Students’ opinions on the importance of written assignments in distance education
Abstract
In the course of this paper, we examined students' opinions on the importance of written assignments in distance education and their contribution to the development of autonomous learning through the cultivation of metacognitive thinking and self-regulation. In order to achieve this purpose, research questions were raised about the educational benefits of the written assignments and the role of the Professor-Consultant and the trainees during the preparation of the written works. The research was quantitative and was conducted with students of Postgraduate (Ms or Md) Studies Programs "Education Sciences" and "Education Sciences: Special Education and Training of People with Problems of Oral and Written Speech" of the Hellenic Open University. Specifically, a questionnaire was prepared for the survey completed by 56 students (convenient sampling) electronically. According to the results of the survey, students recognize the educational benefits of written assignments and they are largely satisfied with both the Professor-Consultant and their own self. However, they consider that the written assignments in the EAP are a necessary prerequisite for the participation in the final exams, which leads them to a compulsory formal procedure, making it difficult for the students to communicate with the Professor-Consultant and thus detracting from their educational role.
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