Virtually all of us are familiar with the face-to-face classrooms. From grade school through high school, this was our main method for taking classes. Being an online learner may feel disorienting at first. How you communicate and the tools for learning are somewhat different from what you are familiar with. This brief presentation highlights key differences to consider as you move forward with your online learning at Capella.
One key difference is in how you might explore the course material. In face-to-face courses, you likely had opportunities to interact with the material in a variety of ways beyond just reading – for example, listening, verbalizing your understanding, interacting with other learners, and participating in lab exercises.
In online courses, presentation of course material is necessarily skewed toward the visual, with much of the material being presented through readings and illustrations. Non-visual learners need to be creative about finding alternative ways to work with the material. In many of our online courses, you will find helpful links to audio or video presentations or interviews.
A second difference is in how your instructor gauges how well you are understanding the material. In a face-to-face environment, your instructor can see a confused look on your face or notice that you don't seem engaged in the discussion, and can easily be proactive in checking to see if you are OK.
Online, your instructor can't see you and may not know that reaching out is necessary. It is more incumbent on you to "raise your hand" if you need assistance by emailing your instructor or using threaded discussions to communicate.
Another difference you may notice is in how you develop connections with your instructors and peers. When you share a physical campus with others, you can go for coffee or a walk before or after class to feel connected with instructors and classmates.
Personal connections don't fall together as easily online, but can be created if you make the effort to email or call an instructor, chat with a classmate in the Cyber Café, or use LinkedIn or the Learner Discussion Boards on iGuide to put together a study group with other learners who live nearby.
Whether you are physically in a classroom or in an online courseroom, you will likely be evaluated at least partly on your participation in the learning community. Many face-to-face courses evaluate class participation on whether you are physically present in class. But in online courses, simply visiting your course and reading the material will not be enough. Your participation will be evaluated based upon your substantive written contributions to the class discussion.
In addition, discussion in face-to-face classes flows organically and can be dominated by more active participants while quieter students contribute less. In the online learning environment, the discussion is structured, so all learners are required to contribute a certain amount.
If there is flooding or major snow storms, massive traffic jams, or large utility failures, local calamities are generally known to both instructors and learners who are meeting in a central geographic area for classes. Not so for online courses. At Capella, instructors and learners come from all over the world, so your instructor may not remember where you live. If a major event in your community impacts your ability to participate in class, it is your responsibility to let your instructor know what has happened.
A final difference you may notice is in how you receive feedback from instructors. In a face-to-face classroom, you feedback from instructors can be immediate if you stay after class or visit office hours to ask for assistance in person. Online, instructors require a wait time to receive your email or return your phone message, so you need to plan ahead when requesting feedback or information. A reasonable expectation is 2 business days.
As you continue your journey as an online learner at Capella, try to keep these key differences in mind. As a whole, they require you to be more proactive in your learning experience, and more explicit in your communication. These are excellent skills for your own development as an lifelong learner.