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.

Tips for Working at Home: Routine, routine, routine.

As a part time freelancer/artist, I have some experience of lone working at home. Like many I will be spending even more time at home as my teaching roles go digital.

Here are some tips from me to you (the new homeworker), that I have used before and will be using in the next few weeks.

Disclaimer, a lot of this is common sense. However, sometimes it is nice to be reminded of these things.

Bad habits are easy to get into. So, start off right.

I have attached some really useful (other people's words, not mine) resource examples to help with this.

Start your planning now, start with the routine things. Use colour coding to help you see at a glance what it is you are supposed to be doing and when. By writing these things down you are making yourself more accountable to them and by making them more visual you are making them easier to remember.

Green: Life Admin

• Set yourself a time to get up and stick to it. Parallel to this, set yourself a bedtime and stick to it.
• It is easy to get into a cycle of going to bed later, getting up later and quickly becoming nocturnal.
• Get into the habit of getting up and getting washed/dressed. Try not to turn into a sloth.
• Set your mealtimes and any prep time. Ensuring that you have three real meals a day and not replacing them with snacking.

Blue: Work

• If you are working from home write on the hours you are expected to work, it is easy to end up over working.
• Make sure you schedule in your lunch break and sent a clear end time.
• If you are working at a computer usual rules apply, have regular breaks and look into the distance every now and then.

Yellow: Social Time 

• OK we might not be leaving the house, but you will want to find a way to communicate with others. 
• Schedule in phone calls, video calls or whatever works for you. 
• Make time for this thing that usually happens naturally in a work environment. Talk to colleagues throughout the day.
• Check in with others.

Purple: Health: mental, physical

• Make sure you make time for it. I
• In your lunch break stepping away from the laptop.
• Look at downloading some free fitness apps for hiit workouts, yoga or meditation. 
• Make sure you make time for you.

White: Spare Time

• If you find yourself without work or education filling the majority of the day take advantage of the time to learn something new. Schedule this is and dedicate yourself to it.
• There are loads of free learning websites to develop skills or download a book app and make a start on the classics.
• Once you have filled your calendar with these activities, see what time you have left and consider what it is you might fill that time with.
• We all need down time but avoid wasteful activities which are not going to benefit you in the long run, like watching the news on repeat or looking people up on social media.

Time management is the linchpin that everything else balances on. Get that right and you are halfway there. What you fit into your time will be individual, but if you start with what you know and work from there it is easy to manage.

I have facilitated time management workshops to a whole host of people in several different contexts. The one thing that I found if that the principles are the same if you are trying to get your life back on track, or if you’re an academic.

Now, back to wasting time. The below activity, Yesterday, is a great way to reflect on how you are spending your time and what you are achieving. But it also allows you to identify areas of improvement.

Give it ago…

You can repeat this activity daily. It also helps to add another layer to the activity if you get someone else to do the same and them share your answers. This can be particularly useful when trying to think of ways to overcome the ‘wasteful’ activity.

This brings me to my last point, setting aims. You can use your ‘wasteful’ activity as inspiration here. Or you can pick something more ambitious.

Whatever you do aim to achieve something and make it SMART.

If you have not come across SMART aims before let me introduce them to you. They are a sure-fire way to keep you on track, accountable and motivated.

To be SMART (and who doesn’t want to be smart?!) your aim needs to be;

For example, the below is not SMART

“Join the gym and go everyday”

This is SMART

Specific: Join ‘TheGym’ in Colchester

Measurable: Membership will be attained

Achievable: I have researched a number of gyms and this is the best fir for me, it is local, and I can afford the membership fee

Relevant: I want to improve my physical health

Time-based: Join the first weekend in May

As you can see, the ‘go everyday’ has not made it into this SMART aim. This is because it requires its own SMART aim.

I hope that this blog post can help you in some small way.