Studying online doesn’t have to mean being isolated behind a computer screen – there are plenty of ways to connect with your coursemates and tutors.
Make the most of the support available, and you’ll avoid feeling isolated on your online course. Photograph: Alamy.
For most students, university is a time for making friends, discovering a new city and making the most of the facilities on campus. But when you are studying online, your living room is your lecture hall and an online chat room is the equivalent of the student bar.
Can a computer screen make up for human interaction, and how can distance learning students avoid isolation?
If you are choosing to study online, chances are you have other commitments – work, children or other caring responsibilities – and you may be studying for purely academic reasons. The benefits of flexible study can outweigh the downside of not meeting people in real life.
But being part of an online community when studying at a distance is important, says Richard Reece, associate vice-president for teaching, learning and students at the University of Manchester.
He says: “Academically, support from other learners is as important on campus as it is off campus. We encourage students who are on campus to form peer-assisted study schemes. We do the same for distance learning students as well.”
Online forums, Facebook groups and email lists with the contact details for other students can help online learners connect with their peers and ask questions about their studies.
Reece says: “It really benefits the learners if they have a sense of community rather than feeling like an isolated person tapping away at a computer.”
Instead of tutorials or lectures, support from lecturers comes through online forums, email exchanges, phone conversations and Skype.
Tony Priest is course director for the foundation degree in drug and alcohol counselling at the University of Leicester and says his course uses “e-tutors” to support students.
He says: “Each e-tutor has a certain number of students who they follow through their comments on the discussion boards and answer their questions. They’ll also contact them if they don’t appear for a while and ask if they have problems and how they can help.”
It might seem a little impersonal not meeting your tutor in real life, but distance learning students can sometimes have even more support than campus students, says Reece.
He says: “I would say that there are some things that you do need face-to-face interaction for, but our distance learning students do have significant access to teaching staff. In a number of cases they get even greater amounts of contact than students who are on campus and come in for a few scheduled lectures but not much more.”
Amy Woodgate, project coordinator of distance education initiative and Moocs at the University of Edinburgh, agrees.
She says: “People tend to think that online learning is very detached and less of a community. It has a remote aspect so people think it is remote. But actually with online earning, students have something in common so build up good relationships.”
Distance learning students can use online forums as a chance to meet their peers socially, but it can be difficult to replicate real life interactions.
“One of the biggest challenges for distance learning students is engagement with other peers,” says Steve Mills, student president for education welfare at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
He says: “A big part of the student experience is meeting new people, making friends, joining societies and having social events, but distance learning students don’t get to experience that, so it is very academic for them.”
Some distance learning courses do include an element of time on campus, and making the most of these moments to meet other students is important.
Forums and social networks are there to help connect students with their peers, but it is important to know that as a distance learning student you still have access to university support too.
“The principal that we try to work on is that the support should be the same for distance learning students as it is for campus students,” says Reece. “most of our students are studying abroad though, so obviously they can’t just walk into our office and ask for help. But our services are available online and on the phone too.”
Students’ unions work on behalf of distance learning students too, and getting involved with your union could really help improve your life as an online student.
Mills says: “Our student helpline is there for online students, and we also deal with problems from distance learning students via Facebook and Twitter. And importantly, distance learning students have access to student counsellors via Skype.”
You might not be able to walk into a counsellor’s office as an online student, but the support is still there, and making the most of it can make all the difference to your experience of online learning.
Top tips for distance learning students
• Make the most of online forums and social networks to meet other students and ask for help.
• Set yourself deadlines to help keep yourself motivated.
• Become a student rep. Student reps work on behalf of their peers and most universities have distance learning representatives. Being a rep is a great way to engage with your peers and see changes made to any issues you may have with your course.
• Even if you are short on time and not necessarily looking to make lots of new friends, making connections on your course can be a good networking opportunity, particularly if you are studying a business course.
lab4free 