Outside US & Canada?
- Is Online Learning For You?
- Types of e-Learning
- Learning Styles
- Benefits of E-Learning
- E-Learning Evaluation
- E-Learning Glossary
- E-Learning Essentials | e-Learning FAQ
E-Learning Evaluation
Online courses come in many flavors. Selecting the right online course for you - one that matches your education needs and your learning style - can be a daunting task, but here are a few simple questions to guide you. Use them to accelerate your search and make comparisons.
How does your learning style match up to the course delivery?
Using the table below, you can get an idea of what types of course activities match your learning style. Remember that we generally learn in a variety of different ways and most courses combine delivery modalities to reach a large audience. Be sure to ask if you have a preference or need for a particular type of learning.
| If you learn best by: | Look for a course with: |
| Reading | e-books, textbooks, and other required reading (written lessons are a primary method of delivering curriculum online) |
| Listening | audio lectures or sound bytes to explain concepts |
| Seeing how things are done | graphical demonstrations that illustrate new ideas |
| Doing | Assignments, quizzes, exams, or practical application examples |
| Speaking/Communicating | email, chat, or threaded discussion groups for sharing and feedback |
Are you looking for short, personal enrichment classes or longer, more comprehensive courses for professional development or study toward a degree?
You can narrow your options by deciding in advance how in-depth you want to go and how much time you want to spend. Courses associated with degrees are generally more complete in their treatment of a topic, although personal enrichment and professional development courses can be quite thorough too. Online education covers the spectrum from short tutorials to semester-length academic classes and the time you'll spend is directly proportionate to the type of course you select.
Do you want a self-directed or instructor-led course?
Some of us need structure and deadlines. Others prefer to study at our convenience. Self-directed courses generally allow more time for completion and the flexibility to jump around the curriculum at your own pace (although they may still have final deadlines). Instructor-led courses are more structured and deliver the material in a progressive or suggested sequence, guiding the learner to the finish. Also, self-directed courses normally don't have a human point of contact for help or feedback, but some may offer subject matter experts.
Open Enrollment vs. Traditional scheduling (following the timing of the school)
With open enrollment, you can learn on your time, starting whenever you want to. Other scheduling takes away that control, especially if it follows a quarter or semester schedule in conjunction with a traditional school.
Are credits or CEU's important to you?
Academic credit or CEU's (continuing education units) may be a requirement in your selection process. If so, read about the school or program's accreditation status and check with them regarding CEU's or credits for the particular course you're looking at. If credits or CEU's don't matter to you, your options are wide open.
What type of support is available?
Some online classes come with other student services like tutoring, reference links, library access, mentoring, writing/math labs, technical assistance, and other resources to help the learning process, while others are void of this.
How much do you want to spend?
The more in-depth the course, the more you can expect to pay. There are a wide range of choices to fit your budget. Personal/professional development courses cost $10-$300 or more, and comprehensive courses linked to degrees a few hundred to a thousand dollars or more. Short tutorials may be free or low cost. Cost is last on the list of questions for good reason: the other factors to consider in choosing an online course are equally, if not more important.
Once you've used these questions to narrow your field of choices, you'll find that many course providers offer a free demo that can help you decide and compare content and presentation.
