South African Open Distance Elearning Student: The Types, Effectiveness, and Preference of Feedback Support
Keywords:
Student feedback, Open Distance eLearning, feedback support, South Africa, Feedback type, feedback preferenceAbstract
Historically feedback is perceived as a unidirectional flow of information from e-tutor to student, however, the feedback mechanisms ecology highlights the significance of establishing links between students and lecturers, as well as students and institutions. This study examines the various types of feedback, their efficacy, and the preferences of students in the context of Open Distance eLearning (ODeL). The study explores the feedback preferences of Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) students in South Africa using a quantitative research methodology. The study included 3842 participants who responded to an online survey. The findings indicate that proactive and prompt feedback significantly enhances student learning, emphasising the need for constructive comments within the ODeL framework. The study also identifies specific feedback forms requested by students to improve their educational experience. The findings suggest that effective feedback mechanisms are crucial in ODeL environments, providing actionable insights for educators to optimise their feedback strategies.
Résumé : Historiquement, le feedback est perçu comme un flux unidirectionnel d’information de l’e-tuteur à l’étudiant, cependant, l’écologie des mécanismes de feedback souligne l’importance d’établir des liens entre les étudiants et les professeurs, ainsi que les étudiants et les institutions. Cette étude examine les différents types de feedback, leur efficacité et les préférences des étudiants dans le contexte de l’e-learning ouvert et à distance (EOD) L’étude explore les préférences de feedback des étudiants en e-learning ouvert et à distance ouvert (EOD) en Afrique du Sud en utilisant une méthodologie de recherche quantitative. L’étude a inclus 3842 participants qui ont répondu à un sondage en ligne. Les résultats indiquent que le feedback proactif et rapide améliore considérablement l’apprentissage des étudiants, soulignant le besoin de feedback constructifs dans le cadre de l’EOD. L’étude identifie également des formulaires de feedback spécifiques demandés par les étudiants pour améliorer leur expérience éducative. Les résultats suggèrent que des mécanismes de feedback efficaces sont essentiels dans les environnements de l’EOD, fournissant des informations exploitables aux éducateurs pour optimiser leurs stratégies de feedback.
Mots-clés : Feedback des étudiants, eLearning ouvert et à distance ouvert, soutien au feedback, Afrique du Sud, préférence pour le feedback.
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