Summary
Introduction
The focus in this chapter is on the learning sources available within a distance language course. It follows two avenues of enquiry. I begin with the more traditional notion of course content, which is linked to course design and course delivery. As part of this I focus on how content has been conceptualised in distance learning and teaching, and consider some of the mechanisms and stages in course production, and the role of course production teams, which are a distinctive feature of distance education. This has been an influential approach in distance education and reflects a concern with how content can best be developed, constructed and delivered to learners to provide optimal learning experiences. The emphasis is generally on the development of predetermined, prepackaged content.
The second half of the chapter moves away from the idea of static content to consider the role of fluid course elements – such as CMC discussions – as important learning sources within a course. This is also congruent with a move away from a linear course model towards using multiple sources for learning. The idea of learning sources reflects a view of course content from the perspective of the learners rather than the course designer or the teacher. As part of this I draw a key distinction between potential texts and actual texts, in relation to the multiple learning sources that are available to learners. An extension of this approach is a view of each distance language learner as a course producer who actively selects and constructs content from a range of sources.
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- Information
- Language Learning in Distance Education , pp. 194 - 213Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003