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Why Online Learners are Happier?
With the advancement in technology, many learning institutions have moved to online learning. Students take their courses online rather than in a physical classroom. Research shows that online students are happier compared to those who attend traditional classrooms. In this article, we focus on why online students are happier and ways to stay happier and healthy as online learners.
Reasons Why Online Students are Happier
Online learning courses have numerous benefits that make students happier. Even though these benefits are for all learners, they are also advantageous for individuals who intend to continue working as they pursue their studies.
1. Many Courses and Programs
Presently, learners can earn their high school diplomas online. Online students are not limited by geography, but they can select courses that fit their learning requirements, irrespective of their physical locations. Thus, this makes learners be as they can study from the comfort of their homes.
2. A Comfortable Studying Environment
In case you intend to study while in your pajamas, virtual learning will work best for you. Yu can take a cup of coffee, sit on your best chair, and set the best time for completing assignments or listening to the instructors. There is no need for wooden desks!
3. Flexibility and Convenience
Virtual learners can plan their learning time at any time of day, rather than following a traditional school timetable. Learners may read or learn at their own convenience, hence making balancing family and work obligations with their academics possible.
4. Greater Ability to Concentrate and More Interaction
Even though not true for each learner, research shows that learners who are shy take part in virtual class discussions more easily compared to when in traditional classrooms. Also, some learners report better attentiveness in virtual classrooms because of lack of disruptions, and this boosts their performance.
5. Synergy
Online learning allows dynamic interaction between students and teachers as well as among learners themselves. Ideas and resources are shared, and constant synergy is generated through the process of learning. Every participant contributes to comments and discussions on the work of other learners. Notably, the synergy that occurs in the learner-centered online classroom is one of the vital and unique characteristics that the virtual learning format has.
6. Avoid Commuting
Rather than driving to school through thunderstorms and snowstorms, then struggling to get a parking area, virtual learners just walk to their laptops and then turn them on. Notably, this saves them hassle and time. Additionally, a good number of online learners get considerable savings on commuting expenses.
7. Enhances Technical Skills of Learners
All online learning courses necessitate them to develop new computer skills as they try navigating various learning management systems as well as programs. Additionally, students learn participation skills in their online classrooms, which translate into numerous professionals. These skills consist of creating documents, sharing content, incorporating video or audio materials into assignments, as well as completing virtual training lessons.
8. Level Playing Field
In online settings, students usually have some form of anonymity. Discriminating factors like gender, race, disabilities, physical appearance, dress, and age are not present. Rather, the main focus is on the class content as well as the ability of the student to contribute and respond intelligently and thoughtfully to the study material.
6 Ways of Staying Happy, Healthy as an Online Learner
Online learners have numerous advantages, as described above. Students can control how, where, and when to learn in ways that face-to-face learners can’t. Whereas such convenience is the major attraction to online education, learners need to safeguard their wellness and health in order to improve their academic performance and enhance their personal happiness.
Common ailments that are linked to extended laptop or computer utilization consist of stress disorders, obesity, headaches, vision problems, repetitive stress injury, and musculoskeletal problems. In order to remain mentally and physically healthy, online learners ought to consider their learning environment and lower any health risks that may be induced by technology. Here are the recommendations that online learners require to minimize health risks.
1. Ensure that you have a Comfortable Learning Space
You should use an ergonomically correct chair that can be adjusted to fit your body seamlessly. According to experts, the appropriate posture is 90-90-90, whereby the angle between your feet and legs ought to be 90 degrees, the angle between your legs and thighs ought to be 90 degrees, and the angle of your thighs and back requires to be 90 degrees. Even though this chair can be costly, it is worth it if it avoids many years of pain, pain medication, chiropractic care, and ultimately surgery.
Learners may evade developing repetitive stress injuries or carpal tunnel syndrome by taking breaks after every 25 minutes, which include stretching wrists, ankles, shoulders, legs, back, and the neck.
When utilizing a laptop, contemplate purchasing an external keyboard that has better biomechanical efficiency than a good number of laptop keyboards.
Lastly, consider a reading setting that has sufficient light and good ventilation in order to lower eye fatigue as well as seasonal affective disorder.
2. Lower Screen Time Prior to Bedtime
Professionals say that there is a positive correlation between sleep disorders and screen time. Do not read while in bed. Also, avoid rigorous laptop work directly prior to sleeping.
3. Make Sure that you are Not Isolated
It’s seamless for virtual learners to be isolated. Nevertheless, it is crucial to have meaningful and authentic relationships with other learners beyond online relations on social media and online classes.
4. Create a Positive Learning Environment
Decorate the reading space with things that can bring about happiness. Artwork, your photos, and those of your loved one, plants, as well as other relaxing decors might make virtual classrooms more enjoyable.
Online learners ought to be aware that they are at greater risk for technology-induced health complications. Psychological disorders, chronic stress, cardiovascular concerns, chiropractic problems, and sleep disorders are potentially severe conditions that can be eliminated by having a good reading environment.
