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Students and their Comfort Level with Technology

I suppose my greatest concern with hybrid learning is the fact that not all people who are considering enrolling in college are technology savvy. I fear that potential students may fail to enroll themselves in a college with a hybrid environment or current students may drop out of school early in the term due to fear of technology. Does anyone have any tips and/or suggestions for helping students feel more comfortable learning with the integration of technology?

My concern is that I am not computer savy and have a hard time incorporating all the bells and whistle to make the online lecture more engaging and animadate for the students. How do I accomplhish this?

I agree with feeling that technolgy may limit the student learning. In addition, I feel as though technology can challenge the instructor at times

 

Hello Melissa...

I actually agree with your assertions that students may become disengaged due to technology challenges. One thing that I have noticed at one of my prior institutions is - when there is a strong IT department and an on-boarding process that includes an introductory course (self-paced, non-credit)....students tend to fair better. Many of the students return to what is referred to as the "sandbox" for issues and frequently asked questions. That has really been a huge benefit for those who are not technology savvy. In addition, there were weekly live labs held to help new students navigate the learning system and that too has been an enormous success. Of course there is a student advisor that helps to facilitate the process so that students know how to access these resources. Students leave school for reasons that are associated wtih the most basic technology skills such as attaching assignments, using the message system, and accessing assignment instructions among others....so, having a synchronous component to navigating the system as well as an asynchronous option for learning to navigate the course has proven to be effective in my experience. 

I learned so much great informatiopn about online courses and I will continue to taking these classes.

I agree that online learning can be daunting for both student and instructor. The way that I have broken down the barriers between the students and me is by touching base regularly through phone calls, texting and email. It humanizes us to them, and vice versa.

 

 

I agree that online learning can be daunting for both student and instructor,but I learned so much great informatiopn about online courses and I will continue to taking these classes.

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