Module+7+Reflection


 * Reflection Prompt**: //Reflect on how you perceive yourself as an online learner? Are you well-prepare to be an online leaner? Tell us about what you need to improve in order to be a successful online learner.//

Before my own experiences with online learning, I had a number of preconceived ideas of its benefits and deficiencies. While it obviously is a convenient way to learn by not needing to travel to and attend class sessions, I was pessimistic about the lack of face-to-face interaction with an instructor and peers. Without this interaction, the true spirit of debate and exchanging ideas on a real-time basis is missing. At the time, taking an online course would feel the same as mail-in correspondence course. One reads the material, takes tests to prove memory retention, then receives a cookie-cutter grade for the course. I perceived online learning as an “easy way out,” that such classes do not require as much effort to obtain a respectable grade. Again, the material is simply read, memorized, and tested with little need for critical thinking, problem solving, nor application to real-life scenarios.



Now that I am in my fourth online class, my perceptions have changed somewhat. While time is saved by not needing to physically attend class sessions, online classes require just as much (if not more) time to complete the readings, assignments, and assessments. Because the responsibility of figuring out what is required to complete each task successfully, additional time is needed as there is little face-to-face time for quick questions and answers nor immediate feedback. Granted, real-time chat systems can help with this, but it’s not as satisfying as raising a hand to ask a question. I also now realize that the learning communities present in traditional classrooms are still present in online classes through discussion forums, real-time chat, and e-mail. This interaction is still limited as it does not provide cues such as “rich textures of tone and facial expressions and even body language” (Metts, 2003). Still, online discussion without such cues breaks down social barriers and opens the door to frank, thoughtful, and open responses. Discussion forums gives one time to pen thorough responses and pose additional questions. Projects assigned by the instructor can encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills, especially when these projects require teamwork from the online community.

Am I well prepared to be an online learner? I feel that naturally being organized is my strongest asset to online learning. This means not only reading the syllabus, but creating my own timeline of required tasks, setting goals for each week, and planning dedicated time each day. It takes time to plan everything that I need to do in advance, but relieves much apprehension in the long run. Again, although online classes can be completed at any time of day and anywhere with an Internet connection, it becomes tempting to put-off homework until later. I thwart this by reserving weekends for all reading requirements, then an hour or two each evening to complete homework assignments. It is also important to maintain a continued presence in the online learning communities, reading others’ comments, posting responses, and asking my own questions. Though I feel I do not learn as much from student interactions, as I put more emphasis on what the teacher has to say first. This is a weakness of my online learning strategy, not an advantage.



What can I do to become a successful online learner and how can I address my weaknesses? I feel that my strongest weakness is only completing “just enough” to get a good grade. In other words, I do not push myself to really dig into the material. I think the lack of a physical instructor presence makes me lazier, as I am not pressured (in a good way) to perform and learn at my best. In all honesty, after four classes I still feel that I do not learn as much from my online classes as I would from traditional ones. But this observation is because of my own unwillingness to fully apply myself to the content.

To help combat this attitude of mediocrity, I intend to entrench myself further in online discussions, as such discussions “may provide opportunities for richer discourse through written discussion that allows students to spend time crafting questions” (Roper, 2007). Applying questions and responses to my daily life (be it personal, academic, or work related) also helps with content retention. I also intend to immerse myself better in my classmates’ responses, trying to provide insight and suggestions into their situations as well. In other words, the goal is to build myself into the learning community so that I can apply what I have learned to real life. Lastly, I intend to connect homework assignments to my world as much as possible. The ePortfolio for this degree is excellent for doing this, as I can apply what I have learned to what I can do right here, right now. While I am already successful as an online learner, if I can learn to apply myself more to the content, it will enrich my life, not simply add more rote knowledge to it.