CI 5321 Post 4: Support for K-12 Online Learners

Online learning can be convenient or easier in some ways, but it also can be tricky. I've been taking online classes since I was in high school, so this is nothing new to me. Over the years, almost anytime I've mentioned that I'm taking online classes, I've gotten similar responses. A lot of people react by saying that it must be difficult or that they could never do it. This has always amazed me because I've found online classes to be convenient and often times easier than F2F classes. However, I am pretty organized and disciplined when it comes to academics, and I think that's a huge factor into my success. For some students who are not used to holding themselves accountable, online classes could be pretty tricky.

Organization and self-motivation are skills that most high school (and pre-high school) students struggle with. As a future secondary teacher who could, one day, be teaching an online course, it is important for me to think about the supports I could put in place to help out my future students.

first of all,  would probably do a lot more hand-holding than I would do for a college course. For example, not only would I be clear about expectations and deadlines, I would also make sure I remind students several times before those deadlines arrive. It is important for online students to take responsibility for their own learning, but I think this would be an acceptable crutch for secondary students.

Another aspect that contributes to online students' success is how confident they are with technology. To aid with this, I would create specific, step-by-step videos on how to use certain technological tools throughout the course. I would also make sure my students know where to reach out - whether it would be to me or to other tech help - if they come across technological issues.

I will end with a quote from "Insights From Research on Distance Education Learners, Learning, and Learner Support?" by Richard E. West. He says that "Cavanaugh [a researcher] concluded that when the online instruction is designed well, K-12 students appeared to have as good of a chance for success as they would in a F2F class" (page 140). I think this proves that our students can be successful in any context, as long as they have the right supports.