The Challenges of Online Learning

It is the number one topic of discussion:

Online classes cannot be as good as traditional face-to-face learning.

Don't be fooled. The best teachers still teach the best classes. (So let's hope that forcing schools to open won't force all the good teachers into retirement!) Online courses are good, and in fact, online teaching is just beginning its renaissance. And with the proper tools and understanding, online classes/courses can overcome many of the challenges learners face. If done right, not only can online classes make education more accessible, they may give the boring face-to-face lecture hall class a run for its money!

The problem with rushing to online teaching during the Pandemic is that we missed the "how to teach online" part for many an instructor. Although we have been teaching online for many years, we have failed to help instructors design better online learners' courses.

You Must Understand Why Online Learners Struggle

Colleges around the country have been trying to figure out why learners never finish their online courses. Affordable, convenient, flexible--but many students never finish online courses despite paying serious money to enroll in them. This is true in the adult learner online course world as well. They are signing up for that perfect course, paying top dollar, and then failing to finish. Why?

You see, before your big idea. Before the PowerPoint slides get filled up, instructors need to sit back and think about the who, what, and why of their courses. And although the What and Why are most critical to the course's design (a subject next in this series), this short article is all about the WHO.

Understanding Who Takes Your Online Course Can Help Learners Finish

Here are five top reasons that online learners never finish your course:

1. Personal time conflicts.
2. Terrible course design.
3. Lack of communication.
4. Technology problems.
5. Lack of engagement

What follows are some simple reasons why these keep learners from finishing, and a few practical ideas on incorporating them into your next course.

Personal Time

The number one reason online learners fail to finish online courses are all of the personal time conflicts that happen after they enroll. Personal problems, personal conflicts, personal space, personal workloads.

Personal problems are many times not avoidable and certainly not the fault of an instructor. But failing to plan for all of the issues that come up during the semester or right after signing up for your online course is something you can allow for with certainty. Studies have shown that online learners tend to take on too much. "Online" seems more manageable, more flexible, right? So just like our stomachs at the all-you-can-eat-buffet, signing up for too much in common.

How do you overcome this? Be clear in your course details and expectations. Online classes should not be taught at the same pace as in-person courses. Learners have families, jobs, pets, and living situations that may not be ideal for your online course. Showing up to a room with desks and chairs is a perfect foundation for learning, but what does your student's classroom look like at home? As an instructor, you need to think about all the options, not the one you are in, but all your online learners' scenarios. Then prepare them thoroughly for what lies ahead by giving them all the details plus some ideas for how they can organize their personal space and time to accommodate this course for the best learning outcome.

Course Design

Online teaching is nothing like in-classroom teaching. You are the focus: eyes up here, right? Instructors must understand and incorporate design learning techniques to bring each virtual students 'eyes upfront' and focused. Your slides need to be well designed. You need videos, resources, images, activities, and group collaboration (yes, even in a recorded eLearning course you can have group collaboration!)

Break things down! When everyone is sitting in the same room, in the same chairs, looking up at the same thing--you can give them a course filled to the brim with materials. But with a world filled with so many distractions--beeps, buzzes, vibrating phones--you cannot expect online learners to carry the same amount of material. So break it up into smaller, more manageable bites with breaks every 20-30 minutes, activities to further their understanding, and give learners time to reflect on your materials in ways they are familiar with--like vlogs or other social media platforms. Learning is not the same for each person and neither should their reflective homework be!

Lack of Communication

This seems like it shouldn't be here, but it is most likely the reason, so many of your learners fall off the right track. Be clear. Be simple. Break it all down. Start by telling them what is in the next section--in a short 2 min video. Then give them an outline of what you will present, including what you want them to know at the end, and then summarize it with resources and activities that further the learning. If you think you are doing this, most instructors are not. Your big, fat syllabus is like reading the Cheesecake Factory menu; it could be 1/4 of the size with the most necessary items right there in black and white with red arrows. Look things from their point-of-view, not yours!

In the classroom, you can see their faces. Students can hang back and ask you to clarify. Online, their kids are screaming in the next room, and they need to 'get offline' right now! Communicate often. Ask questions. Remind and break down the entire section in clearly outlined outcomes and expectations. Sure, these are adults, and they should be able to do it--but do you want your learners to learn something, not to mention, finish your course--OR NOT? Treat every learner like a 5th grader, and you will improve your learning outcomes and course completion by 50% or more (no, I have no statistic on that, but it is the advice given to me years ago when I started doing face-to-face seminars and conferences, and it has never failed me!)

Technology

"Technology" isn't about just understanding the technology; it also about access to it. Bandwidth is a serious problem when you have four other people online in the same home, plus each person has a phone using Bluetooth. School and work computers are upgraded and have video cams and microphones--who knows how old the laptop is for some of your students. Be mindful of this. Communicate what they will need for the course before they sign up. Direct them to tech support or prerequisite courses at the community center if they need anything techy at all.

Vet and prepare your learners to learn by giving them a list of what they must know and use to complete your course successfully. Signing up is not a prerequisite. Paying is not a prerequisite. Having access to 21st-century technology and skills is critical for online learning. It is your job to explain that in advance.

Lack of Engagement

Our worst teachers and instructors will never get this one right, but here we go. Online learning is best done when you are not just "teacher to student" but a "coach to a student." And there is a difference! The overall design of the course will impact engagement, so please, make that a priority. If for some reason, you cannot or don't have time to redo your slides and materials, you can add activities that will engage online learners.

I love asking students to post a picture of one place on their bucket list to travel in the future. Ask them: Why do you want to go there? This takes the pressure off of a family portrait or personal questions that intimidate some learners. It opens them up to possibilities and your caring before the course even begins. And share your postcard too! And is it so hard to make a personal connection with each and every student at the beginning, in the middle, and perhaps to nudge them to completion? It is not. So make it a point to bring face-to-face magic to the online classroom. Having activities to further learning outcomes is the key to completing your course and understanding what you outlined in the beginning. And engagement is critical to your success in a digital world. They finished and learned something--they will share it with others. It is a beautiful thing.

Where to begin

These five steps are an oversimplified list, but it is manageable and, more important, it will further the learning for your students. Pick one item and fix it in your course. Then move on to another until you have mastered the online process like the most successful pros. Be a learner yourself and become a better online instructor. It takes knowledge and practice. Let me know where you have the most significant challenge or disagree with me. I like constructive conflict--I learn more!

#digitallearning #onlinecoursedesign #learningoutcomes

Maria Bereket is a Digital Marketing Consultant, Course Designer, and Content Writer. email her at [email protected] with questions, complaints, or ideas (she especially loves ideas!)