Korina* works part-time in a nursery. According to the learning network table she completed, the only person she discusses her studies with is her own tutor, whom she contacts often. She completed a diary and was interviewed about the second tutorial in the module. Here are her thoughts about them in her own words.
* Korina chose her own pseudonym.
Well, this tutorial was about my first assignment regarding how we could structure essays and it just gave us support on how assignments should be laid out. It did actually focus on the assignment question, which was helpful, and it made me look back on my assignment thinking ‘Oh, have I done that bit’? It refreshed my knowledge on it. This is my next level as well, so obviously, I’d like to step up a bit higher in my grades and do my best.
We got involved as well, the students, if we had any opinions, if we had any questions regarding the assignment, which was helpful. So it was nice to get the feedback from other students and the good thing is about it, the tutor was explaining it in a way which I tried to understand cos sometimes, it’s different aspects, how tutors explain things, isn’t it? [laughter] I mean all tutors may be different how they explain things. So, it was me trying to understand everything in my own ways.
I personally found it really good because you get to know from the other students, their feedback and you can work along with the other students. It’s nice. I love to find opinions of the other students and making sure they’re all right as well. It’s like on the forum as well, I make sure that all the other students are all good… It’s my personality. I’ve always loved to communicate and help other people out. I’ve always tried my best to.
The good thing was that the tutor did email the slides. So, we could email that tutor, the one that was doing the tutorial, if we had any questions. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Have you got any questions left?’, but sometimes, on the hotspot, you may not, so it’s good that you can actually speak back to your tutor. There was just the one tutor doing the tutorial and it was a different tutor from the one for my tutor group.
Some students did use the microphone to talk. I think there was only one student. I like to type [laughter] to tell you the truth. Cos I find it easier that way. It’s depending on the area where you are doing the tutorial as well cos if you’ve got family members, they do let you know that… [slight laughter]. You may have children and it’s sometimes the background noises… You don’t want that as well.
We had like a sort of a poll of questions and everyone had to give their feedback, yes or no, ‘What would you…?’, ‘How would you feel…?’, your sort of personal… Basically, it was more of what we thought, so we gave our opinions of what we thought of health personally ourselves. So, the tutor let us explain it. We actually typed in our own words. It was good to see all different students’ views, as well, cos again we all had different views about well-being. It wasn’t like questions, but it was just like what we thought of it, our ideas, views about it, so yeah.
I was feeling good because I was sort of structured in it and I was doing it at my own pace in my bedroom. I didn’t have no disturbance, you know what I mean? Cos obviously, [slight laugh] I didn’t do it in front of the TV or something where you can easily distract yourself and I was just personally myself in my own bedroom, quiet, which does help as well.
What made me feel good was the structure of it, the way it was presented, the different parts of the tutorial. It just broke it down to help out about assignments and my first assignment. I felt good generally. To me, it was structured in a way which I could understand, personally, in my own way. All tutors are all different really and they do it in their own different ways. Like my own tutor would be different, the way how they explain to me and it’s been really good with my tutor, who is very understanding. I can rely on them, you know, if I need any support or regarding about the assignment and if I need to speak to them with any concerns, I can just email them, and they’ll call me. So, I find that important, cos obviously, they’re the main one. They’re going to mark my assignment and they’re my main tutor.
This was my first tutorial I had attended for this module. I did give my viewpoints about how you would give support to children in their well-being. The working with different students, getting their views, it’s nice to be part of it, even if they’re not my students in my group. Obviously, this is a distance learning university, so it’s not as though we go to uni and have the lectures and that [slight laughter] so we don’t meet other students in that way, do we? I wouldn’t say there’s no barriers where I felt like, ‘Oh God, I don’t feel part of it’. It was so nicely done.
I like doing more of the practical side of it, to tell you the truth. I’m more of a practical girl, ideas and stuff like that. I like to give my views verbally, like I’m speaking to you now. Don’t get me wrong, I can speak, I mean write, my views down, like I was on the tutorial, but… I couldn’t… Personally, I would like it more practical sort of style, which is getting more of the students’ views, cos sometimes, it can feel like too much writing, too much knowledge in one and a half hours. It can be a bit daunting to have all that information into you straightaway.
No, there weren’t any videos. There were more like the written side of it, as I can remember. I would enjoy something more the picture side of it. I’m not saying they don’t have it, but some more images may help cos of me being visual and more practical. I’m quite happy, the way they are set out. I’m just only saying I’d like a bit more of the practical side of it, I mean the visual side of it. They already do it but yeah, besides that, I’m quite happy with all the tutorials what I’ve been through, personally, myself.