Remote and Online Learning for Students
Section: Just What is "Distance Learning?" | Remote and Online Learning for Students | GCC
Main course pageJust What is "Distance Learning?"
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Just What is "Distance Learning?"
Distance Learning, also known as Online Learning and now Remote Learning, is a way to deliver course content to students from remote locations. Distance Learning courses at GCC all use Moodle as our Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS is a way to organize the course content for students to access and complete. Now that most of the courses for the Summer II and Fall semesters will be held remotely, instructors are also including platforms to engage in a virtual learning environment, such as Zoom and Google Meet, which we?ll learn more about.
It?s important to remember that online learning platforms, the actual technology of them, are not the course content but are delivery systems of the course content. For me, I?ve always felt technologically challenged, at least with modern technology, and when I wasn?t able to master technology quickly, I felt that I had failed in the task, which is not accurate, and I think places unreasonable expectations upon our sense of success. Learning platforms are like books in that they too serve as a delivery system for the content. Of course we know how to use books, it?s a technology that?s been around for a long time! So long that we could all pick up a book published five hundred years ago and still know how to use it! Figuring out how to use the technology to access the course content takes a lot of practice and some familiarity. Our workshop intends to help you start to familiarize yourself with the technology you?ll use as Distance Learners.
Distance Learning is divided into two modes, Synchronous and Asynchronous learning.
Synchronous
Synchronous learning modes are online courses that are scheduled for particular days and times. These types of courses offer students the structure of a classroom environment by establishing a set day and time when students engage in the learning platform, just as they would if they were attending a class.
Asynchronous
Asynchronous learning modes are online courses that don?t require students to log on or engage at any particular day and time. The courses offer flexibility for students to access and complete course content at the convenience of their own schedule, as long as the student satisfies the attendance and participation requirements of the course.
How to approach it
Online courses and courses working remotely are real courses, which is important to remember when balancing workloads. There may be the tendency to assume that because the course is not happening in a classroom, then the workload and participation expectations are lower, which is NOT TRUE. Online platforms are course delivery systems and not course content, so it's important to approach each one as though you would a real-time face-to-face class. You'll want to remember to log in consistently throughout each week and engage in the course content each visit.
It's also important to remember that whenever you have any questions and can't locate the answers yourself, to reach out to the course instructor. It's essential for student success for there to be open communication, especially in an online environment where the instructor can't "see" if there is an issue. Distance learning allows us to become fast advocates for ourselves.
Finally, it's important for us to convey that this process is hard and on-going. You'll be constantly learning new information and technology, and building upon those skills to further advance your capabilities.