Sorting Out Students in an Online Class

I'm just starting to get my feet wet as an online student for the 1st time as I embark on my BS/IT 100% RA accredited online U.

I'm starting to notice that there is a sharp contrast between age and skill/technical level. The older people tend to have more skill, technical knowledge and more. They will more than likely benefit most from the degree by learning the theory behind what they've been doing for many years already.

Then there is the other side, a bit younger, a few years out of HS or a few years out of military service and/or a 2-year college, not so technically inclined or as knowledgeable as the elders, type like they're on Mirc if you know what I mean. I understand that this is a somewhat common problem with a number of the online schools, so this shouldn't be a surprise question, I guessing. I figure the ones that really have the white cane out will be dropping, change, something by the 3 or 4th class down the road.

So, my question is why don't the schools sort the more seasoned professionals out from the less experienced younger people and have separate classes? Is it a matter of not having an overflow of kids, like 1500 to a class? Or that Online provides a easy way to filter out the noise so it really doesn't matter?

Thx, Jay

 

Hi Jay-
I've noticed the same thing, both in regular classes and online classes. My experience has been on military bases and at a school whose non-traditional classes are primarily military or military-dependents. Many classes seem to be composed of a mix of younger people (early 20's, junior enlisted) and older enlisted (who, like me, realized they need a degree for retirement!).

I personally find the experience quite fun. The older people have a tendency to dominate the discussions, but if you draw the younger members out of their shells they often have some insightful comments. I also enjoy the opportunity to talk with or mentor some of the younger people in a non-military situation. Lastly, spending time around the "kids" keeps me from feeling old!

I'm sure there are other opinions out there, but give the younger people a chance, they may surprise you. Take advantage of the opportunity to associate with people outside your normal group.

S/F,
Ryan IV

 

What do you mean by saying ..."realized they need a degree for retirement..." Do you have better benefits upon retirement w/ a degree, it's not based on what you have earned and contributed, matched, etc.... over the years of saving through a company or independently by the time your ready to retire?

The reason why I want to get my 4-year degree is to minimally keep what I have, hopefully gain more on all fronts, ultimately get higher on the totem pole to make more to have more for retirement and have fun while retired. I guess it's the insurance I'm looking for.

 

Hi Jay,

It is not so easy to sort students, as many tend to add right when the class starts. Also, to find valid assessments that can accurately sort students this way is also not simple. Most faculty are paid accoding to the number of class sections that they teach, rather than a per-student salary. Making new sections of classes according to skill level means having to possibly hire additional instructors or pay existing ones for teaching two sections instead of one. This is something that most schools are not eager to do.

Tony Pina
Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University

 

What he means by retirement is, in the military you can retire after 20 years. Most enlisted join right after HS, so they're retiring at around 40. The majority will work somewhere else after that. Tha's where the realization of needing a degree comes up. You're looking at starting a new job doing something totally different than what you did in the military. Yoy're going to compete with other people that decided to go to college after HS, you need that degree to even it up, even if you have 20 yrs of work experience.

 

Jay:

Aside from the administrative nightmare of trying to sort by skill level, there are good pedagogical reasons for not doing so. Students don't just learn from the teacher. They also learn from each other. Having a class made up of students with different experiences, different points of view, and different skill levels enhances (curmudgeons excepted) the learning experience.



marilynd

 

Jay,

having been as both a student and an instructor in the online environment I have noticed the approach taken for class introductions or lack of them can positively or negatively effect the class atmosphere. For those classes that start out with a short bigraphical sketch an immediate sense of where folks are at and potentially where they are going can lend itself to better class participation and cohesion.

For example:

"In a paragraph please provide a short biography and career goals. Include in a couple of sentences your educational aspirations, for example how will this class benefit you?"


With this information I can more readily address students and potentially identify those with limited skills in the subject at hand.

While this method is not a perfect fit it also allows students with similar backgrounds to form a natural working group.

I would encourage you to participate in threaded discussions but avoid Chat areas. often Chat areas get off track and end up with flame wars.

Enjoy your studies,

regards,

Kevin

 

Jay, I'm doing a similar online program in Business Information Systems at Bellevue University. My cohort is similar to what you have described, but it's no different than the seated classes I did in community college. The daytime classes were dominated by 18+ year olds, and the evening classes were filled with a wide mix of folks. I preferred evening because I am over 40. I find the mixture of people in my current program to be a good thing, since everyone is different and I can interact with lots of different personalities.

Sean

 

Thanks for clarifying, this is exactly what I meant. I am fast approaching military retirement and many jobs out there expect me to have a degree or be working towards a degree. They fully recognize my experience, but the job requirements state "Job requires a Xxxxx degree".

Plus, although I don't want to admit it, I really enjoy the focused learning.

S/F,
Ryan IV