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Finish That Degree: ONLINE - Page 2by Bruce Bikle, Ph. D.As an e-learner, you don't have the structure of a traditional instructor-led classroom to hold you accountable to view lectures, complete your assignments, or inquire as to whether you are comfortable with the class materials and making good progress. During a traditional course, students would engage in face-to-face discussions with the instructor and benefit from the feedback the instructor gives in answering the questions asked by each student in the classroom. In order to enjoy this same experience in an online classroom, the student must participate in online chat and discussion, and must be willing to take a very active role in their own learning experience. If they don't understand a concept, they must not only solicit the advice of the instructor but must also seek out feedback from their online classmates, creating a virtual discussion much like they would experience if they sat in a traditional classroom. To be a successful e-learner a person can't simply sit in the back row, so to speak, and expect to pick up the important information by listening to everyone else-the back row doesn't exist. E-learners must be much more active participants in order to be successful. Online courses offer a potentially wonderful opportunity to students who can't physically attend university classes, but they are not easy and should not be taken lightly. The CSU-Sacramento students' most common reasons for poor performance in an online course were typically from one of these issues: (1) failure to keep up with the viewing or reading of the lectures; (2) failure to connect with the instructor when they have questions about the coursework or assignments; and (3) failure to treat the online classroom like they would a traditional classroom by not taking advantage of online tools such as email, discussion boards, or live chat offered as part of the course. What should you look for in a distance education option? There are a few things to consider, issues that were used in our planning process in creating the degree completion program at CSU-Sacramento. First and foremost, find a reputable school. Unless your agency simply wants a degree, any degree, you would be best advised to get a degree from an accredited institution with a reputation in the field of study. Will your program "bundle" your existing credits? Many universities are willing to take credits from a variety of schools and package them into an individual degree plan. This certainly reduces cost and saves time. One might be cautioned about programs that accept large numbers of credits for experience. Again, find a reputable school. In an ideal world, you should be able to have some interaction with faculty and fellow students, even in an exclusively online modality. Many web-based courses utilize discussion boards, chat rooms, and virtual office hours to provide some of the interaction that the educational research tells us is important to students in their learning experience. Costs may be higher in some distance programs, so completing courses at your local college to fill requirements, such as general education or other requirements like languages, etc., may be a more cost-efficient way to get started. Furthering your education at last is a possibility, even if you live in the most remote parts of California. What are you waiting for? Dr. Bruce Bikle is an associate professor and faculty program manager for the Criminal Justice Online Degree Completion Program at California State University, Sacramento. For more information, contact Dr. Bikle at bikleb@csus.edu. Continue Reading: Page 1 | Page 2  Print This PageBack to Volume 24, Issue 2 Back to PEACEKeeper Main Page |
