OUM BUSINESS SCHOOL

_________________________________________
OUMH 1103
LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN DISTANCE
LEARNERS

JANUARY 2014

NAME

PRABAKARAN A/L

P.SILVARAJU
MATRICULATION NO :

900730045141001

IDENTITY CARD NO

900730045141

TELEPHONE NO

0162647020

EMAIL

karanthevraj@yahoo.com

LEARNING CENTRE

MELAKA

INTRODUCTION

Balancing work and family life can be a challenge, even for online learners. While many
older adults choose to continue their education through the internet, they often find their
study time interrupted by spouses and children who need them. Here are a few suggestions
for maintaining good relationships with those you love while studying online. Students
entering distance education programs often find themselves adapting to new learning

environments. Part of it involves developing personal relationships that will ease their work
and learning, helping them cope with unfamiliarity and change. Examining suggestions from
distance learning students on how to cope with this process yields three-fold results.

Chances are youll need some peace and quiet to get your work done. Setting specific
times and posting a schedule on your office door can be a great way to form a common
understanding and keep resentments from forming. Let your family know when youll be
available and when they shouldnt disturb you. If youre in an online chat meeting, for
example, you may want to hang a do not disturb sign on the door. Let children know what
instances are appropriate for interruption and which are inappropriate. This street goes both
ways, however, and youll also need to set some ground rules for yourself. Be available to
your family during your off-hours and give them the attention they need. Let them know that
they can trust you to be available when you say you will, and theyll be more willing to wait.
Dont forget play time, online courses can get intense at times, particularly if youre enrolled
in more than one. But, dont get so caught up that you forget to have fun. If need be, set to
play games or find entertainment with your children or a to spend a little quality time with
your spouse. Youll get much needed relaxation and theyll appreciate seeing you in a less
stressful mood. Be an example, If you have school-aged children, use your own studies to set
an example for how they can succeed in their own classes. Try setting aside a study time each
afternoon when you study along side your kids. Serve a nutritious snack and play relaxing

music. Chances are theyll mimic the study skills you model and their grades will benefit.
Meanwhile, youll get a chance to complete your own studies while spending some time with
your kids. Its a win-win. Involve your family in your learning. Dont just slink away into the
back room and come out, red-eyed and silent, after a few hours of intense studying. Let your
family know youre accomplishing something meaningful. If you discover something
interesting, bring it up at the dinner table or discuss it while driving your kids to school. Let
your spouse tag along on field trips to the art museum or city counsel. Chances are theyll
enjoy being involved in this part of your life.
Connect with your classmates. Sure, virtual people may be hard to connect with, but
making an effort to actually get to know your classmates can be rewarding. If you find
students from your area, consider a physical study group at a restraint or bookstore. If not, try
to create an online support group of peers. Theyll appreciate having someone to keep them
on track in their work and youll reap the benefits of being accountable as well. Discuss what
you learn. Find a friend or relative who has similar interests or who would enjoy hearing
about your studies and let them know whats going on in your classes. Youll understand the
material better when you have a chance to explain it out loud and will be motivated to stay on
task in order to keep up with the conversation. Chart your progress. Dont rely on campus
counsellors; design your own map of completed classes and post it somewhere that is visible
daily. Theres a certain satisfaction that comes with watching your goals be accomplished.
When times get hard, you can always turn to your chart and see how far youve come.
Reward yourself. You get rewarded for good credit and safe driving, why shouldnt you
reward yourself for doing well in your coursework. Whether it be a night on the town, a new
dress, or even a new car, setting up a reward system just may be the extra push you need to
succeed. If you stick by your system, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. Take time
for fun. If youre spending all your time working, studying, and watching after the kids,
youll likely suffer in all areas. Everyone needs some down time to re-group. So, set aside a
little time every week for a favorite activity. Youll be more productive when you return to
your work.

