Reflections Magazine Issue #74 - Spring 2011 | Page 8

Campus Feature

Adult Students Discover Online
Learning is a Friendly Format

A

ngela Woods considers herself to be a
pretty shy person.
So when she considered taking her first online
class at Siena Heights University last July, the 30year-old St. Clair Shores resident didn’t know if
distance learning was right for her.

“I wasn’t sure how the whole format was going
to work,” Woods said of taking online classes.
“How do I have a discussion with my classmates
and instructor and not go to class? How will I
submit my assignments?”

Those questions and more were very quickly
answered, thanks to innovative and responsive
instructors and all the tools technology can provide. That combination has been an award winning one for Siena Heights. Its Distance Learning programs have been one of the University’s
fastest-growing enrollment areas over the past
decade, especially for adult, working students.
In fact, many of the students who were initially
reluctant to take a class online now can’t imagine
learning any other way.
“If it were not for online classes, I would not be
able to further my education,” said Jodi Neuman,
a 30-year-old clinical instructor in dental assisting at Washtenaw Community College. “I think
(online learning) is better than in a traditional
class. I think people that wouldn’t speak up are
able to because of the online format.”
Woods agrees.
“I am surprised at how easy it is to have online
discussions with my classmates and teachers,” she
said. “The format is set up so that it is easy to follow discussions and add my own comments.”

By Doug Goodnough

Keeping Their

Distance

Both recently completed the online Advanced
Expository Writing class taught by SHU Assistant Professor of Humanities Gail Ryder. Several
years ago, Ryder had her own transition to make
as a teacher. For years, Ryder taught writing
classes using the traditional face-to-face, eye-toeye chalkboard method of learning. When she
was approached several years ago to teach similar
courses online, she had her doubts.
“I’ve taught writing for all my life,” Ryder said at
the time. “How do I continue to do what I’m
doing in an online class?”
However, her classroom has certainly changed.
Now, a typical day for her consists of checking
email first thing in the morning, then logging in
to her course to make sure her assignments are
posted correctly. She then takes a mid-morning
break to exercise, then returns to log in and read
through the student postings called “threaded
discussions” that are similar to online blogs or
text messages, responding as she goes. All of
this happens at her Ann Arbor home.
“Some days, I post a summary response and a
question that’s meant to pull the discussion forward,” Ryder said. “Mostly, I ask questions and
request more concrete specifics from students
who tend to write in generalities.”

8

Reflections Spring ’11