It might be too early in the game to say this, but I believe I am loving online courses. I’m taking online courses this summer at my university. But let me explain a little about how this points us to the fact that the university system might be flawed.

Since elementary school, we learn that students have different ways of “learning”. There are audio learners, visual learners, hands on learners. i forgot all the terms for that lol! I’m an artist, and largely a visual learner. I am a musician as well and do have a imperfect perfect pitch lol… but that’s only when theres melody haha! Anyway, I’ve discovered that these online courses are A LOT of fun right now even though it’s only been like a few days.

Everything is written out, uploaded, recorded, laid out on the moodle site. Video lectures and all the information and expectations are right there from the beginning of the week, while your work and thoughts takes place throughout the week. You can go about it at your own pace, read, re-read, re-watch and truly understand and digest it at your own time.

I tend to have ADD so every now and then I’d take breaks. It freshens my mind and helps me continue on. Being able to pause, watch, read, think, respond and write down thoughts, and also have things to refer to, like assignments, due dates etc right there, is very beneficial to visual learners.

The current system, most courses are real lectures at school, for two or three hours each day with a tutorial. All of it is basically audio, spoken word. You can always take notes or even record the audio, but for a visual (and ADD) learner it doesn’t do very good. Words come in one ear, and go out the other. You struggle to take notes as fast as you can but you’ll always miss something. In lectures, the lecturer is going to include a lot of stuff that is half improvisation. A lot of the professor’s own thoughts. But these aren’t recorded very well. The powerpoints and so forth just doesn’t cut it. a few hours non stop talking, also leaves no time to digest information.

For other forms of learners, the university system right now is difficult. In almost every student are varying degrees of learning styles, yet we are all forced to conform in this university system. In a way, it picks out the “best”, but in a way it also pushes away or reduces a lot of potential.

With technology nowadays, I believe all courses in all universities should be more integrated. Stuff uploaded online for access and review. In fact, students should be able to interact directly with the lecture and professor through their laptops or devices right from their seat. I know there are a lot of courses that might already do that. I’ve heard of some but i think this needs to be universal. Other forms of learners will greatly benefit.

On the other hand, today as I write this I am sitting on campus about to start one class that is in real life…. it has 12 textbooks. TWELVE. TWELVE. That’s one book a week. With real life lecture audio learning for three hours a week. And these aren’t easy books. These are the classics… like Plato, Dante, Shakespeare…. Oh my gosh. Kill me now.

 

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On another note, keep an eye on my two newest and most active cell phone novel projects- fantasy / sci-fi saga, The Fringe of District 24 and something i’m pouring my feelings into and the plan for it seems extremely realistic, epic and tragic Move「旅」(A Journey of Music)

I’m still putting forth new chapters each day for Book two of Secondhand Memories as well