by Sandy Womack, Ed.D., Director, EduPlan www.eduplan.org
The ideal situation for an online degree would be a learning environment that matches your Learning Style. Most online programs are heavy with reading information on the internet. This is ideal for students that are Visual Learners. In-class programs are heavy on lecture--ideal for Auditory Learners. Labs, studios and demonstrations are ideal for Hands-On Learners.
The best learning is a combination of all 3 types of Learning Styles. Most students figure out ways to incorporate their learning style into any learning situation. I am an Auditory Learner and stuggle to read large quantity of material on the internet. So, I print it out and record portions of it and listen in my car. Or, I find a lecture or dicussion on a Podcast and listen on my IPod.
If you are thinking about an online degree, streaming video works well for both Auditory and Visual Learners. Stanford University's Continuing Professional Development (http://scpd.stanford.edu) was one of the first universities to move from a satellite viewing of their classes to streaming video.
If you want to find out your Learning Style, try this free website: www.howtolearn.com/lsioptin_employee.html This is a basic test, but it is free. Other, more sophisticated Learning Style Inventories can be found in a Yahoo or Google search: Learning Style Inventory, but there may be a charge for these.
Bottom Line: Try to coordinate your course format to your Learning Style.
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