Thursday, March 26, 2009

Students Speak Out

Students' Comments

As part of our e-learning pilot project this semester, Rec 130 students have been invited to post their comments about their experiences.

Click on COMMENTS Link to read their views.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of my learning styles is that of an auditory learner. Not only do I love being able to be home to take a class, and have the discipline of it being at a set time ~ but I can go back and listen to a lesson again to catch what I missed and it sticks better in my memory.

Anonymous said...

E-learning would be great if everything was able to run smoothly, but unfortunetly sometimes you can't hear properly, you can't retrieve the old class's information, but it is good when there is certain circumstances that doesn't allow you to attend the class that day. Because if you miss, you can always playback on your own time, if that work?..;)

Anonymous said...

I think E-Learning is great for people who are out of town or don't feel like coming to class, but unfortuanley lot's of people have class right after which forces them to come to class, or be late for their next one. I have never been on an online class because my computer will not download the program needed, I have tried many times. I like the idea of going back to listen to classes if youu've missed one or need more understanding of something.

Anonymous said...

E-learning is a great thing for people who can learn by using this system. I am a person who needs to be in class to learn the best because I am not so distracted when I am at home I know of many other things I can do. I have only used the site a couple times but everytime i used it i have a hard time hearing Dave in some parts of his lecture and sometimes he cuts out completely. I like having the option of being able to go back and listen to lectures if I missed an important point or if I cant attend the class that day.

Anonymous said...

I think this is a great way to deliver a coarse having the option to attend a classroom ot to do it online. At first I thought that I would have to be in calss to learn better, I decided to try the online option,and I am now hooked. Being able to attend in the comfort of my home while in my pj's and sipping coffee is great.The notes are all posted ahead of time which makes it easy to take the notes and then just listen to the professor.I think having the option for other classes would also be great. The fact that these are all recorded and we can go back and anytime a review the class is also a great study feature. Also we can attend from anywhere there is a computer. Great Job Mary

Anonymous said...

I think E-learning is an excellent way to attend class. Unfortunately not everything runs as smoothly as it should, ex. sometimes you can't hear properly or sometimes you can't get the old classes. But, I enjoy being in the comfort of my own while listening to a lecture; It's a lot more relaxing. It's also nice because if you are going to be out of town it still gives you the option to attend class. I hope more classes are going to be provided online because I would definitely love that option!

Chris said...

Yep this E-learning is a blast. Yep there are bugs to be worked out, this is a pilot project, but the benifits are sure to out weight the headaches. It is in Conatact North's interest to improve their services and to encourage ppls feedback in order to continue as a distance ed provider for the north, because e-learning is a great way to get quality education from any where in the world. Contact North is not the soul provider for e-learning and I wouldn't be surprised if more companies like Conatct North start popping up jockying for position with education providers. Which is great, light a fire under Contact North's butt so they step up their services.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy the e-larning class, it makes it alot easier for people who live out of town or people who just cant get to the school at that specific time. It's a bit fustrating when the sound doesnt go to well or you cant retrieve some of the classes for that specific day. Other than that though i really do enjoy it.

Julie said...

This has the potential to be great ... unfortunately, at the moment, it is less than stellar. There are still too many variables to work out: poor sound, inability to download classes by some students, and too much class time spent on the technological issues. I can see how, once the bugs get worked out, this would be great for distance learning; or, for fastrackers who need to pick up credits that don't fit in to their schedule!

I love the blog ... not only is it good for passing along messages but it gives us even more insight into how Dave's mind works.... I worry about you, Dave. : )

Anonymous said...

I think E- learning is a great way of learning, because if you miss a class you can always catch up. I think they should have more classes like this, it is a really good program for single parents, who may find their kids sick one day and they can't come to school. For the most part I haven't had a problem with E-learning, maybe the sounds a little, but everything else is working great.

Anonymous said...

This is an awesome way to take a class. I really like the way Dave uses text chat to communicate with online students

Anonymous said...

I am suprised on how well I took to E-Learning. I love being at home and being able to be in class at the same time. The advantage is amazing! The best part is I can listen to a class if i happen to miss it and get the same notes as everyone else. There are a few glitches... but nothing that cannot be fixed over all i give this service a 10/10.
Great Job Dave!
- V.M

Anonymous said...

I like being in class and find it is easier to stay focused with so many taking the class online. It is less distracting and I also find it very interesting to read the online comments. E-learning is a great option and I am glad our program offers this choice.

