Online

What are Online Studies?

Online studies are an alternative to on-campus study. They are a relatively recently developed form of delivering education programmes, which is gaining popularity. Millions of students are currently doing online courses globally and their number is only likely to rise in the foreseeable future.

Enrolling in an online study programme means that students are still officially registered at the institution that provides the programme and receive the same resources as students who study on campus. Many institutions that offer online studies are fully accredited and provide academic qualifications as well as award students with undergraduate or postgraduate certificates depending on their level of study. Students who have difficulties attending classes or wish to study at their own pace opt for this form of course delivery.

This form of education involves watching lectures, participating in discussions and being actively engaged in the learning process online. Online studies rely heavily on electronic resources provided by the libraries of the institutions where students are doing a programme. Resources may vary with each institution but the most commonly used ones are e-books, journals, videos, recorded lectures, quizzes, discussion forums and live Q&A sessions. Some online programmes may require students to order and use physical copies of textbooks. Therefore, students who are planning on enrolling in an online programme need to check whether they are expected to gain access to printed resources and if these are covered by their tuition fees.

How do online studies work?

Online programmes usually use Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) (such as Blackboard and Canvas) extensively in order to provide the same quality of education as traditional studies. The actual methods of delivering the course content may vary depending on the institution and what is most suitable for the particular course. For example, business courses and art courses may require different teaching methods in order to ensure learning is as effective as possible. Online lectures are a common method of delivering the course content. They could be pre-recorded and uploaded on the institution’s VLE or in some cases could be taught live. Taking notes while watching these lectures is of great benefit to students when it comes to revising and preparing for assessments. Other common forms of content delivery and learning include discussion forums and interactive Q&A sessions. Online studies usually rely heavily on the use of library resources, which students get access to once having enrolled in an online programme. Students are provided with a reading list of online resources they need to use to prepare for their assessments and to gain a thorough understanding of the topic. Their learning process involves active use of electronic resources, such as e-books, journals and videos.

Education institutions that offer online programmes usually provide an online help desk so that students, who enrol in these programmes could get their queries answered. The online education providers set up contact channels to ensure that they will be able to deliver the support their students need at all times regardless of its nature. For instance, online video calls, phone calls and emails allow students to contact their institution whenever they have an issue. Support teams formed by online education institutions are experienced and educated in the issues that may arise with online studies, which makes them fully prepared to assist students whenever they require help, whether it be financial issues, technology-related problems or even personal troubles. On top of that, online education providers usually facilitate the creation of social media groups in order to set up online communities where students could support each other.

The remote learning process doesn’t stop institutions from testing students to check their progress and understanding of the topics that are being taught throughout the programme. Assessments are designed in a way that ensures fairness and comfort for online students. Individual assignments are the most common method of testing student knowledge associated with online studies. Individual assessments usually involve the educational institution providing students with a topic, a deadline and a word count, which they need to aim for. Students are expected to develop a piece of writing (or other forms of work) and submit it through the institution’s VLE. Discussion activities might also be used as assessments. Students are expected to research the predetermined topic of the discussion and when the discussion leader starts the discussion, they are supposed to explain their arguments and actively participate in the exercise. Journal entries might be required of online students to encourage them to reflect on their work throughout the programme. This is typically a more personal type of assessment, which allows for more subjectivity and a personal style of writing. Students are also often faced with the challenge of sitting exams. However, these exams are usually open-book and students may be allowed to complete them on their own personal computer. Institutions cannot possibly oversee the work students on online courses do during their exams, which is why they are often substituted for essays and final assignments. However, some institutions use software to monitor if students visit other webpages in the process of completing their exams. Additionally, advanced plagiarism checking software is usually used by institutions to ensure the standard of learning is the same for online students as it is for on-campus students and that they are not cheating their way to graduation.