What I've Learned From Learning Online

I have been involved with online classes since 2003. To be honest, the first few years, I was the worst student. I waited until the very last minute to complete - even start my assignments. I had such anxiety about doing homework. Skip forward a few years when I got my own laptop and was able to complete assignments...In my bed! I was so motivated by this concept that I couldn't wait to complete assignments. The feeling of not having to think of homework being due because I had waited too long went away and I was left with a sense of freedom. I try not to procrastinate now, but my old ways still lurk in the shadows. At times I still do put things off until the very last minute.

I love that there is freedom in doing online classes because you do not have to physically go anywhere. I live in Central Florida, and school is four hours away in Tallahassee. I literally come home from work, put on my pajama's, and go online to the elluminate class. The Blackboard and elluminate platforms make online classes easy to follow. These classroom-like programs are very user friendly, and according to Noah Berger, online education has grown with the advent of such tools (p. 1, 2009).

Keith Hartman wrote about a woman, Heidi Grant who was an MLS student at Drexel University Online. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma while she was in school. Because she was enrolled in online courses, she was able to complete her assignments from her hospital room by using her laptop (pp. 48-51, 2009). Heidi was able to keep up with her asynchronous class solely because she didn't physically have to attend.

In order to be successful in an online program, you must subscribe to Goal Theory, as defined by Moreno (pp. 336-339). Personally, I possess a mastery goal, as I am in this program to learn more about being a librarian even though I already work in a library. I am grateful to be able to work on assignments at my own pace, and since I am a night owl, that's when I like to complete my assignments. I do work full time at my local library, and sometimes my day doesn't end until 6:30 PM, which isn't too late. However, when my day begins at 7:00 AM, it does make for a long day. I am often tired and just want to relax. I love that I can listen to my classes while I am laying down, and when I'm ready, I can get up work on my assignments. Online learning is a great environment, and it works wonderfully with my schedule and in my life.




Berger, N. (2009, August 19). Study finds that online education beats the classroom. The New
York Times, p. 2. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com
/2009/08/19/study-finds-that-online-education-beats-the-classroom/

Hartman, K. (2009). From a distance. American libraries, 40(10), 48-51.

Moreno, R. (2010). Theories of Motivation and Affect. Educational Psychology (pp. 326-365).
Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.