what happens when students have trouble accessing resources in an online course

Why do some students struggle with online courses?

May 19, 2020 · Unfortunately, if this happens, the student gets graded based on the number of questions answered and recorded in the system before the connection was lost. Students also face problems managing their own time as a result of online teaching. Parents Perspectives. Online learning is new, unknown and different for students, teachers and parents.

What are the problems faced by students without internet access?

Jun 04, 2020 · Students who haven’t had access to technology since mid-March could face significant problems, said Karen Cator, CEO of Digital Promise, a nonprofit that works for innovation in schools. “If we can’t get every student access, that’s going to exacerbate the gaps even more.” Karen Cator, CEO of the nonprofit Digital Promise “When schools reopen, we’ll …

What are the common problems faced by students in eLearning?

Jul 25, 2013 · For example, if a student fails to sign in to the online system, or fails to turn in an early ungraded assignment, the system could generate a warning for the instructor or for the college’s counseling department, who could in turn call the student to see if he or she is experiencing problems and to discuss potential supports or solutions.

What happens if we can’t get every student access?

May 04, 2020 · Many students from low-income families like Charles-Cregan’s lack the basic technology they need to study online, including access to a laptop and a reliable broadband connection, along with a ...

What percentage of teachers have access to computers?

Only 24 percent of public school teachers reported that all of their students had access to a computer or tablet to use for school work, according to a nationally representative survey of 600 public school teachers conducted in early May by Educators for Excellence (E4E). Kids in low-income families were most likely to be left out ...

How many students are waiting for a computer in California?

California needs “at least $500 million to address the immediate needs of our students,” Thurmond said. He estimated some 600,000 students are still waiting for a computing device, while 300,000 to 400,000 students have no way to get online and need access to an internet hotspot.

What is the Hechinger Report?

The Hechinger Report is a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on one topic: education. Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

Who is the CEO of Digital Promise?

Students who haven’t had access to technology since mid-March could face significant problems, said Karen Cator, CEO of Digital Promise, a nonprofit that works for innovation in schools.

Who is Javeria Salman?

Javeria Salman is the digital news producer , and she reports and writes the Future of Learning newsletter. She covers K-12 education issues through the lens of innovation and technology, and helps manage... More by Javeria Salman

How can colleges facilitate successful online learning?

In the meantime, colleges could facilitate successful online learning by incorporating the teaching of self-directed learning skills into courses. This strategy would require the college to support instructors in developing materials, assignments and other pedagogical processes that cultivate self-directed learning skills. ...

How does self directed learning help students?

The consistent relationship between self-directed learning skills and academic success suggests building these skills may not only help close the online performance gap, but also improve students’ overall performance and long-term persistence in college.

What is self directed learning?

These skills — generally falling under the category of “self-directed learning” — are critical to success in online and distance education.

Why are my students not catching up with their classmates?

Many students are not provided with the high bandwidth or the strong internet connection that online courses require, and thus fail to catch up with their virtual classmates: Their weak monitors make it hard to follow the Course Management System and their learning experience becomes problematic .

Why is time management so difficult?

Time management is a difficult task for eLearners, as online courses require a lot of time and intensive work. Furthermore, whereas it is mostly adults who prefer web-based learning programs for their place and time flexibility, they rarely have the time to take the courses due to their various everyday commitments.

Is self motivation an eLearning requirement?

Self-Motivation. Self-motivation is an eLearning essential requirement; however, many online learners lack it, much to their surprise. After enrolling in distance learning courses, many learners fall behind and nurture the idea of giving up, as difficulties in handling a technological medium also seem insurmountable.

Is eLearning a fair show?

eLearning, being the latest wave of education, is already having a fair show despite posing challenges for both instructors and students. While instructors need to put in intensive work and time to design the instruction, students need to equip themselves with technical proficiency to decode the course material.

Is eLearning good for students?

eLearning is good news, but at its initial stage it poses certain threats to students. Attitude change and technological literacy would help them gain confidence in order to succeed in their courses with a positive vibe. eLearning Challenges Learning Motivation Online Learners Online Learning. Write or read Comments.

