Warm-Up

Introduction

As you begin your time here in our class, I know you bring a wealth of knowledge to our campus. This knowledge will shape how you learn during your academic career. 

Think & Relate

There is a good chance that the examples you listed overlap with the following: 

• You belong to online communities

• You use social media

• You shop online

• You search for information online

• You stream online music and video

• You use a smartphone

When you think about these experiences, it is easy to identify the similarities: you sometimes need to log in, and you click and go to various pages. You look to find the "thing" you are looking for. You are sorting and evaluating information: "No, that shirt is not as attractive in avocado green." "Yes, driving to the beach will only take 30-minutes, depending on traffic." You are building community. "Yes, I will play video games with you." "Yes, I am part of a BTS online fan group." 

You can build on this knowledge to navigate your online courses.

What Do You Know About Online Learning?

Here we are online. You can still have rich and transformative experiences---they will be different, but that doesn't make them any less valuable.  Even with some experience with online learning in the past,  you may still have questions and even doubts about learning online; it's important to get these questions and concerns out in the open.  

Think & Relate

Your questions and concerns may overlap with the following:

1. I will have to teach myself

2. I will be isolated and lonely in my online courses

3. Online classes are easier than face-to-face courses

4. I have to be a computer genius to take online courses

5. I don't want to sit in front of a bunch of boring video lectures

Read further for advice for each of the above concerns.

Concern #1: You have to teach yourself the material.

At first glance, it may feel like you doing everything on your own, but your instructor is the "face" behind the course. Online courses have been carefully designed to provide time for individual work (reading and writing assignments) and class work (lectures and in-class activities). 

In online courses, class work can include a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities. You could meet in real time for a lecture. You could work with classmates on documents together synchronously in real time. You could engage in group discussion, where you and your classmates post on a discussion board or create short audio or video clips asynchronously, i.e. not in real time. 

However, no matter what, you can always contact and interact with your instructor by through means they have provided (email, private messaging, video conference, phone, etc.). Your instructor is always guiding your course. 

Concern #2: You will not have any connections to your classmates.

Making friends in your classes is an important part of your college experience. Research tells us that many of you are already spending a significant amount of time with your friends online and that many of these relationships started online. This means that it is definitely possible to interact in your online classes and yes---even make friends. 

Take advantage of the many opportunities to connect in your online classes. Actively participate on the discussion boards, be supportive, set up study groups, use the embedded features in Canvas, etc. 

It would also be helpful to your studies to socialize with your classmates when it's not class related.  Maybe you can schedule a virtual movie watch party, play video games, have video chats, have a text thread, etc. 

Keep in mind that eventually you be able to continue your online friendships in real life (or, "IRL" for those as hip as I am).   

Concern #3: Online courses are easier than face-to-face courses. 

Online courses are just as rigorous as face-to-face courses. You definitely have more flexibility in an online course, but you also need to be self-motivated and organized to succeed in an online course.  

When I did my graduate work online, I appreciated the flexibility of the environment.  I had more say about when the learning was going to happen.  However, it was up to me to motivate myself to do so.  This is different than an in-person class where an instructor was reminding me of assignments and I was able to ask questions in real time.  I therefore had to pivot my habits, so I had time to ask questions and actually get answers.  I also had to create a system for myself to keep on top of my responsibilities.

Concern # 4: You need to be a computer genius to take online courses. 

Think of all the things you do with your smart phone and online. If you can order food online and navigate social media, you will be fine in your online course. You just need to learn how use the platform of your online course. 

You can learn by utilizing California Community College's resources and tutorials for online success and asking your instructor, campus resources, and classmates for help. 

Concern # 5: Online courses are all boring video lectures. 

While many courses do use video lectures, they are one of many available teaching tools your professor may opt to use in an online course. Yes, there will be lectures. However, there will also be discussions, group projects, labs, hands-on work, oral presentations, digital story telling, recorded performances, and so much more! It all depends on your class.