Online Learning: How Social Media Could Have Improved My Education
On August 4, 2010 I will post my last participation comments at Baker College Online as an undergraduate student in marketing. I’m what colleges and universities would refer to as a “non-traditional” student – I’m 31, a working professional and don’t have the flexibility to attend class on campus (nor would I want to attend on campus). I live at least 20 minutes from the nearest community college campus and while that might not seem like a long commute, see how long it takes during a Lake Michigan lake-effect snowstorm! I also didn’t really want to dedicate the necessary resources to make it to a “real” classroom. On the flip side, I definitely felt that I missed out on enriching in-person, real-time discussion and interactions. To be honest, statistics was not an easy class to learn solo!
All things aside, online learning was the right fit for me. I liked the flexibility of logging in on my time and completing assignments. I had to use different technologies that I might not have utilized on campus. For example, in a group dynamics class, we had to post weekly video updates of what we learned that week and any challenges we experienced, and upload it to iTunes U. If you don’t know me (yet), I work for PentaVision Integrated Digital Media – a digital media production company based in South Bend, Indiana. Let’s just say that my Mac web cam produced something that was probably sub-par to the standards of most professional media producers, but that’s what I had to work with. I think it was appropriate for what I needed to accomplish – a timely, temporary message that wouldn’t “live” on a website or be used for an audience outside my classroom.
Speaking of classrooms, we use a technology called Blackboard. Participation grades are based on discussion board postings, so there is nothing really happening in real time. This was one thing I found frustrating: why couldn’t Blackboard develop something that could be real-time (like a group meeting or discussion) that utilized a technology like Twitter? If it could be stored somewhere for others to read/review, it would have a permanency in the class like the traditional discussion board. I feel like that’s the missing link with online programs – the real-time discussion. If we could have a more interactive experience then I think online learning would be elevated to a much higher level. What about using our web cam technology to have a discussion as well? Online learning can be so much more than it is right now. I feel like inevitably schools will offer some of these real-time meet-ups and interactions in the near future. I hope so, anyway.
What I’m really trying to say is that the world has gone social – and it isn’t going back. When colleges and universities that offer online programs integrate the functionalities of social media they will find a much more engaged student population. An engaged customer (student) is probably less likely to leave the program, and more likely to refer other potential students. If colleges are preparing students for the workforce then they need to use tools that are being used in the workforce now.
