Artefact #1: The Critical Review

MDDE 601 was not my first course in the program, but it clearly laid out the expectations of a graduate student in this program.  I honestly waltzed into this course expecting a cakewalk after my successes in the previous course.  How wrong I was!  This artefact represents my struggle to gain footing as a contributing member of the M.Ed. (DE) program and humbly realize that my approach to learning required some re-evaluation and growth if I was to continue in my studies.

I chose to review Rovai’s article because I was genuinely curious about how the support of relative strangers could possibly influence persistence in distance education programs.  I was still operating with the under-developed assumption that I did not need a community of learners to achieve my goals in the program.  Not only was the article helpful to me personally by changing my own attitudes towards distance learning, but it helped me overcome my insecurities of composing a graduate-level paper.

Learning 1: Improved Methods in Assembling an Academic Paper
While starting this paper, I struggled to find a footing.  Assembling an academic paper felt so foreign and uncomfortable to me.  I soon came the realization that writing is somewhat of an iterative process (1.2).  At times, writing the draft would show a need for further research to support ideas (5.3), or the research would show that my original idea needed refining (1.5).    I became more at ease with the idea that the writing process is not linear, and that it is normal and expected to continually critique and revise my work through this process (1.7).  My efficiency had not gained much traction at this point, but my writing process was becoming better organized.  Undertaking the critique also allowed me to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the papers I wrote in my previous course, and how I could improve my arguments in future assignments.  My assembled paper, as noted by my instructor, was a solid example of a simple critical review (4.1).

Feedback from my MDDE 601 Instructor (Used with Permission).

 Learning 2: Improved Research Skills  
Properly using the library and searching for articles through IIRODL and other online journals was relatively new to me, but I jumped in and found the articles I needed to support my critique (1.4).  I started to leverage the affordances of technology and began bookmarking journals in my browser, taking notes online, and becoming closely acquainted with my APA 6 textbook for references and citations (5.10).  I was beginning to act the part of a graduate student, even though I still felt like I was fumbling around in the dark. 

Learning 3: Gained New Perspective on the Influences of a Community of Learners
At that point in my program, I had not yet found the value of sharing learning strategies openly in the discussion forum and I felt little connection to my fellow students.  Because of my feelings of disconnect, I did not feel comfortable reaching out to other students for support and continued to feel unsure of my skills to put together the components of this assignment.  I struggled instead to learn by doing: researching and writing, undoing and then writing again until I was satisfied I had composed a coherent paper for my professor to review.

The irony of choosing to critique an article examining the community aspect of distance learning and its effect on persistence in learners is not lost on me.  This paper, along with my subsequent forum posts, helped me realize what graduate-level learning communities were all about.  Rovai described this sense of community as a key factor in the persistence of distance education students. 

While I was writing my assignment, I was also interacting with fellow students in forum posts (3.1), slowing gaining my voice and confidence expressing myself online.  Though the “interaction” piece was there, I still had a long way to go in terms of spirit and trust (Rovai, 2002) to develop a genuine connection with my peers.  My previous formal education experience at the University of Alberta was more “sage-on-the-stage,” than the constructivism modelled at Athabasca University.  My undergraduate degree programs often felt like a competitive learning environment, with little collaboration and sharing. 

Through my research for this assignment, I gained further insight regarding the purpose of building a strong community of learners in my courses. As noted by my MDDE 601 professor, I am in charge of developing my own meaning, but sharing experiences with other learners helped me feel a greater sense of commitment to my learning and the program in general.