The Life of a Distance Learner (part 2)
A high bandwidth is needed for the completion of online courses as the student often will often have multiple browser windows open in order to complete a given assignment or task. Student-to-teacher and student-to-student interaction within a course may require an email client like Microsoft Outlook, or special software to enable online chatting. In addition, there are also files to download and upload. These tasks require a high-speed internet connection, such as DSL, as opposed to dial-up. Many educational institutions use companies such as Comcast and AT&T to offer internet connections for less than $50.00 a month, a fairly reasonable cost.
The Life of a Distance Learner (part 1)
Distance learning has gained a considerable following among busy professionals and resident college students, as well as parents who wish to further their education without sacrificing time spent with their families. Even students who attend class at a traditional campus are more often choosing to register in additional classes online.
With so much buzz centering on the growing popularity of online education, it’s important to understand the differences between completing courses within an online setting as opposed to within a traditional, on-campus setting. While there are obvious similarities between the academic structure followed by distance learning students and those who pursue a traditional on-campus education, certain unique characteristics definitely set online learning a part.
It is not humility - it is petty pride
“God can never entrust His Kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself”. - Francis Frangipane
I write these devotionals for you to get a glimpse of how God is working in my life and the things He is refining in me. If you come back and read these postings occasionally you will be living out these refining processes with me in my blogs.
The other day I was listening to a sermon by Johnnie Moore, one of the Liberty campus pastors. During his message he read a verse from Hosea 13.
Hosea 13:6, “When I fed them they were satisfied; when they were satisfied they became proud; and then they forgot me.”
I quickly focused in on “When I fed them they were satisfied; when they were satisfied they became proud; and then they forgot me”. This part of his message was just a stepping stone to where he was going with the message that was not about pride. However, God stopped me and focused me on this verse. I started thinking about this, and the very end in particular “they became proud; and then forgot me”. I thought, man that is me. God has been working on me in this area for quite sometime now, and I knew it had a tendency to be an issue, especially at work. I started thinking of all the different ways I show pride in my occupation and accomplishments and “forget” about God in the process. At work it usually shows up in wanting to be the center of attention, or fighting to make sure I get “ALL” the recognition I think I deserve for certain accomplishments. For those of you who might not know exactly what the Webster dictionary definition of proud is, here it is: Read more
Challenges faced by traditional schools entering into the online (part4)
5. Support offices
Speed and efficiency are everything
The same fast pace seen in the sales cycle of the online education environment must filter down to support offices also servicing the residential student body. These crucial offices comprised of the Registrar’s office, financial aid, and student accounts all have to be ready to turn student enrollment very around quickly. Schools can have a great marketing plan, highly skilled sales agents, and a comprehensive post-lead strategy, but if financial aid or the other support offices are bottlenecked producing a slow turnaround time, student frustration and attrition will ensue. While streamlining each of these areas for efficiency is often easier said than done, it is crucial that schools address this issue as the rate of growth can be stymied.
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