Managing learner's expectations

Abstract

What do learners expect?B Being taught something new by someone who is presented as an expert speaker in that area. This usually results in disappointment at the subsequent realization that whilst the speaker was both witty and wise, there are no practical steps which can be realistically implemented.B Being given magic answers to complex and difficult situations. This is another potential area of disappointment when the realization comes that the solution is usually common sense, it is the implementation of the solution which is the difficult part.B The ''tutor'' being the source of learning rather than the group itself, a common negative comment on evaluation reports will be a report that ''I learnt more from the others in the group than anything the course itself.'' How can we influence expectations in advance?B Provide clear and unambiguous titles for programs. Titles like ''Customer service survival'', ''Developing you, developing your business'' and ''Self discipline and emotional control'' may sound sexy and enticing and therefore sell places on the program but their meaning is unclear and makes it hard for the learner to self select.

Adolescent Non-Arab Muslims Learning Arabic in Australian Islamic Schools: Expectations, Experiences, and Implications

“…This finding echoes Rosowsky's (2008) observation "that liturgical literacy, on its own, will not fulfil the needs of the new generations of Muslim youth" (p. 221), in EDMM contexts. When learners' expectations are not understood or managed, they can become barriers to learning (Bell 2005). This literacy gap can become a barrier because it creates dissonance.…”