The job of an Open Colleges Learning Support Officer is to make sure students have the support that they need to get through their studies.
We spoke to the team to give you a better idea of what they can do for you.
What Learning Support can do for you?
When you study online, you never study alone. You may have heard this before, but what does it actually mean? Simply put, it means that you can access help if you need it, you are never left to your own devices when it comes to questions, advice and assistance. One of the ways this help is available to you is from a Learning Support Officer.
Student On boarding Shared Services
- Orientation webinar: (run by an Online Community Support Officer
- Navigation around the home page
- Where to find the course overview, additional and learning resources
- Work placement information (if applicable)
- How to navigate the modules
- Where to find your assessments (quizzes and written assessments)
- How to contact your trainers and support staff (Student Support, Learning Support and Live Chat)
- Where to access support materials
- One on One appointments: (run by an Online Community Support Officer)
- General Open Space navigation help
- Time management and study tips
- Academic referencing and writing
- Understanding assessment requirements
- Computer Literacy
- Tutorial Webinars (run by an Online Community Support Officer)
- Time management & Study Skills – This tutorial is an interactive session designed to help you learn how to set up a study plan that works for you and manage your time to get the most out of your studies.
- Academic referencing – This session is designed to teach you how to reference your course materials and other sources in your assessments.
- Academic writing techniques
Who is a Learning Support Officer?
Open Colleges Learning Support team are made up of former teachers, trainers and academics. They are passionate about helping students to achieve, and in particular, to access the tools that will help them to get the most out of their studies.
Experienced in helping struggling students, they spend their days chatting to learners and assisting them to get back on track. They also offer advice to students who have questions, trouble navigating OpenSpace and who may just need a bit of encouragement.
How do students contact Learning Support?
Learning support sessions are generally conducted over the phone, however, some sessions can be done in a webinar. Usually calls to Learning support last around 30 minutes, but if a student needs longer, then learning support officers will schedule a call for as long as is needed. Often a Learning Support Officer will have a continuing relationship with the student until they have achieved what they set out to achieve.
What help can Learning Support Officers give students?
The first time students come into contact with a Learning Support Officer is when they participate in an orientation session. This orientation session happens on the phone, with the student guided step-by-step through the OpenSpace platform, much like you would take a tour of a student campus on the first day of class. During this session, students learn out how to find their study material, how to contact their trainer and how to access their assessments. To get their study ball rolling, during orientation, students also get some help with getting started on their first assignment.
After orientation, students are able to call a Learning Support Officer at any time for help on how to manage their time to fit study into their life, as well as how to create a study plan that will work well for them in their particular circumstances. Learning Support Officers also provide advice on academic referencing, and on how to improve language, literacy and numeracy skills.
How many times can students contact Learning Support?
As many times as they want. After students have had their phone appointment, they will also usually get a follow-up call from their Learning Support Officer to check on their progress.
