QA4ODFL2/Management/Learner support

In this section of the course, you learn about how you should motivate learners to take advantage of learner support mechanisms you put in place. Essentially, it is important to get learners to know about the available support mechanisms through your communication strategies, and then getting them to understand the advantages of using the support mechanisms.

Creating Awareness

In the next activity you will analyse the results of a study that was conducted in one of the open schools in Southern Africa. This case illustrates the range of learner support services an open school can invest in to cater for the different learners that are enrolled.

Learning activity 2

Read through Table 8 to understand support services that were available for learners in the open school.

Table 8: Learner Support Services at High Achieve Open School

Learner Support Service		Tick service used (or you would use) in your context
1. Ringing a school bell to assemble learners
2. Academic Counselling
3. Student Guidance
4.Telephone Contact with:	Learner Support Office
	Area Coordinator
	Distance Education Coordinator
	Tutors
	Lecturers
5.Other means of correspondence with	The Learner Support Office
	The Area Coordinator
	The Distance Education Coordinator
	Tutors
	Lecturers
6. Graduation Ceremonies
7. Events such as Open Days and Information Campaigns
8. Students’ Newsletter
9. Field Trips
10. Access to Library Services, Borrowing Books and Other Resources
11. Study Guides/Course Book
12. Tutorial Letters
13. Face to Face Tutorials at Tutorial Centres
14. Study Groups
15. Vacation Workshops
16. Contact Sessions
17. Email
18. Internet Access
19. Website
20. Computer Assisted Learning/Web-based Learning
21. Video Recorded Information
22. Radio Tutorials
23. Audio Recorded Information
24. Information Manual for Distance Education Students/ Learner Handbooks
25. Comments from Tutors on Tutor Marked Assignments
26. Information via SMS
27. Toll free line
28. Brochures
29. Information leaflets
30. Other (Please Specify)

2. Download a digital version of Table 8 here. Save it where you can find it and use it again.

Click here to download a digital version of Table 8

3. In the extreme right column of the table, put a tick against all the services you use (or you think can be used) in your context. Share your results with a colleague outside the platform. You may share physically if you have colleagues nearby or even through WhatsApp. You do not have to share in the forum.

4. In the same study referred to above, a survey was conducted to find out which support services learners were aware of and which ones they mostly used, and in which regions. The study revealed that services were used more in some regions than in others. Significant differences between regions in terms of use of such services were noted. These differences suggest the need for differentiated strategies in order to improve services where they are lowest

5. Study the results shown in Table 9 below, which show awareness and usage levels for the eight most popular services:

Table 9: Student awareness and usage of the top popular support services

Type of service	Student awareness	Student usage
Study guides/course books	91.2%	61.6%),
Comments in tutor-marked assignments	51.2%	(45.1%),
Face-to-face tutorials	47.8%	(46.4%),
Telephonic contacts with tutors	45.7%	(36.5%),
Tutorial letters	40.4%	(33.1%).
Orientation workshops	39.9%	33.7%),
Academic counselling	38%	27.4%
Study groups	37.8%	31.9%).

Learning activity 3

Below is a graph drawn from Table 9, which shows the relationship between learner awareness and usage of services.

Look at the graph carefully and then answer these questions:

1. Comment on the relationship between learners’ awareness of available support services and their usage of the services.
2. What does the relationship tell you about what your open school should do after putting in place learner support services?
3. How would you get your learners to maximise use of support services you invest in?

Click here to post your thoughts

Reflection

In question (1) above, you may have commented that there is a positive relationship (or positive correlation) between awareness of service available in the open school and usage by learners – the more learners are aware of the service the more they are likely to use the service. Of course, there are other factors that also affect whether learners use the service they are aware of or not. You can identify them in your context.

In question (2), you probably wrote that the school should create sufficient awareness of the services available amongst all learners. It should also convince learners of the cost effectiveness of that service. If it is a service like a call centre or an email facility, learners should always get quick responses if they use that mode of communication.

The answer to (2) relates closely to question (3), but there must be maintenance of that service by the institution to keep it working, in addition to its cost effectiveness. For example, if communication is through a website, then the website must always be active. If it is through the LMS, the platform should always be up and running, or if it is a toll free line, the line should be working well at all times.

Partnerships

Creating an open school provides an opportunity for partnerships with a range of local governmental and non-governmental bodies. This enables an open school to acquire a regional and local network of centres which facilitate learning services to learners. At these centres, open school learners can physically meet occasionally with their facilitators and peers to discuss and share, they can access various services like study space, internet (depending on the partnership arrangements), library facilities and information from the institution, including assignment feedback. Such occasional gatherings help learners constitute small social learning networks which are key in overcoming the sense of isolation that often grips distance learners.

As an open school teacher/facilitator, you can also constitute virtual learning networks for your learners and encourage participation in the network. This could be invaluable support for learners if you structure it carefully into your teaching and learning design.