Is Online Learning Right For You?

Is Online Learning Right for You?

a 3040 and Beyond presentation

If you’ve just signed up for an online class for the first time, you might be wondering what you’re getting yourself into.

That’s a good instinct. There are some challenges associated with online learning.

Luckily, there are also lots of benefits.

Part of being successful at online learning is knowing yourself well to begin with and understanding how potential challenges may affect you.

Potential ChallengesandMisconceptions

• Minimal interaction• Self-discipline• Low engagement with

instructor• Styles of learning

Minimal InteractionLots of times, people are worried that without a physical class to go to they might not have enough interaction with classmates and the instructor to really connect to the class.

In 3040 and Beyond, we’ll have lots of opportunities to connect. All our social media will keep us in touch with one another on an almost daily basis.

Your potential challenge: keeping up with social media, emails, D2l, etc.

Self-discipline

Without face-to-face interactions, students often worry that they’ll forget what to do for class and miss deadlines.

3040 and Beyond is set up with lots of built in reminders. From our D2L calendar to the reminders that will come through on social media, you’ll have plenty of flags waving at you, reminding you things are due.

Your challenge: paying attention to those reminders and setting aside time for “class” each day. It will help to map out the semester early on.

Combine all of your schedules, from your on-campus classes to your job and activities with our deadlines. That way you’ll be able to easily see where there are potential conflicts.

Low Engagement With Instructor

One of the biggest concerns students who are considering online learning have is about low engagement with their instructor. There are lots of horror stories out there about absentee instructors who set students loose on D2l with minimal interaction and don’t respond to calls for help.

By the end of this semester you will probably be sick of hearing from me. I’m a worrier and if I see you’re falling behind I will bother you to no end until we solve things. During the week, I get back to students with 24 hours.

Your challenge: engaging back. You have to make a commitment to responding to me and your classmates.

Styles of Learning

This is a tricky one to figure out. Sometimes students aren’t sure what their “style of learning” really is, so they’re not sure if online learning will jive with their “style.”

While I try to deliver several different ways to understand each assignment, there are some challenges I can’t eliminate with online learning. There’s a lot of reading involved and being able to follow directions is imperative to success.

Your challenge: You have to know yourself well enough to say if these challenges are going to get in your way. If you already know that reading comprehension and following directions are really hard for you, you have to either make a commitment to improve or consider other options.

Here are some “gut check” questions to help you decide if you can overcome these challenges…

How are your reading comprehension skills? Are you the kind of person who reads and understands things easily the first time around?

If not:

Are you willing to spend time reading and re-reading assignment prompts, directions, social media, workshop materials, and pretty much everything associated with this class?

Is following directions carefully something you can commit to for the entire semester?

One of the biggest reasons people fail this class is because they struggle reading and following directions. A surprising amount of people do not read the assignment prompts carefully or sometimes at all!

If this is something you know you have difficulty with, you may want to consider your enrollment in this course.

Are you ready to let me and 18 other new people into your daily life via social media?

Are you ready to interact with all of us regularly?

I know this can be a little scary, but the people who do the best in my courses are ones who open up and interact a lot on Facebook and our other collaborative platforms.

Sometimes all the extra reading, social media, group work and extra self-discipline that online learning requires can be really draining.

I guarantee that you will spend at least 1-2 weeks feeling really overwhelmed.

Are you willing to accept the fact that at some point you may feel a bit burnt out?

Now, let’s address the one big (potential) misconception that could affect your success in an online course:

Are you hoping that online learning is going to save you time?

Online learning is not going to save you any time.

In fact, depending on how well you follow directions and how great your reading comprehension is, it might take more time than a face-to-face class.

Online learning will save you the inconvenience of having to go to a physical classroom.

And you can do everything for this class in your pajamas if you want. I do.

If this has been a little depressing so far, fret not!

There’s tons of really awesome stuff about online learning!

Your reading comprehension and writing skills are going to improve just by “going” to class.

The mere act of completing tasks for our course will strengthen your reading and writing abilities, since regular practice is what it takes to improve!

It only adds to the effect that this class is actually about writing!

You have the opportunity to connect with new people in a unique way.

After an online class, you’ll be a master at working in teams and managing group projects.

Working with groups in face-to-face scenarios will be a breeze!

Though 3040 and Beyond is not a self-paced class and you will have deadlines, you have the freedom to work when and where you choose.

Online learning empowers students to depend on themselves. It encourages curiosity and independence. Without a physical classroom, online students master communications skills that are vital in today’s professional world.

Online learning may not be right for everyone, but those looking to harness the power of written communication will find no better place to do so than an online classroom.

The best part of an online class like ours is the people. Join us for a great semester!

The end.

All images were obtained from:

http://www.morguefile.com/

All text was written for you personally by your instructor,

Allison Carr Waechter