Overcoming Challenges of Online Learning

INTRODUCTION

There are various problems with online education that have been brought up.  In particular, “onlinecollege-dot-org” (2012) has described five common challenges of online learning, and how to overcome them:

THE CHALLENGES

1)      FEELING ISOLATED

·         Students may be discouraged by feeling of being on their own.

·         Know that you are not alone!  Take the initiative to reach out to your instructor, classmates, and the many professional services available to support you. Such as:  advisors, counselors, librarians, writing centers, help desks, etc.

2)      USING NEW TECHNOLOGY

·         The need to work with new technology can be very frustrating at first.

·         Gather the contact info for your school’s tech help resources, as well as a few skilled friends for quick access when you need it.

3)      MANAGING TIME EFFECTIVELY

·         Many online students are adding more to their already busy lives by taking courses.  Time management skills are critical to getting everything done.

·         Check each class syllabus for details about “due dates” and add these to your calendar.  Also, practice Time Blocking to get the work completed in advance.  Time Blocking is a productivity “hack” that helps the student make the most of the work day by assigning very specific tasks to very specific blocks of time. This is loosely based on Parkinson’s Law, the idea is that work will simply expand to fill the time available for its completion (Rob Nightingale, philosopher, 12/4/14).

4)      TAKING ON THE STUDENT ROLE

·         Many online students are adults who  work and raise families, and pursuing academic goals after a long absence from school environment may now seems unfamiliar.

·         Look to your instructor to set the tone for the course and consider yourself part of a learning team that includes your teacher, classmates, and the available professional services mentioned in 1) above.

5)      BEATING STEREOTYPES

·         There are still some people out there who hold a stereotypical view of online education. They believe it to be cheap, second class option for higher education, reserved for those who are academically or financially weak.  Such people with distorted views on online education may, one day, ask the student discouraging questions about your online education.

·         Be ready to describe how you, (the student) chose your online program. The decision not only  based on flexibility and convenience factors, but also on criteria such as accreditation and faculty qualifications.  Be prepared to list specific ways in which the courses  play a positive role in your overall professional development.

CONCLUSION

There are  other challenges apart from the five listed above; however, learners who are passionate about what they are studying should be able to find ways to address them.  As they say “where there is a will, there is a way.”

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REFERENCES

“onlinecollege-dot-org” (2012): How to Overcome the Common Challenges of Online Learning

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/12/04/how-overcome-common-challenges-online-learning/

Rob Nightingale (2014): Time Blocking

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/time-blocking-secret-weapon-better-focus/

Posted by: Dr. Nat Tuivavalagi