How Students Develop Online Learning Skills (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) Good Ideas More and more, adult learners are finding the convenience and flexibility of online learning a match for their learning goals and busy lifestyles.
Online degree programs, courses, and virtual universities targeting adult learners have proliferated in the past decade. Although students can easily locate an online course or degree program that's both convenient and accessible, they may face significant challenges in developing a new set of skills for this type of instruction. Educators have speculated on the development of student skills necessary to succeed in online learning, but relatively few publications cover the topic from the perspective of successful online students.
I developed the study summarized here to provide this perspective and to identify useful strategies that instructors can promote in their online courses. Methodology. Distance_Learning_Basics_-_Skills_for_Being_a_Successful_Online_Student.pdf. How Students Develop Online Learning Skills. Skills for Online Learning. Goals and Motivation Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.
Having both long term and short term goals gives you building blocks. Set a daily, weekly and longer term goals which lead you to successful course completion and mastery of the content. We study and acquire knowledge for various reasons, such as enhancing our educational experience, upgrading our skills, and getting a better job. Goals keep us motivated to learn. A wonderful resource at Clemson is the Academic Success Center. Time Management The flexibility offered by online courses can be misleading. Study Skills The first and most important step is to read ALL information on the web site of your course(s). Technology Skills It is absolutely necessary to have a minimum working knowledge of computers and a word processing program to be successful in an online class. Additional resources regarding Technology Skills can be found in SkillPort.
Skills for Effective Online Learning. Skills for effective online learningLogging into and navigating D2LOnline communication and assessmentWeb resources and downloads Online learning skills Much has been written about the characteristics that make some learners successful.
The list below represents a compilation of the most common features of successful online learners and some of the best practices that can lead to success. The successful online learner should: Possess self-motivation and self-disciplined study habits. Self-assessment Below is a useful checklist of questions and a key to evaluating your self-assessment. Scale: 1. I prefer to take control of my own learning.Most people consider me a self-motivated person. Total the values you used to rate yourself. 100 - 75: You should be well-suited for taking courses online. Assessment created by Erskin Theological Seminary.
What Makes a Successful Online Learner? Two key advantages of online learning are flexibility and convenience.
But online learning is a lot more challenging than it may seem. Are you considering taking some or all of your courses online? Good for you! But first, make sure you're ready to succeed. Online learning can sound so wonderful that some students start with an unrealistic vision. To see if you're ready, see how many items of the following skills you have: Five-step Strategy for Student Success with Online Learning. Students that are enthusiastic about online learning cite numerous reasons for preferring the virtual format, yet it’s flexibility that is extolled most often – the ability to study and learn on ‘my time’.
Ironically, it is this convenience factor that can cause some online students to procrastinate, or worse fail to engage in the learning process at all, which often leads to students dropping out or performing poorly. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, a key factor to student success in the online environment is self-direction, the capability and willingness to direct one’s own eduction.
Online students, more so than traditional students, need to be independent and take responsibility for their learning. Self-directed learning involves a specific skill set: organization, motivation, and a sense of confidence. The question – can online students ‘learn’ to be self-directed, or is self-direction innate? Step One: Read the syllabus. Step Two: Plan weekly study times.
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