You Are Studying Online…Now What?
By Janet Salmons, PhD
When you log into your class, you might encounter an e-learning course that was carefully designed to be offered online. It is offered through a sophisticated Learning Management System (LMS). The readings are linked to your institution’s digital library, the expectations and assessments are clearly spelled out. Your professor or tutor is prepared to teach online; they are responsive, engaged, and communicative. If you need help, student services, librarians, and counselors are available to remote students who are in multiple time zones.
Or, you could log into a class that has been shifted online from a brick-and-mortar setting. The professor is accustomed to teaching face-to-face, staff in the library and other services are not accustomed to serving students at a distance. You find that activities take place on multiple sites and platforms.
In either case you will discover the benefits and challenges of online learning:
Benefits
Flexible scheduling
Learning can occur anywhere
Adaptable to different learning styles
Open communication with professor and fellow students using familiar technologies
Up-to-date electronic readings and media
Skills-building for online collaboration useful in future professional life
Challenges
You need to manage your time
You need a place conducive to focused study
You need to be aware of your preferences
You need access to broadband, and access to a computer
You need digital literacy and library skills
You need to be able to communicate electronically and develop agreements to complete team projects
As you can see, the same factors can be both beneficial and challenging! What they mean for you will depend on how you approach them. As an online student it is your responsibility to navigate the online course and succeed. You are the one to determine how, given the set-up of the class, you will learn the material and acquire new knowledge and skills. As part of that process, you will need to manage your time and assignments, and understand how your work will be evaluated. You need to know yourself, and your own learning style. What parts of the learning process come easy for you, and what are the challenges you face? You need to be cognizant of your own shortcomings—do you typically skip over the syllabus or leave assignments until the last minute? This kind of self-awareness is essential when you are trying to adapt to an online course. In addition to reflecting on your own perspectives as a learner, it is important to understand your professor’s expectations about what participation is involved, when assignments are due, and how your work will be assessed.
You might ask: how can I make online learning work for me? It might seem like a big transition, if you are accustomed to classroom in a physical space, with your professors or tutors available to answer questions and students there to share ideas or commiserations. Your Super Quick Guide to Learning Online will help you make the leap. It offers a step-by-step explanation, with practical exercises that help you develop the skills you need to succeed.
For more advice and guidance, check out my Top 10 tips for learning online.
Book details
Your Super Quick Guide to Learning Online
Janet E. Salmons
December 2020
ISBN: 9781529754391
About the author
