1. Learning Styles Assessment
    1. How to match your learning style to distance ed courses.
    2. First: Take a Learning Styles Assessment
    3. Second: Check Out Modes for Distance Education Classes
    4. Third: Match Your Learning Style to Distance Education Modes
    5. Finally: When You’re Ready

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Learning Styles Assessment


How to match your learning style to distance ed courses.


First: Take a Learning Styles Assessment

People learn through different methods. Some people like to hear information, some need to see it. Others need to write everything down to fully understand what is going on. None of these styles of learning are right or wrong, they are just one of the things that make each person unique.

There are several different sites on the Internet that allow you to take a basic learning styles assessment. Once you understand your learning style/s, you can work with your counselor to match it with the type of Distance Education class delivery mode that best suits your needs.

We used the following site¹ for this assessment. You can use your favorite search engine to find other sites. http://library.cuesta.cc.ca.us/distance/new/lrnstyle.htm
username: cuesta
password: online


Second: Check Out Modes for Distance Education Classes

Interactive Television
Live broadcast from a television studio/classroom. Attend face-to-face class, view at an outreach center, or view from home through cable television. There may be mandatory in-class orientations and assessments.
 Hybrid
– The perfect start for a student whose schedule is tight, but who is not sure if distance education is right. Hybrid classes typically have half of the course taught in the classroom and half the course work completed through the Internet. A hybrid course could meet once a week instead of twice a week, but the assignment load is the same.
 Online
–Courses are offered via the Internet. There may be scheduled on-campus orientations and assessments. Online instructors use a variety of teaching approaches and assignments and generally use discussion boards to encourage class participation.
 Telecourses
- A series of television programs broadcast over local cable television, viewed in the LRC, or by rental tapes when available. There is a mandatory on-campus orientation session and, per instructor, a number of on-campus meetings for review and testing.


Third: Match Your Learning Style to Distance Education Modes

Independent
 If you like to think for yourself, are confident in your learning abilities, and you prefer to learn the content that you feel is important. If you like to work alone on course projects rather than with other students, distance ed is for you. This learning style works well with all distance education modes.
Avoidant
 If you’re not enthusiastic about learning content, attending class, or participating with students and teachers in the classroom, a hybrid or interactive television course might work well for you – there is contact with the instructors and fellow students, but less than in a regular face-to-face class. You might need more outside motivation than can be found in online or telecourse classes.
Collaborative
 If you feel you learn more by sharing ideas and talents and like to work with your instructors and others, you might feel lonely in an online class--although most online classes include a lot of discussion and group projects. Televised and hybrid classes would allow you to work with fellow students and instructors and still have some of the features offered by DE.
 Dependent
 If you know you learn only what is required and view teachers and peers as sources of structure and support and want specific guidelines on what to do, you probably will work best in a classroom. Hybrid and interactive television courses could be a good option. ITV classes allow you to be in the classroom as much as you need, but you can also view the class at home.
 Competitive
 If you learn material in order to perform better than others in the class, if you love the competition--it helps you work harder--and you like to receive recognition for your accomplishments in class, you probably enjoy being in a classroom. Hybrid and interactive television courses could be a good option—although you will find a lot of competition in online classes, too.
 Participant
 If you love going to class and taking part in as much of the course activities as possible, if you get a lot of satisfaction from doing as much of the required and optional course requirements as you can, you might consider a distance education class for other reasons--and you are a good candidate for any style of DE class. Participation and enthusiasm is an intrinsic part of distance education. You will find the discussion boards particularly motivating.


Finally: When You’re Ready

You can find SCC’s Distance Ed classes at: http://www.scc.losrios.edu/de/  
Or contact
Kathy Camarena
Distance Education Coordinator
LR 114
(916) 650-2726

¹From Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Explained; http://library.cuesta.cc.ca.us/distance/survey.htm .
Last updated Nov 18, 2004.

 

 

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