David Thompson

Very often, students do not understand what will be required of them in a substantive online program. As a minimum, students must be self-disciplined. Effective participation and success as a learner will depend on the student's ability to prioritize activities and events in their lives. Best practices include establishment of a routine and a daily schedule. Depending on the level of training or education, the learner may have to spend time in the courseroom or working on assignments every day. Establishing deadlines or milestones for lesson, course, and program completion also helps the learner focus and acheive learning objectives. Taking a self-analysis inventory will help the potential students determine if they possess the traits or abilities to be successful in a distance education/online program. Results of the inventory also can assist potential students develop habits or condition themselves, so that they may become effective online learners.

Tena Crews

David,

I agree. I don't know how many times I have heard students say, "I took this online course because I thought it would be easier." Not the case. Being organized and providing students with guidelines and learning outcomes is important. I also use self-analysis inventories to help students understand their needs, but it also helps me determine how to provide the content and how quickly (or how much) to provide. Thanks for your input.

Sharon Milosovic

Often, students do not know what to expect from online learning and are overwhelmed when they begin. The self-analysis inventory will help them to understand where their weaknesses are but also help them to recognize their strengths. Once they understand that they have some of the skills required to be successful, they will be able to address the opportunities to grow in the areas where they are not strong. Sometimes, as instructors, we concentrate on the areas of weakness to help the student improve in those areas but it is just as important that we help students to recognize their strengths and to encourage them to build upon that foundation. Self-analysis inventories will reduce the students’ anxiety levels and provide a roadmap to success.

Tena Crews

Sharon,

You are right. Many times student think that an online course will be easier than a face-to-face course and that is not the case. That's why, as you said, it's important for them to understand the expectations of the course. Your syllabus, learning outcomes, and other information you can provide to your online student is essential. Anything we can do to alleviate the stress/anxiety levels is a good thing. Thanks!

Gregory Mitchell

Over several years of teaching online courses, I find that I simply cannot overemphasize the importance of preparing students for an online delivery venue for mathematics courses.

Assisting learners with assuming primary responsibility for their learning is a valuable contribution which can be made by online facilitators. Of course, self navigation of math textbooks and other resources is a daunting challenge. However, as is the case with other subject material delivered in the online format, engaging students in the educational process and imparting a sense of self responsibility, reliance and empowerment is a prerequisite to continued success in a distance learning environment.

So, in fairness to the students, they should be acutely aware of difference (both those associated with technology and its impact on content delivery, such as LMS usage, and those associated with the relevant subject matter). Facilitator usage of a well-designed self-analysis inventory (which addresses more general topics (such as student motivation, acquaintance with technology, prior online experience, time management skills, expectations) and discipline-specific topics will ultimately benefit both the instructor (in expectation setting and identification of learners in need of support) and the learners (in assessing readiness for the course and determining necessary preparation).

Tena Crews

Gregory,

You are so right. The longer we teach online the more we know about what we need to provide to students to help them understand what they'll need to do to be successful in the online environment. Engaging students in the learning process and explaining that they need to take responsibility also is essential. You're right in that the self-analysis must be well-designed and cover all pertinent topics. Thanks for you input.

Marilu Marcillo-Gomez

This type of self analysis gauges the students' readiness for taking an online course. Many times students who have never taken an online course are unaware of the discipline and time management it takes as well as the importance of having reliable technology available.

Jim Watters

Students who take on-line or distant learning class have to be willing to commit to the class. Although there is not the requirement (normally)
to be at a place at a set time. I have taken distant learning classes (Dept of Def, Fema and Indiana University) on-line (CEE).Students have to personally commit to a schedule to successfully complete the course. It is easy to do it tomorrow and suddenly a number of leasons have to be done in a few days, pay for an extension or let the class go. Students must realize the overall time comitments is the same as an on campus class are about the same
but if the programs are done properly the time commitment is more managable. They work best for people with job, community, and family commitments that make absolute demmands on a student's time. On-line classes are not set up for students that can not get out of bed before the crack of noon.

