My oldest son, Shaun Jr., called me on Tuesday evening because he is contemplating enrolling in an online graduate religion program at Liberty University. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Virginia and currently works for Bank of America. He has always had an interest in religion/christian thought and online learning now fits his busy life since he has was recently married, is involved weekly in his church and community, and is looking to start a family. Of course, we spoke about program specifics, degree requirements, and cost but he raised a question that expands on my last post regarding “Two Characteristics Of A Successful Online Learner.” He wanted to know if he could adapt to this style of learning. It got me thinking.
According to Katrina Meyer in Technological Horizons in Education, “Success in a Web-based learning environment is heavily influenced by what the student brings to the learning situation.” If you learn easily with diagrams, animation, or other visual examples, this aspect of technology in a distance learning situation could be ideal.
To drill into this a little deeper from my own experience and research, success in an online learning environment can depend on these four skill sets:
- A visual learning style
- Discipline (as I have shared before)
- Independence
- Some basic computer skills
Remember, the key to any online educational scenario is for the student to be fully aware of the benefits and challenges.