Online Learning Tips
Are you planning to take an online course or have you recently started with an online course or training? Before you begin, it is important to understand that online and face-to-face are entirely different learning environments. One aspect of online delivery, which can surpass a face-to-face classroom, is flexibility of time. Convenience of studying from home at the same time requires students to understand a new online environment: a new method of course and material access.
Successful online learners need to possess following characteristics:
Self-motivation: This is one of the most important traits of an online learner. The learners have to be independent and self-derived in order to attain the goals. Online learners have a responsibility to set a schedule, ensure that they are planned in terms of time for reading and responding, and in general can work with a minimum amount of structure. The online learner must be ready to explore and discover, and to initiate that process. Successful learners must regularly engage in self-directed reading, studying, researching, synthesizing, writing, and responding within a general framework of weekly deadlines.
Tech savvy: Although it’s believed that beginners need to have advanced computer skills, students are expected to have working knowledge of electronic email, the Internet and basic keyboarding skills. Students need to be well versed in how to navigate the course, the LMS (learning management system) and their hardware. They need to understand file formats, plug-ins, accessing special characters, using audio and video players, and using email and chat programs. Most students are already familiar with these except perhaps for the LMS.
A good reader and communicator: An online learner has to show good skills in reading and communication because this is required to convey thoughts, ideas and share concerns. Also, to understand and apply knowledge to write assignments and writing to other classmates and instructor, students have to be good at reading and communication.
In order to enhance these skills, students need support from instructor, family members, peers and online resources (dictionary, spell check). They may take a small course in editing and reading also. Local libraries sometimes also have short programs to improve reading and communication skills. They may join a support group in library or nearby community center.
Goal oriented: Usually online learners have so much going on in their lives other than the online course. The organization of time and space is absolutely necessary in order to meet deadlines for the assignments, discussions and reading. They need to organize study space and then they need to find time to actually study. One very real danger of online courses is that you can end up spending entirely too much time working or procrastinating and then working too late at night.
Students who don’t have good organizational skills might learn it over the time. They need support from family members, friends and other loved ones. Students also need to communicate themselves and people around that this ’particular hour’ is their study hour and they don’t want any disturbance. Finding help from classmates, getting an idea how to organize their time, can be helpful too.
Perseverance: This is very important because the online learner will need to overcome any frustrations and setbacks when things do not work out initially. Many things can go wrong, such as the computers can break, ISP servers can crash, and printer won’t work. Overcoming these frustrations with solutions (such as using a school computer or a friend’s computer) will help with life skills.
