How does online learning work?
Different from Traditional Classroom
You know what it is like to learn in a traditional classroom environment. We know that in traditional education, students go to the school campus and find their classroom where they do most of their learning. In the online environment, students gather in a virtual classroom. Their learning environment is found on any computer that is connected to the Internet where they can access their course website. This is one of the aspects of online education that is so attractive to students. The idea that they don’t have to find their way to campus and sit in a classroom is very appealing, particularly to those who are not full-time students who have a family, are employed full-time or are have other responsibilities that make it difficult to travel to a classrom every week.
Easy Access
Online learning takes place in the context of a web-based Learning Management System (LMS) At Cornerstone University we call our LMS, Odyssey. The benefit of using a LMS is that everything needed for a course, including the viewing of course materials, communicating with your professor and fellow-classmates, quizzing and grading is integrated into one place. In the case of Odyssey , it is easy-to-use and does not require any advanced computer knowledge, only certain basic computer skills are necessary to be successful as an online student.
Relevant Learning Environment
The special thing about the online student is that they each have their own unique setting, such as work, family, or local church environments. Each of these environments provides a relevant, practical and individualized online learning experience. It builds upon the social and circumstantial activities that the student participates in daily. It is so important, even more so for adult learners, to bring learning home, and that means offline. In many ways this is a richer environment for learning than could ever possibly exist in a traditional face-to-face classroom.
Is Online Learning for you?
If you are unsure as to whether online learning is for you, we encourage you to take the Online Success Survey which will ask you a few questions directed at helping you self-assess whether or not you would likely succeed in an online learning environment. Be sure to also take a look at what services and support are provided to help online students succeed.
