It's growing in popularity the world over. More and more people are finding it difficult to make time in attending classes regularly. A steady stream of students wanting to earn a college degree is attracted to the distance education alternative. But how exactly does an online degree program work? Here's a quick overview.

The term begins with delivery of course materials to duly registered students for the term. In its barest forms, learning packages would include learning modules (books), compilation of resources, video and audio discs of relevant content, a course guide and a course calendar.

In institutions with highly developed programs like those offered at The Hadley School for the Blind, course materials and coursework for courses offered at eHadley, the online school, are all done electronically.

Online students have a virtual campus/classroom. A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is very much similar to a discussion or message board but with added features. There are areas for specific courses and places for depositing assignments and retrieving electronic handouts throughout the term.

Throughout the term, students interact with other students and their tutors via email and chats. Most university portals would include an email and chat facility for this purpose. It's an option, in addition to using other web-based email programs or POP3 accounts. Off-site communications though is at the learner's prerogative as live discussion feeds can be subscribed to and are delivered to your off-site inbox.

Online Automated Student Information System (OASIS) is another unique feature of online courses that you don't find anywhere else. OASIS provides students with virtual access to the University Registrar's files as it pertains to them. Password-protected access lets students view their university records and even allows them to file forms and correspond with the University Registrars office.

University professors handling the courses during the term are referred to as tutors. They facilitate discussions and handle questions. They also rate student assignments and issue a student's final grades. But unlike in a traditional university set up, tutors are not necessary the same people who wrote the plan and instructional materials for the courses they handle. Normally, the course plan and materials are collaborative efforts of an entire department and team leads are not always the course tutors.

In most cases, even final exams are standardized and included in the preparation of course materials. But make no mistake about it. The tutors are experts in the fields they handle and are part of the team who developed your course plans and instructional materials. Most would have written some of the resources you are provided with.

eLibrary Services is an interesting feature of online courses. Some very advanced virtual universities have copies of their library files in digital formats and students are given access to certain sections, depending on the courses they're enrolled in.

As a supplement, educational institutions offering online college degrees partner with various schools and libraries in areas where they have students from. The learning centers, as these are called, act like pilot offices that cater to the needs of online students in a specific area. From administrative tasks to student support services, learning center coordinators assist students in virtually every way.



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How Much Text is Too Much?

In the online classroom, it is easy to be overwhelmed by too much text. Before posting extensive lecture notes, consider other means of providing the same information, such as using short information chunks, or audio recordings of mini-lectures, hyperlinked to an overall outline of the week's topic, or a PowerPoint presentation. This allows students to access information they need, but keeps the text on the online page from being overwhelming.

There are a wide variety of methods for imparting information in online courses. Examples are multimedia technologies such as streaming video or pod-casting, both of which are viable alternatives. These techniques are economical to produce using free open source software such as Audacity or CamStudio. Using a variety of methods for imparting information to students will ensure that content is provided in ways accessible to the majority students.

Steamlined Lecture Notes

That said, streamlined lecture notes provide online students with open access to relevant information whenever needed. Links to more information, graphics, charts or explanations can be embedded in online lecture notes. As an alternative, instructional designers for online courses can use a short recorded lecture as a brief introduction of the chapter topics.

Discussion Questions Consolidate Learning

As a follow up to lecture notes or other course readings, discussion questions designed to foster research and a deeper understanding of the subject matter effectively ensure the student is exposed to topics the instructor considers important. The students' answers to the questions gives the instructor a solid indication whether the students understand key concepts.



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Culture, economic, social and political factors

Culture, economic, social and political factors must all be considered when designing teaching and/or training resources for online courses. Culture is sometimes blamed for mis-communications. Cultural differences in body positions and movements, eye movement, hand movements, and handshakes make it easy to misunderstand individuals from a culture different than your own. Even smiles are perceived differently in various cultures. Attitudes concerning human relationships differ, too.

Culture differences

Culture differences affect the quality of communication. There are several ways to prevent or reduce the number of mis-communications. Avoid words derived from culture, such as drive-in, sit-in, cover-up, and blurb. Groovy, cool, hot, extreme, and other slang words, whether in the dictionary or not, may be difficult for people of other cultures, as are double verbs such as 'give away.' Colloquialisms may or may not have similar meanings in other cultures, and as such should also be avoided.

Economic differences

Economic differences often determine what exposure an individual has had to online technology. Rather than assume that everyone online has all the neatest and newest gadgets, such as Flash or other plugins, we should keep in mind that the online learner may not have these and may not understand the process of getting even those that are free. Another difference is the equipment available to the learner. Some learners will have state-of-the-art computers and peripherals with broadband access, while others will have used computers several years old and be attending classes over a slow dial up connection. All course materials should be provided in multiple formats to allow all learners to have access. If the learner does not have Flash and his or her computer will not support it, the same information must be available in another format, such as plain text. It may not be as pretty and, well, flashy, but it will allow the learner to understand what is expected in the course.

Social differences

Social differences are often, though not always, tied in with economic differences. In some countries, it is considered extremely rude to question instructors or those of higher rank. In others, it is a common occurrence, and is expected student behavior. It is true, even in this country, which is supposed to be a classless society, that there are social differences between classes. For instance, most people would dress up if invited to have brunch at the White House with the First Lady.

Impact of information technology

Information technology has caused a great impact on the need to consider such concerns in developing online courses, especially those on the open Internet rather than behind university firewalls. Students from different geographical areas can share their cultures with other students in the online classroom, exposing all learners to diverse ideas and differing cultural viewpoints. When online course developers learn the cultural standards of their students, they are in a better position to help their students succeed.



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