Forums

Distance Learning has its benefits. It provides students with the opportunity to obtain their degree while still working a full-time job. This is huge for those who have families and other responsibilities that would otherwise prevent them from attending college. The quality of the distance learning experience should be something that is of the utmost importance when looking into any type of online program. You first have to look at what you want to major in, the school that has the best program for what you would like to major in, and if they offer a distance learning option. It is important to see how the classes are conducted online. You would need to know if it was an asynchronous or synchronous model of instruction. I believe that both models of instruction have their pros and cons respectively. It really depends on the person and their needs. For me, I think that I prefer a synchronous model of instruction so that I still have the option to attend lectures along with the students that are sitting in class on-campus. I feel that I would have the opportunity to really engage in rich meaningful discussions with my peers in real-time. The professor would be there to answer any questions that may arise during the course of the lecture. What do you prefer?

I personally think that having some students in person and some online make learning harder. I feel that those online students do not get to participate in class as much as students in person. Last semester in my field experience there were students who had to zoom in which was better than the student completely missing the material it was not most effective. Communication to those students suffered and many times those students needed to be retaught outside of the lecture because they did not get the same learning experience as the other students. I have been the online student in this situation and found it really frustrating because I could not ask questions as I would have in person. In the end, it totally depends on the student but, I think either all online (asynchronous) or all in person is best because then every student has a similar learning experience and the teacher can tailor the class to that mode of learning. 

All the best, 

   Lizzy Inselmann Wartburg class of 2023