Living the new normal: reflections on the experiences of first-time distance learners

Paper

Brown, Mark, Keppell, Mike, Hughes, Helen, Hard, Natasha, Shillington, Sandi and Smith, Liz. 2012. "Living the new normal: reflections on the experiences of first-time distance learners." Brown, Mark (ed.) 29th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2012). Wellington, New Zealand 25 - 28 Nov 2012 Gold Coast, Australia.
Paper/Presentation Title

Living the new normal: reflections on the experiences of
first-time distance learners

Presentation TypePaper
AuthorsBrown, Mark (Author), Keppell, Mike (Author), Hughes, Helen (Author), Hard, Natasha (Author), Shillington, Sandi (Author) and Smith, Liz (Author)
EditorsBrown, Mark
Journal or Proceedings TitleProceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2012)
Number of Pages5
Year2012
Place of PublicationGold Coast, Australia
ISBN9780473229894
Web Address (URL) of Paperhttp://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/wellington12/2012/images/custom/brown%2c_mark_-_living_the_new.pdf
Conference/Event29th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2012)
Event Details
Rank
C
C
Event Details
29th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2012)
Parent
Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)
Delivery
In person
Event Date
25 to end of 28 Nov 2012
Event Location
Wellington, New Zealand
Event Web Address (URL)
Abstract

Significant challenges face traditional distance education. The conventional 'pack and post' model of distance education is under serious threat along with the performance of distance education providers as governments and funding bodies increasingly scrutinize retention, progression and completion rates. The objective of the current study was to contribute to the enhancement of
services and resources available for first-time distance learners in the future. The study was framed around Design-based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases. The third phase was the major component of the study, which involved gathering the lived experiences
of 20 first-time distance learners, in their own words, using weekly video diaries for data collection. The research proposed seven key takeaways, alongside seven guiding principles aimed at distance education providers wanting to enhance the success of distance learners in the future.

Keywordsdistance learners; retention; student success; digital learning; video diaries
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390405. Educational technology and computing
390499. Specialist studies in education not elsewhere classified
390404. Educational counselling
Public Notes

Copyright © 2012 Mark Brown, Mike Keppell, Helen Hughes, Natasha Hard, Sandi Shillington and Liz Smith.
The author(s) assign to the ascilite and educational non-profit institutions, a non-exclusive licence to use this
document for personal use and in courses of instruction, provided that the article is used in full and this
copyright statement is reproduced. The author(s) also grant a non-exclusive licence to ascilite to publish this
document on the ascilite website and in other formats for the Proceedings ascilite 2012. Any other use is
prohibited without the express permission of the author(s).

Byline AffiliationsMassey University, New Zealand
Charles Sturt University
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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