How online learning works

Publish date	2008-01-28
Available Articles	Full articles without membership

You’ve already decided you want to give your career a shot in the arm – and that you’re going to do it by studying for a postgraduate qualification. You’ve chosen to continue working and get your degree via distance learning. Everything’s going to plan. But what exactly are you letting yourself in for when you enter the world of e-learning?

Online degrees are taught in a variety of ways. In crude terms, the main distinction is between courses that are taught entirely virtually and those that offer a mix of distance learning and traditional, face-to-face teaching. The latter method is known as ‘blended’ learning.

As you might expect, online-only courses consist solely of core and optional coursework modules delivered via an internet link that is available at any time of the day or night. Throughout the course the student receives lectures, questions and assignments electronically. These can be saved, printed out to make notes.

Contact between students and teachers can be conducted via newsgroups, instant messaging, email, streamed audio and video conferencing. This type of degree offers the greatest possible flexibility and is ideal for those who live remotely, or who are in full-time employment and who wish to study at odd hours of the day, whether at home or at work.

Qualifications taught using ‘blended’ learning combine online and face-to-face teaching. On these courses, students complete modules in their own time using more traditional learning materials such as textbooks, as well as multimedia tools such as CD-ROM and video, usually accompanied by a coursework guide. They are also required to attend on-campus seminars every few months and, where possible, more frequent tutorials. Blended courses can also include simulations, projects, practice exercises and offer mentoring and workshops.

How do you choose which method of teaching is best for your needs? For many potential students, circumstances such as location, work and time to study will make the decision easy. The less flexibility they have in terms of commitment will dictate how likely it is that an online course is for them. However, there are other factors to consider. How well do you work when left completely to your own devices? Do you need the ‘push’ that comes from knowing you will have to deal with your tutors in person?

Although breakthrough technologies such as Whiteboards (an advanced form of videoconferencing that allows remote groups to interact visually and share information in real time on digitised boards in the classroom) have greatly improved the possibilities for interactivity, for some students there is no substitute for actual human contact.

However, Professor Paul Leng, director of the University of Liverpool’s e-Learning unit, believes the student/teacher relationship is as satisfactory in an online environment as it is in the ‘real’ world. In fact, for experienced professionals engaged in further study, the collaborative process of e-Learning can be more suitable than the ‘passive’ learning experience of sitting in a lecture theatre and taking notes.

He says: “Almost everyone who has experienced our online degree programmes, as students or as teachers, will confirm that there is a closer and more rewarding student/teacher relationship in online classes than is usually the case on-ground.

“This surprising conclusion emerges as a side-effect of the emphasis on discussion and collaboration that is the key aspect of successful e-Learning.”

Keywords: online learning, distance learning, blended, Paul Leng, blended.

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