Technology for Student Support Subsystem

1. Technology for Learner
Support Subsystem
Stephen L. Esber
Master of Distance Education (MDE) Program
University of the Philippine Open University (OPOU)

2. LEARNER SUPPORT encompasses all of those interactive
activities and services in education intended to support and
facilitate the learning process. This includes:
Tutoring and Teaching
Counselling and Advising
Administrative Services

3. Types of Learner Support
Tutoring and
Teaching
•are generally seen
as encompassing a
broad range of
instructional and
coaching activities
that help guide
students through a
course
Counselling and
Advising
•includes services
such as
orientation,
learning and study
skills assistance,
academic advising,
and career and
personal
counselling
Administrative
Services
•includes admission
and registration,
library and
information
systems, and
infrastructure
support for
activities such as
peer tutoring and
alumni
organization

4. Learner Support in the Context of
Distance Education
Alan Tait (1995) of the Open University of Great Britain (OUUK)
has extensively written on learner support in the context of
Distance Education:
…The elements of Open Distance Learning (ODL) which are
commonly referred to as student support are made up of turoting,
whether face-to-face, by correspondence, telephone or
electronically; counseling organization of study centres; interactive
teaching through TV and radio, and other activities. These activities
have as key conceptual components the notion of supporting the
individual learning of the student whether alone or in groups, while
in contrast the mass-produced elements are identical for all
learners. (p 232)

5. Learner Support in the Context of
Distance Education
Simpson (2002) also from OUUK, describes student support in the
broadest sense, as all measures extending beyond the production of
study materials which support students in the learning process. He
differentiates between
Academic Support (or
tutorial)
Non-Academic Support
(i.e. administrative –
institutional elements)

6. Academic Support (or
tutorial)
includes:
- defining the course territory
- explaining concepts
- exploring the course
- feedback – both formal and informal
assessment
- developing learning skills
- chasing progress
- enrichment programs
Non-Academic Support
(i.e. administrative –
institutional elements)
includes:
- advising (giving information, exploring
problems and suggesting directions)
- assessment (giving feedback to the
individual on non-academic aptitudes and
skills)
- action (practical help to promote study)
- advocacy (making out a case for funding);
- agitation (promoting changes within the
institution to benefit students);
- administration (organizing student
support)

7. Purposes of Learner Support (Tait, 2000)
Cognitive
• supporting and
developing
learning through
the mediation of
the standard and
uniform elements
of course
materials and
learning resources
for individual
students
Affective
• providing an
environment
which support
students, creates
commitment and
enhances self-
esteem
Systemic
• establishing
administrative
processes and
information
management
system which are
effective,
transparent and
overall student-
friendly

8. Learner Support in the Online
Environment
Thorpe (2003) addressed the need to re-define learner support in
the online environment. She took a functional approach of
defining learner support as:
“…all those elements capable of
responding to a known learner or group
of learners, before, during and after the
learning process” (p. 201)
With this definition, she acknowledges the interactive nature of
learner support as well as the blurring of distinction between
learner support and course production in online learning.

9. Thorpe (2003) notes that learners need
support in two (2) contexts:
The first is in regard to
“…institutional systems
(such as knowing what is on
offer, how to apply, how to
claim a refund, make a
payment, choose a course,
etc.) before, during and
after course study” (p.
203)
The second one is in the
context of “…the course
they are studying, such as
how best to complete a
particular assignment, how
to contact and work with
other students on the
course, how to make sense
something in the course
material…” (p. 203)

10. Mills (1999) put five (5) key issues for
consideration in Distance Education that can
help establish a strong learner support system:
1. Avoid the temptation to treat distance education solely as a business
2. Be on the side of the student
3. Use resources in the best possible way for students
4. Use ICT in a careful and creative way for improving teaching, learning, and assessment
5. Give absolute priority to reducing the digital divide

11. Brindley & Paul (1998) note that effective learner
support in ODL is characterized by the following
essential elements:
a. Responsiveness
It personalizes the learning process
so as to be responsive to different
individuals and groups
b. Interactivity
It encourages and facilitates
interaction among and between
students, faculty, tutor,
institutional support persons and
academic content
c. Content Specificity
It exists to further the goals of a
particular institution and serves
the needs of its learners within its
specific content
d. Learner
Development
It both facilitates learning within
courses and addresses broader
issues of student skill and personal
development
e. Openness to Change
Learner support system evolve
continuously to accommodate new
learner population, educational
development, economic condition,
technological advances, and
findings from research and
evaluation
f. Integration
Effective learner support
involves a high level of
inter-functional
collaboration and is
seamless to the learner

12. Technologies for Tutoring and Teaching
http://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/teaching-with-technology-2/
Online
collabora
tion
tools
such as those in
Google Apps, allows
students and
instructors to share
documents online,
edit them in real time
and project them on a
screen. This gives
students a
collaborative platform
in which to brainstorm
ideas and document
their work using text
and images.
Presenta
tion
software
(such as PowerPoint)
enable instructors to
embed high-resolution
photographs,
diagrams, videos and
sound files to
augment text and
verbal lecture
content.
Course
manage
ment
tools
such as Canvas allow
instructors to organize
all the resources
students need for a
class (e.g. syllabi,
assignments, readings,
online quizzes),
provide valuable
grading tools, and
create spaces for
discussion, document
sharing, and video and
audio commentary. All
courses are
automatically given a
Canvas site!
Tablets
can be linked to
computers,
projectors and the
cloud so that
students and
instructors can
communicate
through text,
drawings and
diagrams.
Clickers
and
smartph
ones
are a quick and
easy way to survey
students during
class. This is great
for instant polling,
which can quickly
assess students’
understanding and
help instructors
adjust pace and
content.
Lecture-
capture
tools
such as Panopto,
allow instructors to
record lectures
directly from their
computer, without
elaborate or
additional
classroom
equipment.
Consider recording
your lectures as
you give them and
then uploading
them for students
to re-watch.

13. Technologies for Counselling and Advising
https://studentsatthecenterhub.org/resource/tech-based-student-support-resources/

14. Apps for Counselling and Advising
http://www.thecounselinggeek.com/2016/02/5-top-school-counseling-moblie-apps.html

15. Technologies for Administrative Services
(Sample Learning Management Systems)

16. Technologies for Administrative Services
(Sample Learning Management Systems)

17. Sources:
1. Brindley, et. al. 2008. Learner Support in Open, Distance and Online Learning Environments.
Accessed Nov. 2018 from https://myportal.upou.edu.ph/course/view.php?id=4371
2. https://studentsatthecenterhub.org/resource/tech-based-student-support-resources/
3. http://www.thecounselinggeek.com/2016/02/5-top-school-counseling-moblie-apps.html
4. http://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-
learning/teaching-with-technology-2/
5. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/triostudsupp/index.html
6. http://fmds.upou.edu.ph/index.php/academics?id=33
7. http://our.upou.edu.ph/student/
8. http://old.upou.edu.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=644&Itemid=4