ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

I think that a hybrid class will be beneficial to any student. There are those of us who grew up in traditional education settings and have learned to listen and observe as well as to participate. I have recently taken an online class, and I missed the "instant" response to my questions and comments that a traditional setting provides. However, the online experience provided me the opportunity to complete work assignments at my own pace, searching information until I had the answers to suit my expectations.

On-line learning is a great way to continue your personal and professional development, as well as gain credits in the field. We, here at CDAClass.org are in favor of it because it allows students to still give priority to their families and work, yet still pursue higher learning at their own pace AND during the times that is best for their particular schedules and needs.

Diverse students (cultural and socio-economically diverse) may not usually have the technological world of knowledge that other students bring to the online learning situation and therefore may require more support. This may be due to many reasons including lack of access to PC's and the internet. From my own experience I find that most culturally diverse adult students learn by repetition esp if they had come from a previous rote teaching and learning background.

I am interested in the effectiveness of online teaching strategies with diverse students. With the differences in communication and learning styles, how do e-learning environments support diverse student populations? I have been teaching online courses for years, in addition to teaching social justice courses, many of my colleagues have a problem finding a balance between these two area. My work is finding, similar to the article results, that there are ways to integrate technology into our classrooms that provide stronger supports and learning for non-traditional students.

I think that online learning is a very vaulable resource to full time childcare providers. With the cost of gas rising, child care providers in rural communities need other avenues to complete degrees in higher education.