Anonymous said...

Contact North is a great way to take a course. I like the freedom of choosing to come to class or taking the class at home.

Anonymous said...

I think this course went great. I did have some sound issue's but in the end its worth it when you dont have to get out of bed! Many of us did well on the midterm so that is proof this class is working. I think its great and i hope they continue!

Erica said...

I have only recently been able to use the online class. I enjoy it now that the contact north people sent me the correct username. Everyone has their own personal schedule and with this program you can listen to dave and do what needs to be done at home.
So i would be giving this a thumbs up

Anonymous said...

I think it's great to have the choice of being in-class or on-line. It's really beneficial to be able to access a missed class. The E-learning has been a good experience for many students. I think this form of delivery may benefit other classes as well. It has been a good learning experience for me.

Anonymous said...

I just discovered that while playing back past classes you can easily stream around the lecture by selecting the drop down menu from the top of the page. It helps if you missed the last half or beginning of a class and want to skip any unnecessary parts. A simply brilliant idea.
The "my schedule" page, where you see the upcoming/ongoing blah blah... could be better with the addition of a "description of lecture" or "keywords" box next to the class session. These boxes could contain what the lecture topic is about or information included. For example; slide titles "review Legislation", "we talk about helmet safety" or "workplace hazard" just to make us easily find past lectures or help summarize the topics.
I'm rambling and sorry about quotations, no bold.

Anonymous said...

I find it is a good program if you are an auditory learner. For me i need to be in class writting things down to learn. That way i know i didnt miss anything and i know whats due and when it is due. The online course is good for people that would rather sleep in stay at home and listen and watch what is going on in class. For me i found the online course didnt work on my computer at home and i live out of town so it is more convinent if i go to class

Anonymous said...

it is a good program for people taht are audtiory learners and visual learners but for people that are hands on workers it is more difficult.I need to be in class to know that i didnt miss anythign and to learn. But this program is good for people that dont want to get out of bed and sleep in and can stay home and watch on the computer waht is goign on in class that day

Anonymous said...

The online course is a good course for people that are visual and auditory learners. But for people that are hands on workers it is a little harder. For me i need to be in class to learn this way i know i wont miss a class and i wont miss an assignments TLM helps alot too

Anonymous said...

Contact North is the best. I highly recommend that our School of Rec and leisure offers more courses this way. My friends in other programs at Canadore are jealous.

Anonymous said...

though i don't use this program, i think it is a good way to catch up on missed classes.

Amanda H. said...

Contact North was a great idea, I love being able to wake up 10 minutes before class. It's also convinient for those who were not able to make in to town during the winter due to bad weather. This way they didn't miss anything important. Being able to playback the class is awesome too. You're able to go back and listen to certain things as many times as you want. Being able to fast forward through explanations helps speed it up. One thing that is different is when we have to hand in reflexion papers or projects, I'm not one to email stuff because I don't want it to get forgotten. I always hand in my stuff early. All in all, once the little problems get fixed, a lot more programs will be using it.

Anonymous said...

I really being able to take the rec 130 class from plus it is hand if I am sick and miss a class as that way I can get caught up on the class again from home.

Anonymous said...

The online learning has so far been a great experience with the exception of having a hard time watching videos with dialup

Anonymous said...

I do like the idea of E-learning however I feel that there are always something that is not working on this site. From it being to not hearing the professor to sometime it completely not working. I do however really enjoy the fact that we don't have to get out of our way to go up the hill if we are preoccupied. This i a great way to continue learning without attending class;) I think E-leaning is good it just needs more time to perfect to be better

Brita J. said...

I am not really a hundred percent sure if I like this class. I did not do the online part because i thought that it would be too distracting for me to do from home. So i decided to go to the in class times. And i had a really hard time concentrating on what was beining taugh in the class. Because i am a visual learned i find it eaiser to write during the lectures and copy down what Dave is saying. But the slides went by so fast that i wasn't able to catch much off of them. And when it came time to studying for the midterm. I couldn't get the notes off tlm, and the lessons wouldn't work off contact north. But i do really enjoy your classes Dave i have learned alot.

Anonymous said...

I enjoy having the option. I much prefer being in the classroom and seeing and hearing the lesson or lecture at the same time. However with the way our large class is, concentrating can be a chore due to the ongoing chatter amongst the students. Being able to sit in the comfort of my own room and getting to hear JUST the lecture is much better.

Princess Ash said...

