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There are some facts about Internet based learning that you
should consider before opting for a course delivered mainly via the Internet.
Some of the most important issues to be addressed are presented in the
following text. Try to evaluate these while considering your own learning
style and level of self-discipline.
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Real facts on Internet based learning:
- Internet learning
gives the student freedom to select the "class-time" which
fits with their work schedule - even it that happens to be changing.
It does demand as much of the student's time and effort to assimilate
and master the materials, as any standard course on the same subject.
- Those students who
are not self-disciplined or who have difficulties at keeping a steady
pace without the structure of classroom lectures, may tend to
procrastinate the learning and find themselves unable to catch up with
the pace and requirements of the course. The weekly Discussion Sessions
may be of some help to make the student keep a more appropriate study pace.
- The student who
knows the topics can work at his/her own faster pace. The student who
has more difficulties assimilating concepts at the speed of a standard
class, can work at a slower pace devoting more time per day to each
lecture.
- Internet learning
helps the student to save in the normal expenses, difficulties and
time associated with commuting to campus for classes.
- Since most of
the learning is through reading of web-posted materials and from working on the
PDF documents with complementary exercises, as well as from watching
animations, it may not be suitable for those students who need person
to person instruction to grasp concepts, or for those students who
have difficulties understanding written text.
- Internet learning
demands certain familiarity with basic web-browsing. The student
should feel comfortable using a PC.
- The student may feel
isolated without the direct interaction with classmates during lectures, which a
standard classroom offers.
- Since the lectures
are accessed on schedules which accommodate the student's needs, the
instructor may not be "right there" when a question on the
lecture material arises. There may be certain delay between the
posting of a question by the student and the e-mail or posting of the
answer by the instructor, or the student may just have to wait
until the next discussion session. The student must understand and try to
adjust his/her expectations to these limitations.
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