What is the NUS pressuring universities to do?

The NUS is now pressuring universities to better accommodate struggling students through a national approach to exams and assessment. “The most impacted are already the most disadvantaged.

Why did Oretta Charles Cregan get a laptop?

L oretta Charles-Cregan, an 18-year-old A-level student, considers herself lucky because her school gave her a laptop to help her do her GCSEs when she was made temporarily homeless after her house flooded. “It’s the only reason I can do my work now,” she says. “It was a blessing in disguise.”

Who is Lucy Gill Simmen?

Lucy Gill-Simmen, a lecturer at Royal Holloway University, has offered Zoom catchups to all 70 of her personal tutees to make sure they are coping with the shift to online. “It has a huge impact on my workload,” she says. But she considers it essential to support her students’ mental health.

Who is Martin Weller?

Martin Weller, professor of educational technology at the Open University, suggests that the mingling that happens naturally on campus can be partly reproduced through incorporating icebreaker and discussion activities into online curriculums.

Who is Chris Skidmore?

Chris Skidmore, the former universities minister, warns that these students already struggle with feelings of belonging and are already more likely to drop out of university. “Remote learning must not allow these groups of students to become ever more remote,” he says.

Does NUS cover laptops?

Piers Wilkinson, NUS disabled students officer, says that although the Disabled Student Allowance funds laptops, it doesn’t cover everything. “People like myself and others that did computer-based modelling or music and media can’t run the fundamental pieces of software that are required by their degree.

Why do students enroll in online courses?

However, if the only contact students have with their teachers is through the internet, some new challenges come into play: Students may enroll in online courses because they believe the course will be easier and require less of their time and minimal cognitive commitment.

What happens when teachers become overloaded?

When this happens, teachers soon become overloaded and cannot meet the needs of their individual students. Within a few weeks student engagement may begin to flag – regardless of the type of assignments or activities provided.

Why is lack of support important?

A lack of support creates issues for teachers and students. Though there are a lot of advantages for distance online learning courses, there are some potential pitfalls that teachers and administrators need to be aware of. The most critical is when there is a lack of support for and from teachers. Situations can arise where an administrator, who is ...

How do teachers support students in distance learning?

In distance learning, teachers need to have the support of management, so they can in turn support their students through course personalization and individual attention. Preferably, this should take place through live video conferencing – or at least through regular (individual) emails. This keeps students engaged and allows teachers ...

What does it mean when an online environment is a feeling of anonymity?

Online environments can generate a feeling of anonymity – a perceived lack of identity and affirmation – which makes it easier for students to withdraw, or participate minimally, or – as I’ve heard from some teachers – “completely disappear from the course.”.

What is the challenge of keeping students engaged and motivated?

The challenge of keeping our students engaged and motivated is common across grade levels, subject matter, and all types of institutions and courses – not just in online language courses. So we have to recognize this as a universal problem in education.

Who is Michael Rost?

Michael Rost, principal author of Pearson English Interactive , has been active in the areas of language teaching, learning technology and language acquisition research for over 25 years. His interest in bilingualism and language education began in the Peace Corps in West Africa and was fuelled during his 10 years as an educator in Japan and extensive touring as a lecturer in East Asia and Latin America. Formerly on the faculty of the TESOL programs at Temple University and the University of California, Berkeley, Michael now works as an independent researcher, author, and speaker based in San Francisco. Michael is the author of critically acclaimed works on second language development, including Teaching and Researching Listening (Routledge) and Active Listening (Routledge), Dr. Rost’s interests focus on spoken interaction and listening. He is also author or series editor of a number of successful EFL/ESL courses, including the global coursebooks series Worldview and English Firsthand, as well as the academic listening series, Contemporary Topics (Pearson).

How long did schools shut down in Washington?

Tyrone Turner/WAMU. In the chaotic days before and after all public schools in the Washington region shut down for at least two weeks, school systems scrambled to prepare for teaching students from afar.

Where is Kenmore Middle School?

Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, offered breakfast and lunch grab-and-go for children 2-18 years old on March 16, 2020. They gave away 144 lunches in an hour. In the chaotic days before and after all public schools in the Washington region shut down for at least two weeks, school systems scrambled to prepare for teaching students ...

What is Isreal doing during the closure?

During the closure, Isreal said he plans on uploading materials to Google Classroom and answering students' questions by live streaming on Instagram. Educators at Hart are also printing packets with instructional materials for students who do not have internet.

What grade is Dave Airozo in?

In Montgomery County, many of the students in Dave Airozo's fourth grade class at Forest Knolls Elementary are English learners from working-class families. He said older students are issued Chromebooks, but they are not allowed to bring the devices home.

Is school work optional in Washington?

Many school systems in the Washington region, including Prince George's, have so far made schoolwork optional while schools are closed. Students are not learning new material. Article continues below. But as the new strain of coronavirus paralyzes all aspects of public life, threatening to keep campuses closed for much longer than a few weeks, ...

Is James Isreal economically disadvantaged?

At Charles Hart Middle School in the District, many of James Isreal 's students complete assignments on cell phones by connecting to WiFi. All students at the Southeast school are considered economically disadvantaged.

What are the weaknesses of online learning?

Weaknesses of Online Learning. While online programs have significant strengths and offer unprecedented accessibility to quality education , there are weaknesses inherent in the use of this medium that can pose potential threats to the success of any online program. These problems fall into six main categories: 1.

Why are some environments disruptive to the successful implementation of an online program?

Administrators and/or faculty members who are uncomfortable with change and working with technology, or feel that online programs cannot offer quality education, often inhibit the process of implementation. These people represent a considerable weakness in an online program because they can inhibit its success.

What is the advantage of asynchronous learning?

The main advantage of asynchronous online learning is that it allows students to participate in high quality learning situations when distance and schedule make on-ground learning difficult-to-impossible.

What is asynchronous discussion?

Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner may reflect on comments from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise lose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

How does online discussion work?

Within an online discussion, the individual student responds to the course material (lectures and course books, for example) and to comments from other students. Students usually respond to those topic s within the broader conversation that most clearly speak to their individual concerns. These situations result in smaller conversations taking place simultaneously within the group. While students should read all of their classmates’ contributions, they actively engage in only those parts of the dialog most relevant to their own interests. In this way, students control their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time taking away a unique mix of relevant information.

What are the factors that are considered discriminatory in online learning?

Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race, and gender are largely absent.

What is creative teaching?

Creative Teaching. The literature of adult education supports the use of interactive learning environments as contributing to self-direction and critical thinking. Some educators have made great strides in applying these concepts to their on ground teaching.

How does lack of internet affect students?

There are many ways that a lack of internet access can affect a student’s academic performance. Students without internet can’t connect with teachers or classmates, do independent research, or get online homework help. For families, not having internet access can mean missing out on information or losing out on a direct line ...

What does it mean when you don't have internet access?

For families, not having internet access can mean missing out on information or losing out on a direct line of communication with schools and teachers. One of the biggest problems faced by students without internet access at home is their inability to complete homework. Homework has long been a source of hot debate within the education community.

How many students use the internet for homework?

Up to 70% of teachers assign homework that requires the use of the internet. About 65% of students use the internet to complete homework, which includes doing research, submitting assignments, emailing teachers, and collaborating online with classmates.

What is the digital divide?

A lack of reliable, high-speed internet will only make the so-called achievement gap wider. Now low-income and minority students may also have to fight against the gap between students with internet access and those without. This new inequality is often called the digital divide, and it is a growing problem in education.

Why do teachers use email lists?

Teachers use email lists to update parents on field trips, class activities, and more. School websites may be the only place for parents to find valuable information. Even grades are going online, with many schools using internet-based grade books. In theory, this allows parents easier access to their child’s grades.

Is homework unfair?

Others claim that homework is unfair—home is not an even playing field, and some students have access to more resources and a better environment for completing homework. The internet has only intensified this debate. Up to 70% of teachers assign homework that requires the use of the internet. About 65% of students use the internet ...