Why do students learn better online?
Good question. It’s a complicated answer, but here are some ideas:
- No commute time
- Copy & paste notes
- No homework
- Encourage students to use what they learn in real life (rather than just regurgitate content on an exam)
- Easy to track student progress through the course and provide support as needed (dropouts, deadlines missed)
- Add more hours of classes without adding more teachers or buildings for them to teach in.
- Students can get help from other students online or you can email back and forth with them at any hour/day of the week – this is especially powerful for international students who may have different schedules than their teacher.
- Costs less money because there are no facilities costs like classrooms, etc. They’re always on your computer.
What are some tips for getting the most out of my classes?
1. Use all the tools provided to you
In Blackboard or the course management system is being used, there are usually resources you can use that will help make learning easier and more interactive. These include things like forums where students can post questions and answers; links to articles that may help explain certain topics; downloadable documents (these don’t need to be read in a linear fashion – feel free to skim things that you already know or skip sections that don’t seem important).
2. Don’t give up if it’s your first online course!
It can take some time to figure out how these online classes work. Cold-emailing the professor may not be the best way to get his/her attention, so consider posting questions on message boards instead and see if other students have more luck than you at getting replies. (Just remember that there are often hundreds of students in each course and they all want answers.)
3. Be prepared to keep asking questions!
Don’t assume that you’re doing something wrong or that the course is a failure if you don’t understand everything right off the bat. It’s easy to give up on online courses quickly (especially if it’s your first one), but try not to be discouraged. Sometimes there are glitches in video/audio, etc…that may require some patience while waiting for technical support people to help fix. Many teachers aren’t used to interacting with students this way, so they will need time to adjust to how online high school programs work and learn how best to meet their online students’ needs.
4. Get help
If you feel overwhelmed, not sure what to do next, or worried about dropping out, don’t hesitate to reach out to your teacher via email/online message board. Many online teachers are very accessible and will respond quickly if they receive any message from a student representative requesting help or advice. They may even put you in touch with other students in the class if you’re feeling lost (and they have time!).
5. Take advantage of many classes offering “extra” homework assignments.
These generally don’t count for anything extra toward your final grade but are offered as practice exercises in order to prepare you better for the final paper/exam. If possible, take a few minutes to attempt these and they may make it easier to study for that big test at the end!
6. Make sure you understand what your teacher wants from you!
Sometimes when students submit assignments late or write them up incorrectly (due to lack of understanding), their work is deemed “unacceptable”. Although this may seem harsh, it’s nothing personal — the professor has no idea how far behind schedule you are with other schoolwork or projects outside of class and doesn’t want to keep giving you time extensions.
7. If you have a disability and need accommodation, make it known!
Most online teachers are happy to take special needs into account in order to help you succeed in the course. This may involve extra communication between you and your professor, especially if tests/exams are being offered only via Blackboard without other accommodations (timing, on-screen viewings of the exam, test options such as every other question is “easy”. Again, it’s worth writing in to ask for any possible adjustments that would allow you to do well in this class. Sometimes professors will even provide extra credit or alternative assignments toward your final grade if they can tell that you’ve been trying hard despite having a challenge with the course and are clearly serious about learning!
8.Try to spread out the weeks as well as you can.
If the lecture videos are posted on a certain day of the week, try not to watch them all in one sitting! It’s best to save some for later so that you’re more relaxed (and able to focus) when you do watch them. You might even want to consider downloading the lectures onto your computer or iPad/iPhone/etc…so that you can watch them whenever it’s convenient: at home, while traveling or on public transportation, etc… Just try not to spend too many hours in front of the computer unless you have to (you know, like work or sleeping).
9. Talk to your teacher!
If you’re having trouble with a concept for an assignment, ask your teacher. Even if it seems obvious that you should be able to figure something out easily on your own after reading the official course material, sometimes things will become unclear later, and writing in can prevent these types of issues from holding up submitting assignments on time. The easier it is for students to get answers from teachers, the better off everyone is in Online classes! And most importantly, don’t hesitate about asking questions whenever you need help or feel confused at any stage of the online course. It’s what they’re there for!
10. Overall grades are not necessarily reflective of your quality as a learner.
I’ve had courses where my score for the final assignment was below my overall average for the course but I still received a high grade (A or A+) on the course for completing it and did well enough on everything else. Grades in online courses are more like a “test” that you take at different points along the way rather than something determining whether you “pass” or “fail”
11. Keeping it appropriate
For most classes that involve discussions with other students, there’s usually some sort of filter involved to make sure inappropriate messages don’t slip through. If you do somehow end up getting spammed by another student or receiving offensive comments, report it to the professor immediately. If you see that someone else has reported something, feel free to support their effort by also letting your teacher know about it. Remember: what is said in the discussion forums is just as much a reflection of your own character and maturity as anything else!