Online Education

Imagine you walk into an on-campus classroom. You take a seat in one of the neatly arranged desks facing the board. While you wait for the instructor to arrive, you chat with other students. Occasionally, you may be called on to participate in group or class discussions, but much of the time you are a recipient, not a participant. The constraints of time and space, in addition to the instructor's presence at the front of the class, neatly define the learning environment.

Now, imagine that you enter your own personal classroom at any time – day or night – that works with your schedule. While no one else may physically be in the room with you, you see your computer and know that your classmates and instructor are just a few mouse clicks and keystrokes away via discussion boards, email, or video chat. Instead of feeling the pressure to instantly grasp everything the instructor shares during the lesson, you know that you have the opportunity to review multimedia lesson materials repeatedly at your convenience. Interacting with your peers is free from the pressure to respond immediately and the frustration of not knowing if you will actually participate; instead, you have the time to thoughtfully prepare responses that others will see. At times, the various options can be a bit daunting, but the time you invest in the course helps define a learning environment that meets your specific learning styles and needs.

This second scenario represents the online environment, and while it can be confusing for some learners who have only experienced the face-to-face classroom, it is filled with many advantages too.

It is our hope that this short, self-paced online course will help to eliminate some of this confusion. This module, in particular, will explore the elements of the online learning environment and will introduce you to the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in an online classroom.