Research has shown that online learning is better suited to people who are verbally oriented, rather than those who have visual or kinesthetic skills. For this reason, notes Jonathan Ginsburg, whether or not a student is successful in an e-learning course can depend considerably on their personality and their learning type.
Before taking an online course, students should think about how they learn and what they like and dislike about interacting with others in a virtual environment. The introduction of online learning has been able to enhance options for the introvert and extrovert to be able to communicate in the classroom. The introvert appreciates the one-on-one dialogue of an instant message session, while extroverts gravitate toward chat rooms and postings on social network websites to connect with other students. To this end, with opportunities created through the online learning for new forms of interaction, new challenges for student retention have emerged, as not all students at colleges and universities are well-suited to traditional forms of study.
Amongst learners, there are a variety of learning styles. Some students prefer auditory, others visual, some tactile and still others kinesthetic. Online communication is devoid of facial expression, intonations, and body language, which is both a positive and negative aspect of distance learning and which denotes a greater focus on verbal learning. For some students, due to this lack of emotional context, online communication is sometimes not compatible with course success and may very well undermine important elements of overall student success, retention and degree completion.
Based on these ideas from academic research, it has been said that, for online courses to be success for certain personality types, some students need more time on-campus and need to interact with faculty and other students even more than for traditional courses. For online systems to be effective for students’ personal success over the long run, students must realize that taking an online course is not necessarily easier or less time-intensive than an in-class course.
Given these findings, for students who are interested in taking an online course through a college or university, thought must be given as to whether this method of instruction suits their personality. If students have the right attitude towards online learning, they can and will be successful.
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Jonathan Ginsburg writes for Essay and Term Paper Assistance.
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