Gayle Bird

To compare online students to offline classrooms, with an online student you can't see their facial expression or body language, which means you need other ways to know what kind of learning will best stimulate that student. If you do self-analysis to determine learning style and preparedness for the course, and even personality style, you will be better able to accommodate that student in the best way possible. For instance, if a student has high auditory skills but low reading skills, I might expect to have more phone assistance than email assistance, and I would also point that student to extra reading comprehension resources to help boost their independent reading skills.

A well-designed analysis quiz (with feedback at each answer) also helps set up the expectations for the students themselves - asking if they have ever used certain technologies sets up the feedback explanation that they will have to use that tech for the program, for instance.

David Landau

The primary reason it is important to ask online students to complete a self-analysis inventory is to assess student readiness to participate in online learning. The goal should be to develop a self-analysis that serves as a tool to help both the learner and the institution measure the level of preparation that student has. The self-analysis should not be seen as an “entrance exam”. The goal of self-assessment is to determine the level of readiness and identify areas that will need attention, not to exclude anyone.
Online learning is very valuable, but requires certain core skills. Fortunately these skills can be taught and the sooner these areas can be identified, the better. As Dr. Milosevic pointed out, a good self-analysis can also serve to reduce the overall levels of anxiety on the part of a student just starting out.

Lastly, I agree with the other posters in this forum that many students far underestimate what will be required of them in online class. A self-analysis can serve to create more realistic expectations on part of some students.

Tena Crews

Gayle,

Thanks for your remarks. Your are on target. If you are meeting with your students synchronously through Web cams and software, you get some nonverbal feedback, but not much. And, certainly through asynchronous learning, the nonverbal is missing. Online students many times appreciate that phone call and human contact. Knowing your audience is important. Nice job.

Tena Crews

David,

We always say we need to know our audience, but we all need to know ourselves as well. And, you're right on about the self-assessment to help identify the level of readiness and areas that will need attention. Helping students understand that as well is of the utmost importance. Thanks for your remarks.

Tena Crews

Jim,

Thanks for continuing the conversation. Procrastination is a virus and once it starts, it just keeps going and going. It is one thing that many online students struggle with. I do a time management session in my courses to help students get the the due dates on their calendar, figure out how long projects/assignments might take, etc. This seems to help. Time committment can be huge and online courses are not just "easier" because they are online. Students need help sometimes realizing this. Nice job.

Tena Crews

Marilu,

Thanks for you input and keeping the conversation going. Those students who have not taken online courses before do need assistance Nice job.

Nicole Coyle

As some stated above, students beginning an online program are often unaware of the amount of time and effort needed to be successful in this setting. Our school experiences students not only struggling with the amount of time and effort needed, but also not realizing their technology deficiencies until it is sometimes too late. Completing a comprehensive self-evaluation that includes academic readiness, time commitment, and technology competency can be extremely valuable to ensure students enter aware of what they are committing to. Identifying their own strengths and weaknesses will provide focus for the areas they need not worry about, as well as which areas they may need assistance with. In addition, this type of assessment allows the student to take responsibility for where they are, and what they need to do to be successful and eliminates any “surprises” as they get into their program.

Tena Crews

Nicole,

Thaks for continuing the conversation. As online instructors, we do have to be more proactive in knowing our strengths and weaknesses before we enter the virtual classroom. It's good to have the conversation with students as well. No surprises is a good thing. Thanks for your input.

James Lauer

If the student can identify and realize his/her deficiencies, this is half the battle. With a little coaching this student should be successful. Of course if the problem is procrastination, we will need to be proactive. However, this does not ensure success.

Edna Murugan

How students measure their skill set and the value they place on the results can either provide them a positive or negative experience in the online classroom environment.

It is very important for online students to take a self-analysis inventory to know where their strengths are and where their challenges exist. This will provide them with knowledge of where they are starting in their effort to become a successful college student. Understanding their skills will help them to understand how effective they will be in the online environment. Although their challenges may never be turned into strengths, it is important that they have at least a basic level of competency to be successful in the online learning environment. The self-analysis inventory will help to determine this.

Tena Crews

James,

Your right! Once students identify their weaknesses, they (and we) can move forward to work to improve. I discuss proactive communication with my students all the time. It's so important. Thanks!