Overcoming Obstacles

Obstacles to online course presentation have to do with the perception that learning reinforcement activities do not translate to new formats. Also, technological platforms that are not to the standard of the presentation may result in choppy presentations that limit and frustrate the student. If an instructor stresses non-verbal communication as an indicator of information transfer, they must find other ways to gather information. In some instances this results in proliferation of assignments or multiple-choice quizzes, which can be dry and ineffective. Finally, students may often feel isolated and not part of a group.

There are many techniques for overcoming these and other obstacles. The number one requirement for success in any educational experience is ensuring that the students are ready for class before they begin. They should register for the correct class for their current skill level; if a distance learning class is too fast, it can be broken into smaller sets of competencies. If a course is outside the scope of the students' next step in their educational process, more intermediate courses can be created to address that particular audience. It is vital to decide how many lessons there should be, and what each lesson should contain in order to maximize the student learning experience.

Distance learning courses can be made to resemble traditional courses, where lecture is used to present material, in addition to textbooks and other audiovisual materials that help make content clear. These are followed by assignments, lab activities, and other processes that demonstrate student competency. Instructors may replace missing interaction by simulating classroom experiences. Students can still be actively involved via learning style, as some styles lend themselves to distance learning better than others.

The quickest and greatest learning gains come from increased interaction among students, and between students and their teachers. When creating competency-based courses on a lesson-by-lesson basis, the educator should include opportunities for completing the student-teacher feedback loop before increasing course sophistication. Website research and "away from the machine" exercises can also vary a class enough to make it seem other than "reading the electric book".

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