E-supervision Using Blog: The Graduate Students’ Reactions

The main purpose of this study is to investigate graduate students’ feedback in using on-line supervision (E-supervision using blogs) in a research methodology course. The teaching methods used in the course were conventional, mainly utilizing “Face to Face”(F2F) mode which has its limitations in terms of space and time. One of the ‘complaints’ about the course is that the lecturers were too busy with their consultation work within and outside the main campus and the lack of time for ‘face to face’ consultations with students. Another problem is the difficulty of the students, especially those registered as part-timers and staying outside of Kuala Lumpur to meet their instructors regularly for consultations especially during the weekdays because of their work commitment. With the introduction of E-supervision using blogs, the problem of students unable to meet their instructors may be a thing of the past. E-learning via CMC is a concept where students no longer need to go through the physical process to communicate and interact with their instructors. What is required is just a computer or a tablet and an internet access. E-supervision could provide a more flexible method of learning for students especially for graduate students. With the availability of the on-line supervision, the difficulty that students face in meeting with their instructors would become a thing of the past. The graduate students were generally positive about the use of online supervision.