FET8604- Identify a "dilemma" in online learning.

One of the dilemmas that faced me as an online learner was in my first semester in University of Southern Queensland. I was taking two courses at the same time and I thought it might be normal to take two as they told me. One of the courses has a practical side where I have to learn the principles of designing websites and know how to design by writing HTML codes. That was too difficult for me as a novice learner in online learning environment because to be online learner means that I have to learn by myself the skills that I don't know in designing. Besides, sometimes I got some slight mistakes in designing which was little bit difficult for me to express what my mistake was. Not to forget that I thought that to be a novice learner means that I am the worst in my class. I faced many difficulties with writing in both courses in my first semester because I didn't have the research writing skills nor the academic writing skills of writing a research or even a reflection. I didn't know what does a reflection mean? What I felt in my course that our facilitator is treating us as we know everything since we are a postgraduate students. In face to face, teachers may know when their students feel lost through the expression on their faces that they are not able to do a particular assignment or any kind of activities.

Another important point that I was underestimating my skills as Online learner and it was my mistake to tell one of my instructors that I am a novice learner because instead of getting help or a guidance how I can survive in that course, I was criticized that I shouldn't think at all that I might get a good mark because others are better than me and I can't compare my skills to their long experience.

Two weeks ago, I was invited as a guest speaker in a class to speak about my experience as online learner and students asked me which skills the online learner needs to obtain to be able to study in this environment. I answered them that it's too important to obtain research skills and be self independent where we seek after knowledge instead of getting the knowledge from the instructor in face to face environment.

Laila