Jul 21

Jul 21 The Pros and Cons of Online Learning

Even though online learning has been around for decades, the terminology of “online learning” can be interpreted quite differently depending upon the person and their experiences. It’s not surprising at all to hear that some people say it’s not for them while others prefer online learning over face-to-face learning. I can completely understand both perspectives as I have been an online student, instructor, and instructional designer. On one hand, I have witnessed incredible methods of online learning that left students stunned at how great the experience was. On the other hand, I have personally enrolled in some online courses that made me want to withdraw immediately because there were red flags and warning signs everywhere. I teamed up with my colleagues at MIT xPRO to discuss what to look for in an online course:

PROS

Flexibility

Online learning’s greatest advantage is flexibility. It’s why hundreds of thousands of students have chosen to go back to school for certificates and degrees. Asynchronous courses allow students to complete their work at their own pace. However, it’s not just about trying to find time to submit the assignments and consume the content, it’s also about finding the optimal time to do so. Some people are more attentive, focused, and creative in the mornings compared to the evenings and vice versa. For some people, they only get time over the weekends or evenings and need that flexibility to decide when to do their work. Whatever works best for the students should be the priority of the learning experience and that’s why online learning is so powerful.

Community

Whenever I ask students about the main reason for enrolling in a course, one of the top reasons is networking and community. They crave finding like minded individuals who are going through the same struggles and have the same questions. They want to find a place where they belong and being in the company of others who understands what they are going through is the perfect place for actively listening and sharing wisdom. This type of community fosters support and motivation for when times are hard and when times are worth celebrating. I’ve witnessed past students create study groups and book clubs that have carried on far beyond the end of the course and it’s amazing to hear about where it all started from with just a single post in a discussion board.

In my own personal courses, I’ve found that if I can create the community environment right from the beginning then students are far more likely to succeed. For instance, I host kick off calls when my courses start. I bring everyone together and we do an event called “speed networking.” For those of you who have taken courses on Eduflow Academy, this is a standard. We pair people up and put them into breakout rooms on Zoom for five minutes at a time. After the five minutes are up, we rotate the groups to form new pairs and keep on going until the hour is up. It instantly creates friendships and bonds that carry over into the discussion boards and the future workshops.

The Latest Information

A main benefit of online learning that isn’t talked about enough is speed. When I say speed, I don’t mean being quick with learning. I actually mean speed to market. There are so many new ideas that are constantly evolving within technical spaces that it’s impossible to keep courses the way that they were originally designed for a long period of time. A program on AR/VR, Nanotechnology, Additive Manufacturing, or Machine Learning have to be checked and updated frequently. More formal types of learning have difficulty with changing content at this pace, but within the online world, it’s expected to make these adjustments based upon how the world is changing. And if the content can’t be changed fast enough, then the instructor can adapt with announcements, discussions, emails, and more.

Even if the content hasn’t necessarily changed, it still makes sense to bring the real world into the classroom if it pertains to the subject matter. For instance, when I was teaching a graduate course on Marketing, we covered the power of influencers. Huge brands have brought in big named influencers to support their causes. What about when the opposite effect happens though? What if a big named influencer denounces a product? In the course content, that wasn’t covered, however, it happened in real time while I was teaching the course.

Superstar soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, sat down for a press conference in 2020 and was visibility irritated that 2 Coca-Cola bottles were placed in front of him. He instantly moved them out of the way and exclaimed “agua,” implying drink water instead. Coca-Cola lost 4 billion dollars off their market value that day. Let me just say that again. In 5 seconds, one of the world’s most powerful influences said “drink water” and that cost Coca-Cola 4 billion dollars! I had to include this in my course because it was perfectly timed with influencers and marketing. So, the latest information can be added to make a difference in online courses.

Now that I’ve discussed a few of the pros, let’s also be realistic and discuss the cons. Online learning isn’t perfect and I myself have experienced some things that really turned me off from the online world.

CONS

Learning Environment

I mentioned above about the power of flexibility with asynchronous courses, but for some, it has an adverse reaction. Some students thrive with live lessons and having an instructor they can connect with multiple times a week. They need these live interactions to feel supported and to carry on. Having an instructor to set deadlines and set the pace and tone of the course will guide them in the right direction. If they don’t have this direction, it is extremely overwhelming and they don’t feel supported. In a way, it can feel like you are by yourself even though you are probably online with 20-30 students at the same time.

Most of the successful students within the online space mention how they are self-directed learners, meaning, they can learn on their own with the right learning environment, guidance, materials, and assignments. They know themselves well enough to know that they don’t need live interactions to hold them accountable or to help them grow. They can do things on their own time and can teach themselves. They aren’t hesitant to reach out for help when they need it and don’t wait to act. For these kinds of students, an online learning environment is perfect. It really comes down to preferences as different schools and organizations host their online learning environments differently. Some of my courses have live events, while others don’t. Some are built around a cohort and community, while others are more individualized. It all comes down to preferences and finding what works for you.

Repetition

Throughout grad school, I enrolled in several online courses and programs. After a while, I realized that the structure was so repetitive that I already knew what the course was going to look like before even signing in. Most of my classes had a structure that asked me to do a reading, respond to two discussion posts, and then submit an essay. Every. Single. Week. This was fine at first, but after a while, I didn’t feel engaged with the learning experience. I basically set my mind to cruise control and would mindlessly submit posts and essays and always do well. There was zero challenge and I felt like I couldn’t fail. There were actually times where in order to make the course more exciting, I would start my paper at 11 PM and try to submit it before midnight. Unfortunately, many online courses out there still offer this exact same structure and students need more excitement. On the bright side, there are online courses that do offer multiple kinds of learning activities, assessments, and content that will make the learning experience come alive, but it can be challenging to find out this information.

Underestimation

From speaking with many students, quite a few of them underestimate how much work is required in an online course. There still seems to be some misconceptions in thinking that online learning is somehow easier compared to face-to-face learning. I’m not entirely sure of the root cause of this problem, but I have seen tv shows and other forms of entertainment implying this. I can still recall one episode of Family Guy where Stewie wanted to become a lawyer, but didn’t have the credentials. He hops onto his laptop, puts in his credit card information for the University of Phoenix, and then claims he’s now a lawyer. To the surprise of no one, he lost his first case. Obviously, this is an extreme example, but this was a common trend years ago. Fast forward to 2022 and perceptions for the majority of adults have changed into recognizing the integrity of the online format.

For those students who do underestimate how long they will need to spend in the online classroom or how challenging the assignments can be, it’s a difficult process to change that mindset. The ones who succeed are the ones who create a plan, manage their time, form a support system, and work towards new routines. It is a massive commitment to go back to school and should be treated as such. To make a long story short, there are pros and cons to online learning. With the right support system, guidance, and learning environment though, incredible feats can be achieved in the online learning space

Tell me, in your opinion, what’s the biggest pro and con about online learning? I’m really curious to hear your thoughts.!