Unit 1: What type of research findings have been important to the development of learner support systems? Give examples.

     Generally, institutions are much quicker at preparing online lessons and overall curriculum than equally accessible online learner support services. However, lately, the progress in learner support both online and on-campus has been significant:
     In 1989 Holmberg offered the concept of guided didactic conversation which allowed the student to be independent but guided by study materials and instructors. Sewarts (1993) also offered a concept of continuity of concern, when the same tutor-councilor addressed both non-academic and academic concerns of a student through the entire term of a student studies. This model was mainly supported at the Open University, United Kingdom (OUUK) (Brindley, 2014).
     However, in North America administrative form of support was separated from academic and was carried out by separate staff (Brindley, 2014).
     In 1978, Vygotsky came up with the theory of shared discourse that shifted mostly towards the learner and him taking control over his own studies. An example given by Brindley is distance education library services that provided not just access to resources but to teaching information literacy as well. Towards the same concept opted Moore and Kearsley (2012) recognizing that learners can take control of their own studies depending on their readiness to be autonomous – the theory of transactional distance. Web-based technologies provided bases for more interaction among students and with the instructor (Brindley, 2014).
     The cultural diversity of students presented some challenges for learner’s support systems development as well. However, Brindley (1987) discovered that the students who persisted in their online studies had the same personal or geographical challenges as the ones who dropped out. Therefore, cultural heterogeneity of students did not prove to be a major problem for learners and their persistence continuity (Brindley, 2014).
     Student satisfaction surveys and need assessment played a significant role in learners’ support practices. For example, in a survey at the New York Institute of Technology, the online students expressed a desire for additional services such as clubs, newspapers, online tutoring, etc., which often leads to appearing of new additional learners’ support services and counselings (Brindley, 2014).
     Tait (2004) also wrote an article on how to improve learner’s support through cognitive, effective, and systemic domains – all three included learner characteristics based on geography, scale, management system, and technological infrastructure (Brindley, 214).
     Simpson, on the other hand, also proposed a new theory, Proactive Motivational Support (PAMs), that relies heavily on proactive interaction with learners in order to identify their strengths to learning. Later on, Boyle, Kwon, Ross, and Simpson (2010) studied peer-to-peer mentoring support which resulted in higher persistence of students choosing online studies. Peer-to-peer support is also critical for students choosing MOOC.  Peers help online students to deepen their learning experience (Brindley, 2014).
     No research says that only one specific study led to the development of online support systems. It is one of those fields that continues to progress and widen every day, and it will continue to encounter future challenges as online community grows and develops. However, support systems are definitely becoming more proactive and affective (Brindley, 2014)
 References
Brindley, J. (2014). Learner support in online distance education: Essential and evolving. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda (pp. 287-310).  Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120233/ebook/11_Zawacki-Richter_Anderson_2014-Online_Distance_Education.pdf