Cloisters

Book Review:

Success in On-line Learning
by
Candice Kramer

Reviewed by Noel Chidwick

For this issue of Cloisters I’m going to be looking at a book - that’s right a plain old-fashioned, flick-the-pages, smell-the-print book.

‘Success in On-line Learning’, by Candice Kramer is a hefty paperback aimed at anyone one who is thinking about taking an online course for the first time. I’m going to qualify that “anyone”: it’s aimed specifically at adult learners.

The author has experienced adult learning from both ends of the speaking tube, both as a learner herself and with a wealth of experience working with adult learners. As she claims in her preface: “this is the only guide that is written about adult learners by an adult learner”. If there are other books out there, please let me know!

A quick glance at the contents page puts you right into her approach. The book has three main sections:

• Know Yourself

• Know the Possibilities

• Get It Done--Managing the Educational Project.

And the first thing that strikes you is that this book is focused on learning, and not the technology. And this is right - the book was written in 2002 (I’ve only just come across it), and since then, Internet technology has changed tremendously. Kramer keeps the specifics down to the minimum. Although the technologies have moved on, the principles covered are sound and timeless.

Kramer discusses the challenges of distance learning, bringing them into the Digital Age. Some points she covers include:

“Most learners interested in on-line learning are older and have many responsibilities that influence their study”

“Learners seldom have face-to-face contact with other learners and teachers, requiring adjustments on all sides”

and

“Members of distance classes are more likely to be different from one another than those who attend classroom-based courses.”

Chapter 3, Is on-line learning for you?, is peppered with practical ideas that helps you answer this question. (The answer, by the way, is “yes”). It explores characteristics and skills needed for success in on-line learning; and there are a number of self-assessment questionnaires to help you determine your needs in becoming an on-line learner.

Chapter 4, Discovering your Learning Style, is a classic journey through the intricacies of working out what kind of learner you are: it’s a useful chapter, if somewhat on the academic side. Even so, knowing what kind of learning suits you is a valuable lesson to learn.

There is a whole chapter aimed at boosting your morale, as well as looking at some case studies of on-line learners - you might recognise yourself in there. And my favourite chapter is a whole string of questions you should ask yourself, and your intended provider of on-line learning (it will be the New Curiosity Shop of course!)

The author is American, and naturally the book is aimed at the US market and talks about the US Educational system. This is not a great hindrance for on-line learners in the rest of the world, but it does mean that a couple of chapters can be bypassed quickly.

The last chunk of the book is the section you want open beside you as you work. This is a practical guide to helping you to study online, and the chapter Learning to Study and Studying to Learn is just what you need if you think you are, shall we say a little rusty in the art of studying. There’s a tiny section I’m fond of: Staying Motivated for the Long Haul. This addresses a common problem with any form of distance learning, namely keeping going throughout the whole journey.

There is a quote from John Ruskin in the book, and it is well worth repeating it here:

“The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.”

We have a tiny course, How to Learn Online, at The New Curiosity Shop. This book is a valuable supplement to this course, and I will be adding it the reading list forthwith.

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