Taking an online course is a convenient way of
pursuing a graduate degree and seeking professional advancement since it can be
done anytime and anywhere. However, as I
entered the distance education program in UP Open University, I realized that
it is not as easy as it may seem. During
those years, I have encountered several challenges that require a different set
of strategies in order to survive this mode of learning.
Here are some of the ways on how I cope with the
distance learning environment. Note that
these may be effective for both sighted and visually impaired students.
1. Always
make a back up. Make it a habit to store
your files offline so that you can study even without internet connection. Moreover, keep a copy of your requirements /
outputs so that you will not lost your files in case something happens with the
course site.
2. Always
read the course guide and be mindful of the schedules. At the start of every term, the faculty in
charge provides the course guide containing the course objectives,
requirements, references, calendar of activities, and the FIC’s house rules. Always take note of the scheduled activities
and plot them on your calendar in order to help you in managing your time. As much as possible, prioritize the
requirement that needs to be done the soonest.
3. Take
notes. Though I found this time
consuming, it may still be helpful to take note of key words to easily remember
the concepts while studying the reading materials. It may also be helpful when you are composing
your answers for the forum discussions or making your assignments.
4. Never
memorize. As I proceed with the program,
I realized that memorizing would just complicate things since most of the
requirements including the online discussion forums require a deeper
understanding of the concepts rather than rote memorization. In addition, reading materials were mostly
journal articles and book chapters that might give you a hard time memorizing
without understanding.
5. Reflect
and internalize the lessons. As much as
possible, try to relate the lessons to your own experiences in order to fully
understand the lessons. Often times, the
FIC would ask you to do reflections or projects to show them if you really
understood the concepts being discussed and you are able to apply it to your
own field.
6. Don’t
read your classmates’ forum posts immediately.
Reading your classmates’ posts may have some advantages and
disadvantages. Apart from
student-student and teacher-student interaction, one good thing about reading forum
posts is that you’ll get to see different perspectives of the topic from
different fields of specializations since the class is comprised of a variety
of professionals from different fields making the discussion very engaging and
enriching. However, it might intimidate
you or make you feel inadequate especially when a classmate posted an extensive
discussion of the topic.
7. Make a
draft of your forum posts. There are
some FICs who would require a certain word count in a discussion forum post
e.g. 250 words per post and 150 words per comment. I usually make a draft of my answers in a
word file so that I could see the word count as I write my answers to the
discussion questions. It is also helpful
when you are not so familiar with the features of MOODLE’s discussion
board. What I did was I’d just copy my
composition to the edit field since I cannot do the formatting online.
8. Save
your exam answers offline. There are
courses that give timed quiz or examinations online and students usually have
two attempts to take it. Prepare a draft
of your answers on a word document and paste it on the provided area so that
you can still have a back up copy of your answers when you encounter any technical
glitch.
9. Maintain
communication with your FIC. This is
helpful especially for learners with visual impairment like me. Take time to contact the faculty in charge
through email and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you encounter some
difficulties with the requirements, but don’t forget to offer your proposed
solution or alternative activity to fulfill the requirements that also meet the
objective of the course.
Hope that these tips will help you in studying
via distance education. Succeeding in this
mode of learning requires a combination of discipline, determination, and
motivation. As long as you have these
three, I believe that you will be able to survive the open university.
