Online Learning: The benefits!

Thinking about enrolling on an online course? Read on to find out about the drawbacks and benefits of online learning.

There are a few aspects of online learning which could be viewed as disadvantages, such as the courses not being a sociable as face-to-face ones (Casey et al, 2018. p.8) and a perception of less tutor contact (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.139-40). However, the negatives can be addressed and there are even some added benefits too!

Below are my top five points around why online learning can be a positive experience!

1.     Online learning does not have to be isolating, many online courses can offer functions that let you, as a learner to engage with other students as well as your tutors. Online learning environments, or video conference applications can offer opportunities for video calling, text chat and discussions (O’Neil, 2019, p.26).

While video calls need to take place ‘in real time’, you can also take advantage of sites that host discussion board which allow you to engage in conversation when it is most convenient for you. Interacting in these online forums might seem strange at first, however it is worth keeping in mind that everyone is feeling the same and once you get past the initial cheesy introduction post you will have broken the ice. Remember that collaboration is beneficial in the digital age (Sobko et al, 2019, p.36-55), just as it is within a traditional classroom!

Tutors can make these online discussions less daunting by setting up questions and topics for you to respond to (Darby, 2020).

 

2.     Tutor time can feel confusing when delivered online, at the start of a course identify when the tutor is available during the week, how you can access them and what their usual ‘office hours’ are. This will give you a good understanding on how to make the most out of your tutor.

If your course is delivered online but does not include ‘live’ elements, you may not have scheduled video calls or similar. However your tutor should still have set days and times that they are available for a chat and to provide feedback (Darby, 2020). 

Remember to make use of your peers and any online discussion boards! Using discussion boards allows you to consider and articulate your ideas and questions in a way that 'live' communication does not (Thormann and Zimmerman, 2012 p.49), this can be beneficial as it gives you the time and space to think about how you might contribute without any pressure.  

3.    Flexibility is probably one of the key positive features of online learning (Darby, 2020), you can fit your learning around your daily commitments and complete work at your own pace (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.139-40).

Ensure that you engage with activities and make a note of any deadlines so that you do not fall behind, but enjoy the freedom to complete work when best suits you (Spencer, 2020, p.4) - be it 6am or 11pm! This links to another great benefit of online learning, having the freedom to learn at your own pace (Spencer, 2020, p.4) and complete content and tasks as and when you are ready to. Allowing you to take responsibility for your own leaning (O’Neil, 2019, p.23).

Do not forget to contact your tutor for support if you are struggling with an element that is stopping you from progressing!

4.     You can make use and access resources put together by your tutors 24/7. This comes with the added benefit of allowing you to go back over content that you may have found tricky, allowing you to make the most of your tutors excellent subject knowledge (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.107) over and over again!

 

5.    Learn by doing! Many online learning courses will set work for you to complete independently (Coffey, 2009) and then ask you to come together or to send in the work for feedback (Thormann and Zimmerman, 2012 p.50). this way of learning allows you to acquire new knowledge by doing and problem solving and can help to increase your engagement and knowledge retention! 

If you are thinking of starting an online learning course keep these five points in mind – and happy learning!

References

Casey, M., Shaw, E., Whittingham, J. and Gallavan, P. (2018) Online Teaching: Tools and Techniques to Achieve Success with Learners. Rowman & Littlefield

Coffey, h. (2009) Digital game-based learning. Learn. NC.

Darby, F. (2020) How to Be a Better Online Teacher: Advice guide. [online] Available at: Https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching. [Accessed 17/05/20].

O’Neil, C. (2019) Developing online courses in Nursing education. Springer Publishing Company; 4th Revised edition edition.

Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, Training and Learning: A practical guide. Business Education Publishers Ltd; 6th Revised edition edition.

Sobko, S., Unadkat, D., Adams, J. and Hull, G. (2019) Learning through collaboration: A network approach to online pedagogy. E-Learning and Digital Media. Vol 17: 1.

Spencer, B. (2020) A handbook for online student learning in difficult times. Brighthorse Books.

Thormann, J. and Zimmerman, K. I. (2012) The complete step by step guide to designing and teaching online. Teachers College Press.

Online Learning? I'm Student Again...for 11 weeks

I love learning and am a firm believer in the importance of continued professional development. I have been out of education for over a year now 

To continue my CPD activity I have enrolled on an online course, this is the first online course that I have completed (other than online training, which tends to be fairly quick, not interactive and full of prerecorded videos, all culminating in a multi-choice question quiz and printable certificate). 

In this blog I will reflect on the experience of taking part in an online short course. The course runs from week of 13th January to week of 9th March. 

In the first instance I have been provided with a timetable and given access to an online learning environment, which include an area to chat to my tutor and other learners on the course. The timetable sets out sessions for webinars and indicates times when we must talk to other learners. So my initial thought is that the course will be fairly interactive, rather than just working through materials on your own. 

As of the 14th January I have completed all but one of the orientation tasks, the last being to introduce ourselves on the online chatroom. I am putting this off as no-one else has introduced themselves and going first feels scary, there is not guidance regarding what to include in this introduction and frankly I do not want to come across in the wrong way, say too much or too little. On reflection this is counterproductive, as everyone else may be feeling the same and then no-one will comment. In situations like this I often consider what it is I would say to a student and that would be something along the lines of 'everyone is feeling the same' with the implication that you should just do it. 

It is now the 29th January and I have just posted my introductory message onto the site. The deadline to do with was the 31st January and from the looks of it there has been a last minute rush from many of those enrolled. 

Coming up we need to test our webcam and speaker connections for interactive digital classroom activities. I have no experience of learning like this and I am a little apprehensive about it going in. It somehow feels more scary having to meet people digitally, than face-to-face. 
The course gets started officially this week. It will be interesting to see how this experience compares of education compares to my other experiences!