If busy, don't read this. But if you're busy, why are you in the cafe?

19 Oct 2008, 14:57

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From: Jose Martel Penate 19 October 2008 14:42:38
Subject: If busy, don't read this. But if you're busy, why are you in the cafe?
To: H808 08I Cafe

Some unpolished reflections

Some of the altercations/troubles/run ins that I have experienced on the forums could be attributed to my lack of a professional attitude. Though some people might say it boils down to a lack of consideration of other people's time. I sometimes favour a relaxed getting-to-know-people attitude, but others on the forums prefer to just get on with their lives, and don't want to have to waste time reading stuff they don't need to know.

When I first started H808 - seems like a very long time ago, but only about 5 weeks - I was expecting (at least hoping) for there to be lively debate and a strong sense of community. Today, I simply doggedly carry on with that ideal, but without the expectation. I've accepted that most students on H808 don't have time for "chitchat" and don't seem amused by my attempts at lightheartedness. In fact, I think that most of the 67 students that are enrolled on the course don't even log onto the forums at all! (And OU, is that really 67?? Are you sure you didn't mean to say 6 or 7?!)

I see the same few names again and again. And when the names do change it's only to say that they're too busy to participate any further. Surely this must happen with every presentation of this and other intensive course geared toward professionals. Why don't the OU build in a greater element of collaboration? Maybe the OU knows that more pressure to collaborate would simply result in fewer people enrolling on the course. People are busy, they have just enough time to study and prepare a paper or two, and that's it. Optional collaboration, though it has many educational benefits just isn't going to be achieved or even attempted by most people. Those who lose out are not those that choose not to collaborate, it's the ones who want to build a lively community and can't.

Another issue is that of the range of personalities, backgrounds, intelligences, even time zones. People who are very different quite simply don't want to bother getting to know each other. But are they confusing the issue of getting to know each other with that of academic debate? Still, I get the distinct impression that professionals on this course don't want to mix with the less professional. Maybe it's because the professionals can't think down to my level and I can't operate on theirs.

Jose