Asking Questions

By: Sarah V.
As I made the decision last year to sign up for an online course, I have to admit, I was nervous. I had heard of online classes, but I did not know anyone who had taken one. However, once the class (in my case, Digital Communications) started, I started to realize one of the most important things about online learning: it’s almost exactly like standard classroom learning. Of course, there are differences; online learning is much more independent, and changing from learning in an environment where you have a physical support group to an online environment where your support comes mainly through emails can be a tad difficult to adjust to. Being successful in an online class, regardless of the subject, requires the student to become aware of the tasks they need to complete by the deadline set and have enough self-motivation to get their assignments done. The ability to ask questions is also a vital part of online learning.
In Digital Communications, my teacher would do everything she could to inform her students about the work assigned for the day and even provided the work for the entire week. She repeated the deadline for assignments multiple times and offered assistance if we had a question. Even so, there were still students who didn’t do well in the class, not because of the difficulty of the course, but because they didn’t turn in their work on time or follow instructions. In order to be a good online student, you have to be willing to do the assignments. Use Pronto to contact one of your classmates or your teacher if you’re unsure of what to do for an assignment. I know from experience how easy it is to ignore an email or to “forget” to sign in to the website for a day and suddenly be behind in my work. Take the initiative and do the work; just because you’re taking a class online does not mean that it’s okay to fail.
Something that helped me A LOT in my online class was communicating with fellow classmates and my teacher. Pronto is arguably the most helpful tool in your online class resources because it’s one of the only ways of communicating with your fellow classmates. Because of the setting of the class, it’s not as easy to develop a support system that will be able to help you with your work; try to find at least one person who you can contact who might be able to answer your questions and that you might be able to answer their questions. Also, if you have a question, ask it. Unlike a classroom in real life, the teacher won’t stare at you until you get the answer. The teachers at NCVPS offer their help to students who need it; if you don’t speak up, they may assume that you understand the material.
Another thing that helped me massively in Digital Communications was the videos. To compensate for the lack of visual aid, the lessons included videos to show students how to do their assignments. There were also videos that enhanced the lesson. These videos were very helpful, and most of the time, there were no misunderstandings about the assignment or the lesson. The videos that are included with the lessons are unbelievably important to watch. In the first lesson, I didn’t watch the video and I was too confused to do the assignment. In order to be successful in an online class, like stated above, you must complete ALL that is assigned by the teacher, including videos.
Participating in an online class can be difficult, but I find that it was also a rewarding experience. I’m not the most focused person, but I learned that sometimes you have to buckle down and do your work, and that has helped me so much in classes this year. I learned to ask for help if I needed it, which was something that I was afraid to do before I took an online class. I ended up learning some really cool stuff about technology, both from my course and from the actual mechanics of NCVPS. Overall, online learning is a definitely a worthwhile experience, but you have to be willing to work and to ask for help in order to be a successful student.