Is Online Learning Right For You?
Online courses require you to be responsible for your own learning.
Teachers use the terms pedagogy and andragogy quite often when discussing instruction design. In pedagogy learning is teacher focused, in other words the teacher decides what will be taught and what will be learned. Andragogy on the other hand can be defined as, “the art and science of helping adults learn” There are four principals of adult learning;
- Planning and evaluation is a crucial part of adult instruction.
- Past experiences, both failures and successes provide the basis for learning activities.
- Subjects that have immediate relevance to occupations are more interesting for an adult learner.
- Adult learning is problem-based, rather than content-oriented. In adult learning situations, more emphasis is placed on process, and less on content.
Many online courses place the responsibility of learning with the student. The student becomes a stakeholder in the online experience. If you are still interested, read on.
Personally, I believe it is far superior to let students find their own approach. Facilitators can serve as experts in subject matter, but they can’t pour the knowledge in, so to speak. The individual becomes responsible for their own direction. Hopefully, everyone makes it safely to their goal. Occasionally, someone gets lost. But in almost all cases, everyone learns, and I think that is important. Remember with adult learning, the process is learning.
Most all of us has shown up to a traditional class less than prepared. We choose a seat in the back of the room, hoping the teacher is too busy to call on us. Often times a learner can squeak by in a traditional class; however, online learner mandates active participation. Adult students learn best from each other, the teacher's role is more of a facilitator. You must be an active learner and participate in group discussions!
Don't be mislead, you will spend more time studying and completing assignments in the online environment that you will in an on-campus course. The online learning environment is almost entirely text-based. To communicate with your instructor and other students, you must type messages, post responses and submit papers. It takes longer to type your thoughts and responses than it does to speak them. This does have an advantage over a traditional classroom. No matter how focused you are in class, often times we miss key points of a lecture; however, in an online environment it is quite the opposite. This is a dream come true for a "visual learner", but it can be an absolute nightmare for an "auditory learner". I can't emphasize enough how important it is for you to discover what learning style you operate in. Please take the short self-administered assessment to discover your learning style. If you discover you are a strong auditory learner don't despair, thanks to technology we know have a text-to-speech program that will help you attain your success.
An online-based course demands that you develop personal time-management skills. Online courses require the self-discipline to set aside periods of your time to complete your studies. It means you have to make online studying a priority and not let other activities interfere. Sometimes, it means making difficult choices. Please don't be offended on what I am about to say. Many students who have reached adulthood has not needed to develop time-management skills. Possibly most of your life someone has told you when to get up, when to go to bed, and when to go to school. With online learning this will not happen. You may have already drown in your course-work before you realize it. Please don't view this as a negative! Seize the moment, let the online course assist you in maturing. Remember, the process is learning in adult education. It might be possible that your first course online taught you a very valuable lesson, time-management.
Maybe it would have been better stated if I would have said, "Online courses teaches you to be more independent". Again, the responsibility demon raises his head again! The same side of independence is responsibility. If a free independent society lacks responsibility, it won't be free for long!
Do you see a pattern developing here? Every statement this far could be interpreted as a positive or negative for online learning. Each of the main points thus far requires individual responsibility to be successful. Online learning does make it easier to put off that assignment until the last minute. Don't fall into this trap! Let the process of online learning mold and shape you as a better learner and citizen.
It's just me and the computer. Don't let this happen! If you start to feel isolated with your online learning, become proactive! Look for the student chat room, if you don't have one; create one. Take the bull by the horns. Many companies such as Yahoo provide free chat room space for people. Go to Yahoo and create a chat room for you and your classmates. Spontaneous learning groups are many times more of a effective learning tool than a structured environment. Many online courses also have physical classrooms for learning groups to meet. This is a good way for face-to-face learners to satisfy this need.
It is possible that one of the reasons you chose online course is to be the captain of your own ship. With online learning you are in charge of the compass. Make sure your direction is sound. Your instructor may only let you know you after you have run aground.
Lastly, don't forget with freedom comes responsibility. Temper you new found freedom with personal growth and responsibility.
... "anyone who dreams of being ignorant and free, dreams of something that never was and will be..." Thomas Jefferson
"This site is authored and maintained by Randy Larson. It is not an official website of the Maricopa County Community College District, and Maricopa is not responsible for the contents of this site."
10/17/2002