Traditional learning styles adaptation Essay Example for Free

Traditional learning styles adaptation Essay In the last decade, many universities have started to adapt traditional learning styles to new technologies. They have done so because flexible learning allows the student to study at their own time and pace, which fits in with their lifestyle with the aid of technology. Technology has allowed the delivery of lectures to become more varied and imaginative and therefore more accessible to a wider student base. They have also done so because flexible learning allows students to access university courses without having to step foot within a lecture hall therefore it has become more widely available to students as it fits in with their lives and can be worked around their schedules, whether they are in the outback, different country, working etc. Technology has allowed the lectures to be accessible anywhere anytime as long as you have access to internet. Task 2 1.Reference Lodge, J 2010. ‘Communicating with first year students, so many channels but is anyone listening?’ A practice report’. The international Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 100-105. 2.Purpose and argument Communication with students is constantly changing with new technology, whilst many enjoy communicating through social networking and other online media sites, many also prefer a more traditional method of communication. Technology will continue to develop and getting important information over to students without it becoming lost within social networking sites will continue to become difficult. Therefore there needs to be options for getting messages across to students from all age groups. 3.Academic credibility Jason lodge is a psychological scientist and a well-known lecturer at Griffith University. He is also a researcher at the University of Queensland as well as other well-known Universities in Australia. His paper ‘Communicating with first year students: so many channels but is anyone listening: a practice report’ was published in 2010 making it fairly recent and not out dated. Most of his referencing is also fairly recent within the last ten years making it more academically credible. The other 12 end text references that Lodge uses are also based on factual information and published in journals and well known publishers such as Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 4.Headings and their main ideas Abstract In today’s modern world, universities have to keep up with the quick changing world of technology in order to communicate students. As technology changes frequently, it is difficult to find out what the students prefer for these communications. Social networking and other new online deliveries were generally met with a positive feedback from students. Background New technologies Higher education has radically changed with the modernisation of new information. Adopting new technology too eagerly has led to a situation where communication between and organisations and students are being lost. It is difficult to find which hi-tech channel is efficient and successful in getting messages across to students without getting lost and what is best for studying. The issues surrounding communication with first year students Various groups of students are entering higher education which presents complications in making sure communication needs of all students are met. The younger generations seems to be thriving on modern technology whilst the older generation prefers the more established lines of communications. However what is better for some students may not necessarily be good for others therefore finding something that works for everyone is fairly difficult. The current research Introduction Understanding students’ needs and preferences for communication channels within university life needs to be closely monitored and met. This needs to take into consideration, the wide age range within the first year of University life. Which communication method also needs to be observed as the more popular means of communication? Methods Social networking sites seem to be the most popular form of communications. With this in mind a group of students in their first year of studying were asked to complete a survey about which communication methods they preferred to receive messages from regarding administrative and educational issues. Results and discussions The result of this research showed that social networking sites were amongst the highest preferred methods of communications amongst university students for unofficial teamwork between students. However concerns were raised about the privacy of social networking sites when it came to communications with the university. On the other hand, when it came to communication about administrative or academic issues, students preferred to have contact either via email, in person or by phone. Recommendations The recommendations were that official messages from the Universities were best left to more recognized methods of communications but that the universities could use the social media outlets for more informal communications as long as they kept the messages short and to the point. The recommendation also suggested that it didn’t really matter what the generation gap was amongst the first year students as they were all catching up with the know-how of modern technology. Outcomes of discussion and reflections The problems of communicating necessary information to students seem to be across the board throughout other learning institutions. Students are continually inundated with information from the establishments therefore institutions need to make it simply for students to use and access, they need to present it in such a way that it is interesting, eye catching and encourages the student to participate with the organization as well as making it cost effective for the establishment. It was also established that social networking sites are probably best left for the students to communicate informally amongst one another rather than universities trying to communicate with students through these mean as their messages were largely overlooked and went unnoticed. As technology continues to grow and more forward, this will always present a communication problem for universities with first year students as they themselves are often also trying to not only cope with life as a first year student but also with the many new technical forms of communication that are constantly flooding the market. 5.Relevance or usefulness This reading will be very useful in doing my assignment because Lodge covers all aspects of flexible learning. He has looked at the problems that modern technology brings and how the different generations within the first year of learning will cope with it. How the delivery of the materials will be received from first year students and the problems that first year students face in accessing the materials as technology continues to grow and improve. Lodge has also tried to establish in what way is the best method for establishments to get their communications across to students.