Students express a variety of preferences about how the various available

technologies are used inside and outside of class. They would like their instructors to be sure
that the technologies they are using are suitable for the type of class and the subject matter
being taught; in addition, instructors should also be aware of the wide variety of technologies
available to them and utilize them when appropriate. Students, on the other hand, have a
number of communication technologies available to them, some that can be directed to a
wider audience and some that are more focused on individual communication. Students stress
that they and their classmates should be aware of the scope of their audience when using
these communication technologies. For example, personal messages should be sent using email rather than a class-wide Web discussion. When student are using technology both to
complete and to hand in their school work, more problems tend to arise than with traditional
paper school work; any one of the tools being used can break down. Therefore, students
indicate that they need to plan additional time when they are using the computer to do or

hand in work. Also, doing work on the computer can be more time-consuming than doing a
similar task in another medium; for example, students who need to transfer their work from
one computer to another experience

The efforts and rewards aspect is focused on distance learning students and their
attitudes toward their school work. The elements within it primarily include advice that
experienced students have for prospective students. From their perspective, this means that
contact with current students might be useful for incoming students; for instance, talking with
"veterans" could help new students to develop realistic expectations before beginning the
program. From an administrative perspective, this could mean establishing methods of
contact such as student mentoring, or identifying current students who would be willing to
answer questions from prospective students. This aspect also includes issues of continuing
motivation and effort. Students need to be aware that these are important factors before
beginning a distance learning program. In addition, though students did not provide advice
for administration and faculty that relate to these elements, it may be helpful for those people
involved in the program to develop creative ways of recognizing effort and inspiring
motivation. For example, students said that doing class projects that allowed them to earn
rewards at their workplaces, such as designing Web pages, were helpful ways to achieve
goals. Perhaps making an effort to link course work to students' outside interests such as work
or community groups could be a way to inspire effort and allow the student to reap multiple
rewards.

Effective time management can make the difference between success and failure
when you juggle education with family and work. Plan regular periods throughout the week
for your coursework. Commit to this schedule as if you were attending an actual class.
Develop a course study plan. List assignments and deadlines on a calendar and check them
off as you complete them. Don't procrastinate. Distance courses take as much time as regular
classes. Plan to study two hours weekly per credit. Never enroll in more courses than you can
handle. Create a "to do" list that prioritizes tasks according to need: A for today, B for next
week, and C for later. Learn to say no to other requests for your time. Effective time
management can make the difference between success and failure when you juggle education
with family and work. Plan regular periods throughout the week for your coursework.
Commit to this schedule as if you were attending an actual class. Develop a course study
plan. List assignments and deadlines on a calendar and check them off as you complete them.
Don't procrastinate. Distance courses take as much time as regular classes. Plan to study two
hours weekly per credit. Never enroll in more courses than you can handle. Create a "to do"
list that prioritizes tasks according to need: A for today, B for next week, and C for later.
Learn to say no to other requests for your time. Planning is preparation that has to be done in
advance of a program, semester, or class to ensure the successful completion of that program,
semester, or class, where "successful" is described as completing all of the work with a
minimum of stress and confusion, and a maximum of learning and happiness. Another
element of planning is the syllabus; the syllabus is a document describing a course's
objectives, readings, assignments, and expectations. How early the syllabus is made available
to students, how often it changes over the course of a semester, when assignments are due,

and clear explanations of the expectations for a course are all key characteristics of the
syllabus element. The syllabus facilitates goal setting, where instructors make the goals of a
course clear to the students, and the students incorporate those class-related goals with their
personal and professional goals to establish semester- and program-long objectives. For
instance, if a student is taking a class in which the goal is to learn computer interface design,
they may have a class project of designing a Web page. They may then combine this with a
Web design project at their workplace. In addition, students use the syllabus to help them
develop a schedule or routine to help them know what to expect over the course of a week, a
month, or a semester. This also helps them to perform the next element, keeping up.

Conclusion

Learners have found the materials relevant and useful. Moreover, the
programme is well linked to the wider development goals. Students should
score well in this type of program too because it carries the same credits as

regular on- campus courses; therefore, the same amount of time and effort is
required to achieve a satisfactory grade.

Family resemblances: Studies in the internal structure of categories Original Research

Article
Cognitive Psychology, Volume 7, Issue 4, October 1975, Pages 573-605