Created by: Hannah Rochford, Rianne Yuen, Emily Trelford, Kayla Krug, and Kiana Archibald

In our opinion a distributed online learning environment would be the best fit for Rebekah, as she is an International Student during the Covid-19 pandemic. This type of learning environment is most suitable for Rebekah because she is able to work towards finishing her degree no matter her location, she does not have to find housing during the Victoria housing crisis, online learning often limits the costs of textbooks and transportation, and allows more flexibility in her day to day life. A flexible learning environment is essential for Rebekah for many reasons, one being that she is in need of financial support and she would then be able to keep a part-time job that works around her schedule. With everything in mind, distributed learning allows for more choice, flexibility, and overall success for Rebekah as she is continuing her studies. 

Rebekah considers herself a visual learner and good with technology, this will benefit her if she is able to use online multimodal elements included in a distributed learning environment. The professor would include audio, videos, text, and graphics as part of the lecture material to give students the choice and flexibility of how they choose to learn. In addition to this point, being that English is not Rebekah’s first language, the online format and accessibility of the material gives her the time and resources to translate the necessary elements or phrases she might not understand. Due to the fact that Rebekah is a talented reader and writer, an online learning environment where she is able to express her thoughts through writing will allow her to excel. Online readings and discussions will also be a benefit to her and she will be able to collaborate with peers through reading and replying to their posts.

With distributed online learning, the classes would be asynchronous. In an asynchronous class, material is provided, and students can work at their own pace. Teachers often post pre-recorded lectures that students can watch at any time. This allows students to take their time and have longer to think about their thoughts and understandings (Major, 2015). Being that Rebekah has been diagnosed with ADHD, having the ability to pause and rewind lectures allows her to go at her own pace, take good notes, and understand the material better. This also helps towards flexibility in Rebekah’s studies, because of the different time-zone she resides in, as well as her busy schedule. With distributed learning Rebekah would still be able to make connections with her classmates through zoom calls and other class projects. She would also be able to continue working part time at the restaurant, because with online courses, there is no time commitment to get to and from campus and she can plan her Zoom calls around her work schedule.

Although distributed learning is definitely best suited for Rebekah, we have to keep in mind the lack of in-person connection Rebekah would receive if she continued with an online learning environment. Face to face classes do allow for more in-person relationships to be built with classmates and professors. These connections can help with career opportunities in the future, especially as Rebekah is hoping to live in Victoria. Contrary to this, these connections can be replicated in the online environment with Zoom, Blackboard, Mattermost and other learning management systems via introducing each other or commenting on others’ work (Vaughan et. al., 2013, p. 28). If Rebekah puts in the effort to communicate and collaborate on these types of learning management systems, it will not drastically affect her overall success at making these connections. 

To conclude, distributed online learning allows Rebekah to not only be a learner but a teacher. She is communicating with her peers, sharing ideas, and asking questions. Rebekah is given the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the material at hand because of the choice and flexibility she is given with the distributed online learning format. Of course, there are always barriers to online and distributed learning. However, with Rebekah’s persona and learning needs, this distributed learning environment leaves ample room for Rebekah’s academic and personal success. 

References

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces.

Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia.

ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012

Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice. Retrieved

from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874 (pp. 76-108) 

Mays, E. (Ed.). (2017). A guide to making open textbooks with students. Rebus Community.

Vaughan, N. D., Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. AU Press.