Lectures – reflective Learning Blog

Legal copyright is a term that I have rarely heard throughout my life. Whenever I have heard it however I’ve merely brushed it aside because I thought it had no relevance to me. To me it just sounded like some legal jargon that should only be known by lawyers or those studying law at college.

However I was able to learn all about legal copyright last week in a college lecture. To my surprise I learned that technical communicators need to be aware of certain legal matters that could be important for their career. Elements of copyright sch as patents are extremely important to know about. For instance if I ever decide to create an online application I might need to patent it to ensure that nobody else can make money from it. As someone who could well end up going to work as an information designer, I could be involved in the creation of online applications. Learning about all the intricacies of copyright laws has made me realise how little I really know about the subject. I always had it in my head that creating an application was something a person could do on their own. I like the idea of being innovative and thinking of gaps in the market where a new application could be useful. However I’m really going to have to wait quite a while before I can think about ideas. The average cost for a patent is 32,000 euros so I’m completely out of the price range. I guess I’m just going to have to be patient and wait until I have some financial backing before I can think about a career in app development. This lecture was probably a blessing in disguise as its really made me look at my future prospects more realistically. While I still dream of making money from a new application, I’ll push it to the back of my mind instead of the front!!

During this week’s lecture for my module EL6052, I learned all about learner support systems. Learner support systems are basically services that are provided to distance learners that enable effective learning. When the lecturer mentioned the concept of learner support systems I immediately thought of it in a physical context. I’ve been exposed to learner support systems for practically my whole life. In primary school learner support systems followed that of a simple educational system. I had a teacher instructing the lessons, I had access to supplementary resources and there was an academic administrator. When I moved onto secondary school the learner support system grew with the addition of guidance counsellors and chaplains. Then when I started studying at university I had access to an even larger support system that included library services.

However I had failed to realise that there are a whole host of services available through online mediums. These online services are every bit as important as physical services. I guess I had been guilty of underestimating the sheer size of the support system available to me at my university. Being part of a course that is tailored to both distance learners and on campus learners has really opened my eyes. When designing an online course, it’s not just as simple as making lecture notes available online for students. There are a whole host of online services that need to be available to that student. Some of these services include academic advisors, technical support, financial services, restructured course material and library services. On top of this the tutor themselves have extra obligations that they might not have if they were teaching on campus students. They need to make sure that their coursework is suitable to those studying online. The technology or virtual learning environment that they use is likely to experience technical problems from time to time. The tutor needs to make sure that these issues can be resolved quickly to ensure the students learning is uninterrupted. They also need to be contactable and maintain a reliable online presence. Basically there is an added responsibility on the teaching staff.

As someone who could end up pursuing a career in higher education, I learned some valuable lessons my weekly lecture. I realise just how difficult the job of teaching staff is nowadays and what needs to be provided to the modern student. In today’s era of technological advancement people have to adapt quickly and make the most of new technology. Those working in higher education are no different. As distance learning grows in popularity there will be an increase in demand for educational technologists. Perhaps one day I could end up working in the provision of learner support systems myself. Whatever happens I look forward to learning more about the field of education technology.