If the chart is hard to read, please simply click the chart itself or click the link below:
Ideal Learning Context
Based on Elizabeth’s learning goal of obtaining a Master of Science in Nursing, and due to her work and time constraints, her ideal learning context is a professional online/distributed learning environment.
This ideal online/distributed learning environment should:
- Ensure the normal operation of hardware and software
- Have flexible learning time
- Can arouse the student’ interest in learning
- Fully prepare teaching & learning materials
- Have non-boring learning content
- Ensure the professionalism of learning concepts
- Establish a community for students to discuss with each other
- Ensure that the learning content is relevant challenging
- Can guide students to think deeply
- Encourage communication and interaction between professors and students
Barriers to Safe, Flexible, and Supportive Learning Experiences and Environment
The biggest obstacle and challenge that prevents Elizabeth from achieving this learning environment is her time and energy. She has a full-time job as a nurse and requires her to go to the clinic on weekdays, and sometimes too many patients will increase her work time. After getting off work, Elizabeth needs to go to school to pick her two daughters up and come back home, and then she needs to prepare dinner for the whole family and carry out some daily shopping and cleaning activities. After completing a series of things, only a few hours in the evening are left for her to study this online program, but at this time she probably does not have enough motivation and energy to complete her daily learning goals. Moreover, this is an online program with an estimated time of 18 months, which makes it difficult for Elizabeth to persist in balancing work and family while completing this long-term learning task.
Equity, Social Justice or Cultural Considerations of Safe, Flexible, and Supportive Learning Experiences and Environment
For Elizabeth, an equity factor hindering her from obtaining a safe, flexible, and supportive learning environment is the uneven distribution of family labor between her and her husband. Indeed, compared to her husband’s work, her job is not so heavy and stressful, but her off-work time is more dedicated to the family. What her husband does when he gets home from work is reading newspapers or TV and reading documents related to his work. Moreover, her husband seldom takes care of the daily life and study of their two daughters, and never voluntarily undertakes housework. This situation makes it difficult for Elizabeth to have enough time to complete her learning tasks. However, we believe that if Elizabeth can communicate and discuss the distribution of family labor with her husband, she can perfectly achieve her learning goals with the support of her family.
