Unit 4: Enriching Experiences (1èer AMC)

 The Open University

The document under study is a video about Simon’s testimony completing his studies thanks to the Open University in the UK. Simon already had a job (he was an assistant caretaker) when he decided to enroll to a university to be able to do his dream job: becoming a P.E. Teacher.

The benefits for him by signing up to the Open University were that he could study from home (distance learning), tutors were teaching him the lesson materials and he could work at his pace. Moreover, he could also meet up with other students from the O.U. at coffee shop to work together.

Then, he succeeded in all his exams and graduated to be a PE Teacher. He even could attend to his graduation ceremony. This enhances/reinforces the seriousness of this way of learning and educating oneself.

E-Learning Challenges (Synthesis of three documents)

We have a set of three documents under study: the first one is an extract from the newspaper The Irish Times, published in April 2020. It deals with the testimonies of three students who studied online. The second document is an excerpt from an article published on Blockchain University website in October 2018. It deals with the impact of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) on social interactions. Finally, the last document comes from Best college online website, published in 2017. It is about the evolution of the social interactions through distance learning. These three documents raise the following question: To what extent online courses impact social interactions and the future of the students?

To answer this, in a first part, we will analyze the reasons why people choose to study online. Then, because of the lack of social interactions that can be a problem for some students, we will examine how online courses can be improved to be more beneficial for everyone.

-The good side of distance learning; it can be another way to learn. It gives an easy access to knowledge. Moreover, it can also be an easier way to study.

-The limits: some students can have an early lack of interest (drop in the motivation). The lack of social interactions can be a real issue. Besides, it is a self-driven method that cannot fit everyone. Students drop out earlier.

Nevertheless, online courses can be an opportunity to communicate with others through online communicative tools (Zoom).

Furthermore, students and teachers become more creative to maintain a social aspect through distance learning (with the creation of videos, interactions on social media).

Homework: Learn the lesson.