Guest Blog: Marietta Poshi “Strategies for Online Education”

With the recent global pandemic, higher education saw a sudden shift to online teaching and learning in all grade levels from Kindergarten to graduate and professional schools. We were no longer concerned about teaching platforms, or having the adequate training for staff and faculty to take on the new role as virtual educators, but rather embraced it because it needed to be done in a very short amount of time. This broke the barriers that online education is not for everyone or for every institution proving quite the contrary.

I, myself, started as a traditional student and found the online option to fit my busy schedule when I pursued my doctorate degree, and knowing what I know now both as a student and faculty, I would choose online education anytime over the traditional one. Regardless of my personal view on the matter, there are still some skills and techniques that students must embrace in order to be successful in online learning. And everyone can be successful in online learning! 

First, there needs to be a set schedule.

Time can be a best friend or an enemy in online school. Many students have heard of schedules before and even attempted to make some time for their online class, but it just doesn’t not seem to fall into the right place, and they gave up feeling overwhelmed, perhaps even disappointed. The concept of time does not extend and stretch because a student is now online. We all get the same 24 hours in a given date. And sadly, no one is going to make time and accommodate the student because they have school work. Therefore, it is important as an online student to be a little selfish and set time apart. Procrastination is not a friend here. If one will find excuses to not log in and do the work, they should not waste time and resources (money) on online education.

The students need to be proactive and find the time that works best for their busy schedule. Some individuals work better at night while others during the day. Some might even choose to do their school work during lunch break on a personal laptop. The timetable is going to look different for everyone but that is the beauty of online school: it fits the students’ schedule, as long as they follow it and get the work done. 

Second, students need to realize that online education comes with a lot of support, but they need to reach out for it.

Online education does not mean that the students need have to have all the answers on their own or study independently: quite the opposite. As a higher ed administrator, the biggest disappointment was encountered when students would not inquire for support or assistance. Most online schools have designated and experienced teams to guide students, starting from the degree path all the way to individual class support. There is tutoring, resources, support, and guidance. And distant learning is no longer one-dimensional lecture based only. It is built for the numerous types of learners: very interactive! 

Support can also come from peers. Just because students attend online school at their own time does not mean that they cannot be part of a team. Interact with classmates during introductions at the beginning of class. Technology can be useful in collaborations with others via Skype and Zoom meetings and even group text. Most online schools have Facebook groups that students can be a part of before they graduate. 

Lastly, students must take learning online very personally and be demanding of themselves, their faculty, and their peers.

Teaching and learning have changed very little over the centuries even with the introduction of online education. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, an instructor would teach and students would repeat, yet the interpretation of knowledge is so unique and different across everyone that partakes in a lesson. Hence, while the information is the same for everyone, students need to make the lessons their own, take responsibility for learning, and proudly showcase their knowledge. Most importantly online students must have patience with themselves. It takes a lot of persistence to pursue academia at any level. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.” Lao Tzu

Marietta Poshi, DBA, MBA, MAcc, is a Marketing and Business faculty, researcher, writer, and business consultant. She has been teaching in higher education in various platforms (online, onsite, hybrid) for over 7 years and believes that distant education can be just as interactive as traditional learning if students and faculty dissolved the boundaries imposed by technology while focusing on the outcomes, which is gaining new knowledge and skills rather than just earning a credit towards a degree.