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Avoiding Trouble With a Distance Learning Program

Take the Leap

Avoiding Trouble With a Distance Learning Program

Distance learning programs can be an important addition to any college or university. They can boost enrollment, expand the reach of your institution, and can also be a steady stream of new revenue. But there are some mistakes that many colleges and universities make while implementing or maintaining their distance learning programs. Some are easy enough to fix, but there are some problems that are deeply embedded, and the end result could be detrimental to your institution as a whole. Addressing these problems quickly could be the difference between the success and failure of your e-learning program. Remember, a successful online learning program isn’t necessarily one that simply enrolls the most people. The people who pass their courses and graduate are just as important.

Marketing Correctly: You want to make it clear that your distance learning program is an extension of your institution, and that it carries just as much weight as the “on the ground and in person” part of your school. There are no shortages of programs that offer “degrees” that are unaccredited, and it is important that you distinguish your program from those.

Setting Deadlines: One of the advantages of online learning is that it allows students to set their own schedule, but that should not mean that they can take as long as they want to get a degree. An online semester should only last as long as a normal semester, and any of your students should be expected to do required reading and complete assignments according to a specified schedule.

Make Faculty and Staff Accessible: Back when distance learning meant videotaped lectures and little else, it was much harder for faculty to connect with their students. Times are much different now. There is e-mail, instant messaging, message boards, and even websites like Skype that allow you to video conference in real time for free. An enormous part of the college experience is interaction between students and teachers, and current technology can make professors of online courses even more accessible. Make it clear to any faculty teaching online courses that they will be expected to interact with their students, and make it clear to any students that they will be expected to interact with their teachers.

Make Sure Your Faculty Knows How to Teach Through Distance Learning: There is a big difference between standing at a lectern in a 300 seat hall and putting together a lesson that has to be delivered electronically. Any online lessons should be designed with the strengths and limitations of the technology in mind.

Give Time for Materials Delivery: While “on the ground students” might simply be able to go to the campus bookstore, distance learners don’t necessarily have that option. You should make sure that you give your e-learning students ample time to both receive and send any needed course materials.

Run “Rehearsals” for New Methods and Technologies: It never hurts to run your lesson plans by internal staff before the class begins, or to put yourself in the place of one of your distance students. What might seem to you like a brilliant method of getting the point across might get lost in translation for those who aren’t familiar with the subject.

Offer an Introductory Online Learning Course: Most colleges have a mandatory orientation course for freshman or new students. Online learning shouldn’t be any different. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to create a class that combines teaching them the basics of how the institution works with the basics of online learning. New students should not be left to “sink or swim.”

Don’t Let Your Students Become Passive: It would be very easy to let online learning students become passive recipients of lectures and course materials, but you would be doing them a disservice if you allowed that to happen. Critical thinking and the defense of positions should be encouraged, and can easily take place through forums and message boards.

These are only a few of the ways to help build a successful distance learning program at your institution. At EdTek Services, we do much more than simply set up programs. We consult with software, faculty recruitment, marketing and technical support. If you are considering distance learning options for your college, university, vocational school or school district, contact EdTek Services for a free legal consultation today.

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"The 5 Biggest Mistakes That Almost All Small Schools Make

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