“Digitize Me”: Generating E-Learning Profiles for Media and Communication Students in a Jamaican Tertiary-Level Institution

Michelle A. Stewart-McKoy, University of Technology, Jamaica

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to develop an e-learning profile for a group of media and communication students enrolled in a Jamaican tertiary-level institution in order to make informed decisions most the appropriate [online] learning complement for these students. The objectives sought to determine the e-learning profile of media and communication students but more specifically, the profile examined students’ demographic data, their technology access, usage, proficiency and comfort levels as well as their learning styles, preferences, behaviours, strategies and their preferences for specific teaching styles. The research utilised a survey research design and the participants involved in the research were ninety-eight students from all year groups in the programme. Findings reveal that the “typical” media and communication student is a young Jamaican adult with limited technology access, usage and proficiency, who stays connected with others largely by phone texts, phone calls, emails, instant messages and posts via the Facebook social network, who has a visual-learning orientation, is a sequential learner who is extrinsically motivated and who readily employs surface learning strategies.

Keywords:

E-Learning Profiles, Media and Communication, Online Learning, Typical Student, Jamaican Tertiary Learner