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On-line Learning Sets

Note: During 2006, in Research learning Circles we integrate off-campus and on-campus students into the same meeting which is conducted both face-to-face and on-line using MS SharePoint technology.

Ian Hughes, 2000

An on-line learning set conducts meetings by e-mail, instead of holding face-to-face meetings. Each on-line learning set has a dedicated e-mail discussion list. The members of the discussion list are the members of the learning set, the set Adviser, and the Facilitated Learning Coordinator. Academic staff teaching Units of Study being taken by members of the Learning Set may join at their discretion. The e-mail list is used to continue Learning Set interaction between face-to-face meetings, and for general communication among members. The tone of the e-mail list is friendly and informal.

These notes outline a procedure for management of an on-line learning set conducted by e-mail.

Preparation

  1. Set up an e-mail discussion list (using list server or similar software).
  2. Subscribe the learning set members and facilitator/adviser to the list.
  3. Welcome members to the learning set, and explain the process.

Cycle

Assuming that the learning set will meet monthly on-line, without formal face-to-face meetings, the cycle to be followed in each month is described below. The cycle should be adapted for the first meeting. Instead of the Reminder and Reflection, invite participants to introduce themselves, share what brought them to the on-line learning set, and a little of their background. In the last meeting, ask participants to reflect on their participation in the learning set as a whole, invite people to comment on where they go from here, and leave time for goodbyes. Leave the list open for final comments for a period after the last meeting.

Standard Agenda

  1. Opening: Greetings, What’s on Top.
  2. Reminder: What I planned to do in the last meeting
  3. Reflection: What I actually did about the plan I made at last meeting. The effects (successful, unsuccessful and other) of what I actually did.
  4. Feedback: In an alphabetical round-robin, each member acts as an attentive and critical friend to another.
  5. Plan:  What I plan to do before the next meeting.
  6. Special Item (if any).

Opening the Meeting

In the First Post of the meeting, the Learning Set Facilitator sends e-mail to the Learning Set Discussion List with the following content

  1. Greeting: What’s on Top; Brief news or reminders, if any. (Longer news items and notices are best sent as separate e-mail messages).
  2. Agenda (standard agenda, edited for this month).
  3. What the discussion item is, with arrangements for access to resources if required.
  4. Encouragement to participate, Reminder about time frame for meeting.

Reminder & Reflection

In the Second Post of the meeting each member sends e-mail to the Learning Set Discussion List with the following content

  1. Greetings, What’s on Top.
  2. Reminder: What I planned to do (snipped from the last meeting).
  3. Reflection:
    1. What I actually did about the plan I made at last meeting.
    2. The effects (successful, unsuccessful and other) of what I actually did.
    3. How I feel about this.

Feedback

In the Third Post of the meeting each member sends e-mail to the Learning Set Discussion List in an alphabetical round robin. Each member acts as an attentive and critical friend to another, with

  1. Attentive reading. Read what is on the lines, and what is between the lines. Pay attention to what the person is saying, and what is not said.
  2. Ask questions to help your colleague clarify what is not clear; bring assumptions to the surface; consider other factors in the situation. Do this as a service to your colleague, not to satisfy your curiosity.
  3. Give feedback, paraphrasing what you read the main message. The form could be ‘I read what you sent. Are you saying…?’ or ‘Do you mean…?’ Don’t tell the other person what they should have said, but check out your interpretations and impressions by asking questions, as a service to your colleague.

Plan

In the Fourth Post of the meeting each member sends e-mail to the Learning Set Discussion List with the following content

1.   Acknowledgement: Having reflected on feedback, thank your colleague. Accept that the feedback is provided with helpful intention (though it is always your decision whether it is relevant, or whether to act on it). It is not necessary to engage in discussion of feedback provided, though you may sometimes wish to make a specific response.

2.   Plan:  What I plan to do before the next meeting.

Special Agenda Item

From tie to time the Learning Set may agree to a special agenda item. This may be a request from a member for special attention to a learning problem or issue, help with solving a specific problem, or input around a learning resource or strategy. These are scheduled after the Fourth Post of the meeting and before the First Post of the next meeting. The Learning Set Adviser, or the Learning Set as a whole, decides on the format.

Agenda Setting and Informal Discussion

Provided the tone of discussion remains friendly and courteous, the Learning Set e-mail list may be used for discussion to set agenda items, to continue discussion informally outside the structured set meetings, to exchange learning tips or useful information, and for informal friendly chat. It is helpful if this discussion is confined, in the main, to periods between structured learning set meetings.

Explanation of terms:

What’s on Top:
A short voluntary statement of what is in the forefront of my mind at this time. Expressing this helps to deal with matter that is not the business of the learning set, but may impinge on it. Set members attend to ‘What’s on Top’, treat this with respect and normal confidentiality, and do not respond to it. ‘What’s on Top’ should not become a conversation.
Round Robin:
In a four person alphabetical round-robin, Abdul gives feedback to Betty, who gives feedback to Chan, who gives feedback to Zarina, who gives feedback to Abdul.