E-learning was a very great idea. I loved being able to either stay at home and lay in bed and take the course, or go to my boyfriends house, and still be in class for that hour. Sleeping in was wonderful lol. However, i do think that more classes should be offered online or in class, if one is. That way you could choose for more classes if you learn best that way.
On a whole, e-learning was a good experience, and i hope its offered again next semester.
-Princess Ash

Anonymous said...

I think E-learning is also wonderful.. as many have send its a great way to catch up on missed classes and also to review for exams( if you feel like sitting and listning to dave allllll night ha ha ha j/k)
I do miss the student teacher relationship that somewhat disapears by not being in class, and also how you are unable to see and chat quietly with your peers.
This has the oppertunity to be fantasic, however i think a camera is needed that way you could see and feel like you are part of the class.

Anonymous said...

I think this pilot project is a great start and hope more courses are offerd this way. I sometimes go to classes and sometimes I take them online. I honestly don't see any really difference betweeen going to live classes or taking classes online. Keep up the good work Contact North.

Anonymous said...

E-learning has its glitches! When it works it is great and very effective. You can go about your daily life and have the pleasant sound of Dave's voice crooning to you in the back ground; teaching you his wise ways.

Anonymous said...

I love Elearning.. I think this is great.. I love sitting in my pj's, drinking some coffee and watching Regis and Kelly on mute and listening to Dave banter on..lol. It's AWESOME!

Anonymous said...

I find that e-learning is a great tool to offer a program all over the world. I think that there should be more preporation when dealing with something like this. We are fortunate to be trying it out, im sure it would be even more great if we had more information on it. I like the fact that we have the option to stay home or come in if we are more of a visual learner.

Jeff said...

I think the online classes are awesome because when you are stuck out of town you can still attend class and not fall behind. Doin it from your own home also means that you can wear your pj's and do other things at the same time as the class and not disturb anyone. E-learning is awesome and I hope it becomes more widley used in the future.

Anonymous said...

Very useful for catching up on missed lessons, or reviewing what you've missed. Despite some pretty obvious technical errors I think once some of the bugs are worked out it'll be a great addition to any course

Anonymous said...

I like being in my jammies when I learn! hehehehe. It's nice not to have to rush out and get ready. You just wake up turn on the computer and attend class. It's nice.

a.p said...

I have only used the program a few times, and more once it was offered as a first class without any classes scheduled right after. I find being at home or in a computer lab or wherever i may be listening to the classes helps me pay attention for longer periods of time because i can get up and move around without interupting anyone. I also like being able to play back classes for things i have missed or didnt quite grasp at first. I hope that with this pilot project most of the bugs will be worked out as well as contact north being able to improve in general. I believe this is a good tool for many if not all lecture classes but to offer a whole course is almost unrealistic because i think its valuable to have the in-class hands on aspects. All-in-all this is an excellent course that we will be seeing much more of in the future.

vt said...

I think the elearning is great. It gives people who are unable to travel to the learning center an opportunity to still take part in the learning process. Any opportunity to learn is good!!

Anonymous said...

I wish all our courses were by Contact North. Dave's blog is great and I look forward to reading it every week. He is very funny.

Anonymous said...

I like what Dave saoid in class about having students from anywhere in the world taking a class with us. I think that would be really neat and would add to our education. Contact North and Canadore what a team.

Anonymous said...

It would be great if more of our teachers used contact north technology. I really appreciated having the choice to come to class or to take the class online.

Dave de Jourdan said...

Tip of the hat to all those students who took time from their busy schedules to share their experiences with our e-learning pilot project. Thank You.

It seems a majority of folks are pleased with this experiment...and would like to see other courses delivered the same way.

It also seems a number of you were frustrated with problems relating to audio or problems downloading videos. Certainly, there were (and still are) a few bugs to work out... but together with Contact North's enthusiastic support we have; hopefully, responded to many of your concerns.

For the record it must be stated, at least from my vantage point, that Contact North's Centra system is simply outstanding...it is a cadillac...unfortunately; your professor is still working on getting his driver's permit and many of the difficulties you experienced were not the blame of Contact North but rather the fault of an inexperienced and unsteady driver.

As the saying goes... practice makes perfect...and your patience and enthusiastic support for this pilot project has been greatly appreciated.

Canadore Recreation Students rock!

Anonymous said...

This was an awesome course. I highly recommend Contact North. Dave is an excellent teacher and makes his classes fun and interesting.

 

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