Is online learning right for me?
ByDanielleKronkBarrick
There’snodoubtthatonlinelearningoffersconsiderable
benefitstobusystudents:amoreflexibleschedule,zerotime
andmoneyspenttravelingtoandfromclass,andtheability
tolearnintheirownway,ontheirowntime,tonamejusta
DanielleKronkBarrick
few.Andinsomecases,it’swhatmakeshighereducation
possibleforundergradswithfull‐timejobsandfamilies.
Buthowdoesonlinelearningcomparewithanin‐classeducationanditsface‐to‐
faceinteractionswithinstructorsandpeers?
AccordingtoastudybytheU.S.DepartmentofEducation(2010),studentsinonline
conditionsperformedslightlybetterthandidstudentswhowerelearningthesame
materialthroughtraditional,face‐to‐faceinstruction.What’smore,thestudyfound,
onlinelearningwaseffectiveacrosstheboard–forundergraduates,graduate
studentsandprofessionals,andregardlessofhowthestudentslearned.When
studentsdostruggleinonlineclasses,it’softenbecauseoftechnicaldifficulties,
increased“socialdistance,”andthedecreasedstructurethatcancomewithonline
learning(Jaggars,2011).
Studentsconsideringanonlineeducationshouldmakeaninformeddecisionthat
takesintoaccounttheirdegreeofmotivation,studyskills,technicalsavvy,and
learningstyles.
What Motivates You?
“Thetragedyinlifedoesn’tlieinnotreachingyourgoal,”saidsocialactivist,scholar,
andeducatorBenjaminMays.“Thetragedyliesinhavingnogoaltoreach.”
Motivationiskeywhenlearningatadistance–it’seasiertolosefocusorinterest
withoutin‐personencouragementandassistancefromateacherorclassmates.
Studentswhovisualizeagoal,whoclearlyseetheoutcomethey’reworkingtoward
–gettinganAinthecourseorearningtheirdegree–haveaneasiertimenavigating
anonlinecourse.Andsupportfromothersiskey:Manywhoaresuccessfulseize
opportunitiestoworkwithfellowstudents,usingthoseconnectionsas
encouragement(Roper,2007).Researchhasshownthatwhenmotivationishigh,
testscoresrise(Liu,Bridgeman,Adler,2012).
Forthosewhoneedaboost,thecareerwebsiteMindToolsoffersaself‐assessment
(http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_57.htm)thatstudentscanuse
todiscovertheirmotivationlevel.Thesitealsoofferstailoredadvicetothose
lookingtobuildself‐confidenceandsetgoals.
Chapter 1: Study Skills
Evenifthey’renotawareofit,allstudentsuseatleastonelearningstrategy.Butthe
mostsuccessfulpeople–theoneswhoachievegreatness–consciouslyputthose
skillstoworktohelpthemgetthemostfromtheirstudiesandovercomelimitations
(Kaufman,2013).Recentresearchshowsthathigh‐performingstudentsactually
usemultiplestudyskills,suchasseekinginformation,reviewingthetextbook,and
askingfellowstudentsforhelpduringmidtermweek(Kaufman,2013).Andtiming
iseverything:Thestudentswhobenefitthemostfromonlinecourseworkarethe
oneswhousetimemanagementtomakeastudyplan–andself‐disciplinetostickto
it(Roper,2007).
Otherhelpfulonlinelearningstrategiesincludecheckingindailytolookfornew
updatesordiscussionsandsettingasidedistincttimesforreadingassigned
materials,writinghomeworkassignments,andrespondingtootherstudents.
Do You Have the Right Technical Support?
Inordertosucceedinanonlinecourse,it’sessentialtohaveconstantaccesstoa
computerwithup‐to‐datesoftwareandhigh‐speedInternetaccess.Inaddition,
specificcoursesmayrequireadditionalfunctionalityorsoftwaredownloads.And
computerskillsarecriticalinonlinelearning:Studentswhodon’tuseacomputer
regularlymaystruggleinclassandfallbehind.Essentialskillsincludeemailingand
workingwithattachments,doingbasicresearchonline,participatinginonline
discussions,anddownloadingandinstallingnewsoftware.
Ifastudentisuncertainabouthisorhercomputerskills,thebestnextstepmightbe
toenrollinastandardclassandusethattimetobuildconfidenceincomputeruse.
Put Your Learning Style to Work for You
Whilethere’snouniversallyaccepted,definedsetoflearningstyles,it’sclearthat
studentslearndifferently(Santo,2006).Whileresearchhasshownthatlearners’
computerskillsandlevelofmotivationmightbemoreimportantindetermininga
student’ssuccessinanonlinecourse(Santo,2006)studentsshouldthinkaboutthe
waystheylearnbest.
Afewlearningstylesandhowstudentscanusethem:
 Visuallearnersretainmorewhenreading–textbooks,diagrams,andslides,
forexample.
 Auditorylearnersbenefitmorefromlistening–tolectures,discussions,or
recordedtext.
 Tactilelearnersneedtoabsorbinformationbydoing–projectsor
experiments.
Butwhataboutlinguisticlearning?Logical‐mathematical?Intrapersonal?
Interpersonal?ThewebsiteEdutopia.comoffersaquiz
(http://www.edutopia.org/multiple‐intelligences‐learning‐styles‐quiz)tohelp
studentsdiscoverhowtheyrankwithamultitudeoflearningstylesaswellasan
explanationofeachstyleandtipsonhowstudentscanusethemtotheiradvantage.
Be a Virtual Success
Forstudentswhoenjoylearningindependentlyandwanttheflexibilitytodosoon
theirownschedule,onlinelearningmaybetheperfectfit.Buttheyshouldbring
strongskillsanddrivetocounterthepotentialchallengestolearningatadistance:
theriskoflosingmotivationwithoutface‐to‐faceinteractionandtheneedforstrong
studyskillsandself‐disciplineinavirtualclassroom.
Studentsconsideringtakingonlinecoursesmusthavethecomputerknow‐howand
capabilitytolearnandworkeffectively.They’llalsobenefitfromastrong
understandingofhowtheylearnandthewaystotailortheironlineclassexperience
tomakethemostofit.
Withalittlepreparation,anonlineeducationcanhelpambitiousstudentswithbusy
livestakecontroloftheirfutures–andfindsuccessontheirownterms.
References
U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andPolicy
Development.(2010).Evaluationofevidence‐basedpracticesinonlinelearning,a
meta‐analysisandreviewofonlinelearningstudies.Washington,D.C.14‐15
Jaggars,S.S.(2011).Onlinelearning:Doesithelplow‐incomeandunderprepared
students?CommunityCollegeResearchCenter,TeachersCollege,Columbia
University,BriefNo.52.
S.B.Kaufman.(2013,April8)LearningstrategiesoutperformIQinpredicting
achievement.Retrievedfromhttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful‐minds/
Roper,A.R.(2007).Howstudentsdeveloponlinelearningskills,EducauseReview
Online.
Liu,O.L.,Bridgeman,B.,&Adler,R.M.(2012)Measuringlearningoutcomesinhigher
education:motivationmatters.EducationalResearcher,41,352‐362.
Howself‐motivatedareyou?Takingchargeofyourgoalsandachievements.Mind
Tools.RetrievedApril8,2013,
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_57.htm.
Santo,S.(2006)Relationshipsbetweenlearningstylesandonlinelearning:mythor
reality?PerformanceImprovementQuarterly,19(3),2006.
Whatisyourlearningstyle?Edutopia.RetrievedApril9,2013,
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple‐intelligences‐learning‐styles‐quiz.