Virtual Courses

[dingbat]

Has anybody tried to study using a virtual course?

I'm not convinced - the average student has an attention span of about five minutes, so this is about the limit, I reckon.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1582312955945&comments

 

[dingbat]

Actually, this is probably a better link.

 

[tonyelectric]

I'm not keen on virtual learning myself, and at 31 i'm not one of the pre computer generation, the best way to learn a highly practical subject like this is to get on and do it, be that in the college workhop or as an apprentice in the field.

Every 6 months or so I teach the 17th edition regs course for the local tech, unlike my fellow lecturers I like to add in lots of touchy feely stuff, items i've retreived from sites that demonstrate an infringement or product samples, plus lots of pictures and real world anecdotes, makes what is actually the best cure for insomnia (try reading the regs if you can't sleep, you soon will!!) interesting and therefore memorable.

It's much more spontaneous in the classroom, students can ask a question instantly and get an answer, you also don't feel alone and make a lot of good friends (even if they are your competition in business)

 

[dingbat]

I'm not keen on virtual learning myself, and at 31 i'm not one of the pre computer generation, the best way to learn a highly practical subject like this is to get on and do it, be that in the college workhop or as an apprentice in the field.

My feelings exactly.

Every 6 months or so I teach the 17th edition regs course for the local tech...

Every six days or so, I teach the regs.

 

[tonyelectric]

Every six days or so, I teach the regs. [/quote]

Ha, yep our tech does it fortnightly but I cover for the regular chap when he takes his twice yearly sunshine sabbatical!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Every six days or so, I teach the regs.

That explains much......

 

[ericmark]

With Dyslexic and other considerations there is no best way to teach or learn it changes student to student. However I feel the whole idea of saying "This is wrong do it this way" is flawed. As soon as one talks about rights and wrong people get them mixed up. Far better just teach right way.

Not sure why an electrician needs to know the velocity rules. In fact many of the things taught in college are of no use out of the class room unless one is going into design.

Using a computer as a teaching aid is good but trying to replace the teacher do have problems.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

My company uses distance training quite a lot. No, it is not as good as the "real thing", but it is much better than no training at all because of cost constraints.

What works reasonably well, i.e. 2nd best, are virtual classrooms, rather than just self-paced CBT. i.e. the training is interactive - it is delivered by a live person, using web based tools for whiteboarding, showing slides, or even real-time video, and all the students need is a broadband connection and ideally a mic so that they can ask questions. That can be done via the keyboard, but it's a bit clanky, so although not absolutely essential a mic is, in practical terms, a necessity, but a headset that you can wear comfortably for hours is going to cost less than a week's travel to a class, or less than 1 day if it involves paying for accommodation.

I would have thought that with something like 2382 training it could in some ways be better - if you want to ask questions as you go along you can do so in a way that everyone has to answer, not just one person putting up their hand, and they can answer anonymously without fear of being seen by their classmates to be wrong, so the lecturer can get much better feedback, in real time, on how the class is doing.

 

[dingbat]

I don't think there's much that can successfully substitute for good old 'chalk and talk', intelligently delivered to manageable class sizes of similar ability.

Much is made of the plethora of 'special needs' that are catered for by mainstream education, but those needs are rarely addressed post-school and given that most working electricians I encounter are semi-literate and virtually innumerate we manage by t-a-l-k-i-n-g very s-l-o-w-l-y.

I very much doubt that the majority of City & Guilds short course attendees would benefit from anything other than an authority figure at the front of the class, cracking the whip and keeping their attention.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Then let them fail.


Seriously.

 

[dingbat]

Then let them fail.


Seriously.

Oh, we do.

For instance, we are one of the very few centres that conduct the 2391 practical assessment correctly - many centres milk every candidate through, with the result that many have that particular bit of paper under false pretences. Not much you can do with the multi-guess exams, although we believe the nominal 80% pass mark for such exams is too low.

As for written work, I would mark them down for spelling and grammar!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Would the forum **** please explain why he believes that dingbat should not be allowed to describe the policies and standards of his training organisation on this forum?

Feel free to be rational, logical, intelligent and mature in the explanation.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Oh look - at least 3 people now think that dingbat should not have said what his training company does to ensure that only genuinely competent people pass exams.

Is there anybody left on this forum, apart from the irrational, illogical, stupid, cowardly children who are abusing it, who think the rating system is of benefit?

 

[SgtTrojan]

I'm a bit confused now by the rating system but as a trainer / assessor of almost 6 years (I'm 36 y/o) I feel I can't let this thread slip by. One of the biggest thing that I like to have is a decent PowerPoint and a nice classroom. Maslow eat your heart out!

I am one who seeks immortality from death by PowerPoint and after being taught to be a teacher by a lecturer it makes me think what a load of b*ll*x the Cert Ed was. I believe to have the answers which direct me to the light but it's hard.

I posted that thread about the PIR course from the NICEIC. How they can justify the price of that course when it compares to the full 2391 is beyond my comprehension. Online course, less resources, cheaper price? But they must be in demand or they wouldn't have spend the thousands designing and creating them. I'll be watching their development with interest.

I don't believe online courses are everyone's cup of tea but the older we get the more of our apprentices and electricians will have come through experiential learning and interactive products and they will demand improvement. My experience of today's teenagers is; chalk and talk - sends them to sleep; interactive learning - improved interest and learning. And when computers are used they can keep attention spans for a lot longer than I can. Apparently it's one minute of every year of their life.

So if we don't keep up with technology we will be like the old boys who teach now with OHP transparencies. Yes, the OHP served a purpose and you could argue that it is all in the delivery of them but all in all the method is now considered out of date and laughed at.

If online courses are going to work then this will depend upon the software and how well it is designed. This will depend on how well the software creator has interacted with the skilled professionals who will use them.

Teaching is a profession, not just a job.
My current driving factor is: Why are they here? What does their company want from me? What do they want me to achieve?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Oh look - at least 3 people now think that dingbat should not have said what his training company does to ensure that only genuinely competent people pass exams.

Is there anybody left on this forum, apart from the irrational, illogical, stupid, cowardly children who are abusing it, who think the rating system is of benefit?

And now at least 3 people who think I should not continue to object to the way they are carrying on.

Well dream on, ****s - this issue is NOT going away, no matter how many times you click that thumbs down button.