This is the third in a series of three essays exploring academic research projects about online distance education through the lens of emotion (from a neuroscience perspective). You can read the first essay here and the second essay here.
As you likely recall, emotion is of particular interest to online teachers because it is difficult to read the emotions of learners in an online medium. However, learners still have emotions, and the emotional climate of an online distance education classroom affects learning.
Emoticons
In this essay, we’re exploring the following research study:
Dickey, M. (2004). The impact of web-logs (blogs) on student perceptions of isolation and alienation in a web-based distance-learning environment. Open Learning , 19 (3), 279-291.
Overview
The impact of web-logs (blogs) on student perceptions of isolation and alienation in a web-based distance-learning environment by Dickey (2004), is an empirical research project. The article is a case study where the findings were discovered interview-style through a course evaluation and viewed through a theoretical lens.
In the study, Dickey researches learner feelings of isolation, distress, and frustration with the distance education experience. The purpose of the study is to investigate the potential for blogs—online diaries, journals, or writing repositories—to impact learner perceptions of alienation and isolation in a web-based environment.
The findings of the study suggest that blogs may be a medium in which self-expression and interaction can build community in online classes. Feelings of community may lessen the isolation and frustration that often accompany distance learning. The study is interesting, but it lacks scientific rigor because of the small sample size.
Implications for educational practice
Using blogs as part of an online course routine lends structure and predictability to the coursework. Even though blog posts are usually required, the blogs are open places where learners are free to express themselves. In the article, learners used the blogs as a place to encourage one another and complain when the coursework was difficult. They knew the teacher would read the blogs, but they were free to write what they wanted. In this way, the teacher is able to understand the emotional temperature of the class. The teacher can detect frustration and offer a kind word or a more detailed explanation of a concept in class. In using a blog for expression in a course, a learner can use control and choice to determine what they post. As well, a learner can use creativity to personalize the blog with color and design. I would love to try using blogs in my undergraduate online writing course, and this research supports their effective use.
Conclusion
This essay concludes the study of research projects involving emotion in online distance education. Emotion is a vast and general term that, for online distance education learners, is related closely to interaction and satisfaction. In many cases, online distance education teachers and learners use interaction to achieve greater satisfaction in learning. These three articles hold much information about an emotional climate for learning, but I’ll be looking for more, and I’ll post essays about them when I can.
References
Hardiman, M. (2012). The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
CARDE blog 