Then you can review these lists while you are travelling to and from work.  I shall try that this week, then maybe I won’t need to review the previous lesson as many times.

October 26 

“Hola, quiero una ceverza, por favor?”,  (starting to get the hang of this!!!) This evening I spent some time reviewing the past two lessons, taking a bit more time to look at the additional links that accompany each lesson.  In addition to the weekly list of new vocabulary there is a link which lists all the vocab in alphabetic order.  (A great resource).

There is a similar link to a page which gives you a summary of all the grammar that is covered in the course.  This makes it easy for you to check on any of the grammar that you are not sure of.  Easy than going back through the lessons trying to find the appropriate section.

I would have to say that so far I have enjoyed working my way through the Spanish exercises, and after two weeks I am actually remembering some of the phrases.  Hasta Luego!!!

27 October

Perdon,  el parque?  Finding and checking out tourist attractions. This is the last lesson in Stage 1 of Spanish Steps.  I am now getting the hang of each lesson routine.  To commence the lesson a short video introduces the new subject matter and some Spanish dialogue. You then move to an interactive activity where you put the Spanish phrases in the correct order.  In the third section you can hear and see the Spanish vocab and then try to select the correct meaning.  In the final exercise you use the new vocabulary to practice listening to a Spanish conversation and giving the correct response. 
 

28 October

This afternoon I completed the final section for Stage 1 of Spanish Steps.  The Challenge gives you the opportunity to self assess your learning over that stage.  A link to each of the lessons is provided if you feel you need to revise any section.  Am I up to the challenge??? I am assigned the identity of James Bond (a little corny) and have to listen to a series instructions in Spanish and answer in Spanish to work my way through the challenge.   Each section of the challenge is designed to check your retention of the grammar and vocabulary that you have covered in the four different stages of the first section.

Hurrah I managed to get 16 out of 20 at the end of the challenge which allowed me to receive one word  towards helping me solve the final challenge.  (At the end of each section of the course there is a similar challenge and once you have completed all the challenges you will receive the six words in Spanish that will assist you in solving the mystery). 

I have now completed the four hours of online learning required by our Assignment 3.  This Spanish course is designed to be completed over a period of 12 weeks, so I have decided to review the first stage of this twelve week course.  However, I have quite enjoyed this online learning experience so I plan (once I have finished my e-learning assignment) to finish off the rest of the program. 

It is now time to complete my evaluation and reflection of this online program. 

Monday 5 November

Here is my evaluation of this online course.

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 Course Evaluation

Course Title :  Spanish Steps in 12 Weeks

Course Provider:  BBB Languages   http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/

Stated Course Objectives:

• Provide a self paced learning experience for beginner’s in Spanish Language
• Provide an awareness of basic  Spanish grammar
• Provide vocab for practical use
• Designed for learners who are travelling or for general use in the workplace
• Provide learner with additional information on Spanish culture

Achievement of Outcomes

• Learnt basic Spanish conversation, vocab and grammar related to travel and the workplace, e.g. asking for directions, everyday greetings, booking accommodation and ordering food.
• Able to participate int he lessons at my own pace with further opportunities to expand my knowledge.
• Able to use the skills I had learnt to complete a challenge at the end of the lesson.
• Able to access further links with additional information on Spanish Language and culture.

Stated Course Duration

The course has 6 interrelated sections, designed to be completed over a 12 week period.  As this assignment required you to participate in a course that was only 4 hours, I decided to do the first section of the course.

Actual Course Duration 

As I have some familiarity with Spanish I found it quite easy to work my way through the first section in the four hour time period. 

Administration

Were you provided with any support contact details?

Yes, there is a link that provides you with contact details.

Did you need to contact Admin support?             No

Materials

 Were you supplied with any support materials? (If yes, what materials)

Yes – supplementary vocabulary lists, grammar lists, user guide, fact sheets and links to other online resources. 

Where you issued with a certificate ?

I didn’t receive a certificate as I only completed one section of the program (was designed to run over a 12 week period).  However if you do complete the whole program you do receive a certificate.

Technology

 Did you have any issues with any of the technology used by this course? 

No, I didn’t have any issues, everything was explained clearly and the instructions on how to download the required software were easy to follow.

Virtual Classroom

Which components of the virtual classroom did the course offer?

Embedded video’s, a variety on interactive exercises, links to extra information, online forum, links to other online resources, online challenges so that learner could assess their progress, weekly emails encouraging learner to interact with other learners and providing learning guidance and hints.  

Did you use any of them? 

Yes, all of them.

Interactivity

I think the degree of interactivity was very high, there were a variety of interactive exercises for the learner to participate in.

 Feedback

 Was there any feedback during the course?

Yes

• After each exercise the learner was advised if their answer was correct and encouraged to continue on.
• If you made an error you were given the correct answer and the opportunity to repeat  the exercise.
• Also there was an online forum where the learner could get feedback from other learners and the virtual teacher.
• Each week an email was sent out to provide the learner with further hints and suggestions to help their progress through the course.

 Was it personal?  Or Computer generated?

The feedback was computer generated. 

Rate the quality of feedback:  

I think the feedback was good, as you worked your way through the lesson, the feedback on your answers was immediate, with links to additional information.

 Content:

Did the content cater to differing learning styles? How? 

Yes, the course was presented with a variety of activities that provided for different learning styles, e.g. oral conversations, combination of visual and listening exercises using embedded video’s, exercises that were interactive, exercises that used text and other’s that used diagrams and for those who preferred to work from hard copy were able to print off the exercises.

 Was the content logically sequenced and organised?     Yes.

Were there options for different levels of expertise?      

Yes, before you signed up for the course there was a short exercise that you could complete that assessed your level of Spanish.  You then received feed back from the results of this test advising you if this course was suitable or if you should attempt a program of a higher level.     there was also an option to fast track during the course.  Once you had completed the course your were able to sign up for a more advanced program.    

Were there any exercises that allowed you to practice skills?   Yes.    

Was the content in plain English or jargon?  Plain English and Spanish.   

Was there a “real” facilitator?                      No. 

How could you make contact with the facilitator if you needed to?

You could contact the facilitator through the online forum.

Navigation:

Was the navigation of the course content logical?     Yes

Were there “breadcrumbs” ?                                          Yes

Was it simple to navigate to the last point where you had left the course?   Yes

Did the site have FAQs?                                                   Yes

Did you use them?                                                             Yes

Did they help?                                                                     Yes

Additional Comments:   

I found it very easy to navigate my way through the required activities.  They contained a good variety of exercises which were backed up with additional resources such as vocabulary lists, grammar explanations and cultural notes.

The presentation was attractive and colourful without being over the top and detracting from the lessons.  Instructions were clear and easy to follow.  Each section had an example of how to do the exercise (which you could skip once your were familiar with the form). 

I liked the idea of the weekly email, it made you feel as though you mattered and the hints that each email provided were very useful.

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