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What Are the Learner’s Perceptions and Preferences for Online Education?
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How would you rate your interest in learning new things online? Would you prefer to study from home or attend classes in person? What are some reasons why you might choose one over the other?
Here’s the thing: online courses are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young adults who want to advance their career prospects. In fact, according to a recent study by Techjury, more than 20 million students were enrolled in online courses in 2021 alone.
While online education offers convenience and flexibility, learners often struggle to balance schoolwork with their personal lives. This leads to stress and burnout, which can negatively impact academic performance. This is especially the case for online classrooms, where in reality, learners need to be able to interact with each other face-to-face.
As an educator, what are learners’ perceptions and preferences that you need to know, so you get to be in your learners’ shoes and provide them with a better online education experience?
Read on to find out.
Online Education That Is Compatible With Mobile Devices
In today’s world of technology, it’s crucial to have access to all kinds of devices. There are many ways to access online education, from smartphones to tablets and laptops.
For instance, learners don’t necessarily need to use a desktop computer when taking online classes. They could simply use their smartphones instead. The same goes for tablets like an iPad.
The point is that you should always consider how your learners will access your course materials. For example, will they be using a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, or even a smartphone?
If you’re teaching an online course, you must ensure that your course material is compatible with any device your learners use.
Lessons and Classes That Can Be Replayed Anytime, Anywhere
Another great advantage of online education is that you can replay lessons whenever possible. This means learners can watch videos as often as they like without having to pay again. In addition, by enabling the option to rewind, learners can pause the video and return to certain parts of the lesson.
However, this feature isn’t available on every platform. For example, some online learning management platforms only allow you to fast forward through the videos, while others let you skip ahead.
Whether using a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, you should always provide your learners with the ability to replay the videos. It doesn’t matter if they’re watching at home or in the office.
Learners Should Be Able to Ask and Address Their Questions and Concerns In Real-Time
When learning online, it’s essential that you allow your learners to communicate with one another. After all, communication skills are vital for success in any field.
A chatroom allows learners to discuss topics related to your course. You can also create discussion forums where learners can ask questions about the course.
It’s important to note that some platforms do not support live chats. Therefore, it’s crucial that you research which ones do before creating a course.
It’s also important to remember that you shouldn’t expect too much from your learners. If they are not able to answer your questions right away, then it’s okay. Instead, focus on providing them with the resources needed to solve their problems.
As long as you give your learners the tools they need to succeed, they won’t have issues interacting with each other.
Real-time collaboration and engagement between learners and educators are possible with Salt Meet.
Learners Still Prefer Interacting Face-to-Face, Even Virtually
Although there are plenty of benefits associated with online education, there are still some drawbacks. One of these is that learners may feel more comfortable interacting face-to-face.
This is especially true when it comes to group discussions. Learners may tend to prefer talking to one another rather than typing messages.
Therefore, you should ensure that you include opportunities for real-life interactions in your online classroom. For example, you could hold virtual meetings where learners could share ideas and collaborate together.
Motivation Is Needed While Learning Online
For learners, motivation plays a huge role in how successful they will be in achieving their goals. When it comes to online education, motivation is even more critical because you don’t see learners in front of you.
However, you can use different methods to motivate your learners. For instance, you can reward them for completing certain milestones. You can also set up incentives so that they’ll want to complete the course.
If you’re looking for ways to motivate your learners, consider using gamification. Gamification involves incorporating game mechanics into non-game contexts.
Check out this post on how you can incorporate gamification into your online course.
Stable Internet Connection is Crucial
One of the main challenges faced by online educators is ensuring that their students have stable internet connections.
When accessing online courses, learners may experience slow speeds or disconnections from accessing the platform at all.
To avoid this problem, you should ensure that your learners can access fast and reliable internet connections. They should also be aware of potential network issues that might occur during class time.
The Bottom Line
Online education has become increasingly popular over the past few years. As a result, more businesses are offering this type of training, and as an educator, you must know what your learner’s needs and preferences are.
Consider looking at Salt Meet, a platform designed specifically for educators and learners to spark their interest in learning and explore new things in a very engaging way.
Salt Meet enables educators to create interactive lessons and classes that engage learners while helping them master core concepts.
Go to saltmeet.asia to find out more!
