With improved technology in the realm of sharing information and the fact that more and more mature students are entering the classroom juggling home life and work, the appeal of online education has never been higher. In fact for many post-graduate students, it’s go online or go home. But the rising appeal and availability of online education does not mean that the rest of the system has caught up. In fact, there have been found a number of problems with online courses, both in terms of student personality and in the way the courses are offered.
Student Temperament
One of the big pitfalls in online learning is the temperament of the students taking it. Instructors have noted the following problems:
-Students don’t apply themselves properly too it, particularly in post-graduate studies which are often treated like undergraduate studies and so are dismally done
-Students often overlook the ability to build communities, study groups and social bonds through tools such as chat rooms, discussion groups and email. This lack of social interaction can be damaging, not only to your grades, but also to your ability to get the most out of your post-graduate studies.
-Some students lack the discipline that online learning [http://www.prepgenie.com/] demands, even at the post-graduate level! They may put off things like assignments and quizzes and end up hopelessly stuck or lost.
One of the big problems is that online coursework appeals to students who are anti-social, but online course can and should still be sociable! Many professors have noted this problem and have difficulty figuring out what to do about it.
Without a good social structure in post-graduate work, students tend to get drained, feel tired and may drop out, eliminating their potential.
The Way the Course is Offered
One of the main benefits one would hope of online learning is the fact that you can still get the right social interaction, but the reality is that many students actually do online learning to avoid students and of course that diminishes their education and their grade. The potential offered by online discussion has yet to be realized and lots of students are missing out. The cause of this is unknown, but technology may be a part of it.
One of the big problems with the social aspect (or lack thereof) in online classes is the fact that most discussion boards don’t allow students to receive email alerts about new posts and many people don’t use them to communicate the way they communicate in the real world. Furthermore, students using other learning systems like Google Talk or blogs are reprimanded by professors who are told to use the software provided the university-even if said software is not the best one around. Combine the technological aspects with the fact that online classes appeal to many anti-social students and you have a temperament problem in online learning that damages its potential.
Another problem in online courses is how they are presented. Some instructors simply upload lectures without any thought about tweaking the coursework to work better online. The course may still not be very well structured to reflect the fact that students taking it may have to work odd hours or in different places than home.
Does all this mean that post-graduate online learning is a poor idea? No! Just like online course work for any student, high school, college or undergraduate, post-graduate online work will require some tweaking and some brushing up. Fixes could include the idea of using induction seminars and welcome programs as a way to introduce students to online studies. Another way is to use more user-friendly programs to encourage discussions and social interactions. And of course, any lecturer working with online studies should make sure that he or she understands how best to use this tool for the sake of the students. It will take time, but this method of education can be very rewarding and a great way to bring students into the fold who may not otherwise have the chance.
Lena Paul is a medical school graduate who is an enthusiastic blogger and holds an editorial position in Prepgenie , a test prep provider that offers exam preparation courses for UKCAT, GAMSAT, PCAT and UMAT.
