The many passions of
Mary Lynn McPherson...
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Recruitment and Retention: Keeping Them Happy and Down on the Farm (Module 6)

4/19/2016

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This module was a bit of an eye-opener for me. I wrestled with the ethical dilemma of whether or not my institution should disclose our drop-out rate (I’d rather not, but if I must, there MUST be some scale for comparison’s sake).

I was intrigued by the idea of it being MORE expensive to REPLACE a student than to recruit new students de novo. In planning the master of science DE program I’m working on, I plan on being the den mother. I will watch my little chickens like a hawk (it occurs to me that could be a very bad analogy!) and will intervene even before they know an intervention is necessary.

Qinhua and Peng (2015) state there are 34 reasons why DE students drop out, and they boil down to personal factors (health, family issues, knowledge/skills) and institutional factors (learner support).  Sometimes we can provide support that come from personal factors (e.g., bolstering confidence, etc.) but we absolutely can provide outstanding learner support. And that’s what I’m going to do – the Master of Science in Palliative Care that we’re developing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, is going to be the best in the world, hands down. Enough said.
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Qinhua, Z., & Peng, H. (2015). A preliminary-study of distance learners dropout reasons and improvement strategies2 0. Hao peng – academia.edu. 
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DE: More expensive than one might think (or, get thee to an LMS) (Module 6)

4/19/2016

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In Module 5 we learned about the cost implications of various types of e-learning including computer marked assignments, interactive computer marked assignment, computer assisted learning, computer mediated communication, and videoconferencing. We also learned a bit more about learning management systems (LMS; which I adore).

We spent some time exploring type-I and type-c e-learning, which explore one-way and two –way communication. Frankly, I believe we need both. Virtual seminars and videoconferencing are both also important parts of DE, but come with a larger price tag than I previously imagined. I tend to consistently underestimate the cost of developing a new program.

I am in the midst of developing an entirely online DE program (Master of Science, Palliative Care) through the University of Maryland. I severely underestimate the cost of every aspect and continuously need to be reined in by the Associate Dean of money stuff. He keeps telling me, “Shoot high with expenses; if it’s less then we can celebrate, but at least we know worst case scenario.”

Also, when we consider enrollment is a complete and total unknown, I am very nervous about sailing forward with this new program! Wish me luck!

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The Cost of Educational Technologies (Module 4)

4/19/2016

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Well, if Amazon sells an electronic book for less money than a print book, that must mean that the e-book is more cost effective! After all, Amazon is one of the most successful business enterprises in the history of commerce!

In this module we learned about classifying media, media equivalence, student, learning hours and implications for various technologies. The variance in cost to produce one student learning hour is staggering, ranging from reading one chapter in a book purchased by the student for $100 (which costs the institution nothing but faculty time to select the reading) up to $90,000 US to produce one hour of TV. I was intrigued by Moore and Kearsley’s comment (1996, p. 5) which states “Provided the medium is well chosen and functioning effectively, it plays a minor role in affecting the learning experience.” Sorry guys, but I disagree with that! If you break your leg and stay in bed for 6-8 weeks, your leg will heal. If we give you a walking cast and a scooter, your leg will still heal in 6-8 weeks, but with far more enjoyment. I believe we need to include that intangible quality as well.

I understood all the terminology and equations/graphs used in this module. An important take-away message is even if a media is expensive, with distance education it can be used to spread the expense over a vast number of learners. And when you through in the entertainment value I seem to prize, it could be very cost effective and efficient!

I enjoyed this module – it was concrete and made sense. I can visualize how emerging technologies will fit into this module and perhaps further increase cost effectiveness, such as podcasts. The CostEr was quite helpful and I can see how it would be beneficial in designing a course!
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Moore, M., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education: A systems view. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

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