Many of us — homeschoolers and not — were dropped into the deep end of online learning in 2020 and forced to sink or swim. For many, this kind of accidental experiment in educational environments showed us some surprising benefits of online learning. 

Some Learners Thrived in Online Classrooms

As Nora Fleming wrote for Edutopia, many learners actually thrived in remote learning when they had struggled before: “teachers in our audience are reporting that a handful of students—shy kids, hyperactive kids, highly creative kids—are suddenly doing better with remote learning than they were doing in the physical classroom.” 

In other words, for some, the pandemic provided an accidental window into a different way of learning that demonstrated a principle that has been increasingly touted across academic research: learners do best when the environment fits their neurological, emotional, and intellectual needs. For some learners, online education helps meet needs that weren’t being met before.

“Zoom Fatigue” is Real  

But not all online classes are created equal, and plenty of people saw that remote learning (and, to be fair to online classrooms, the anxiety and stress of a global pandemic) was not such a great fit. Articles like this one from Parents pointed to the stressful realities of “Zoom fatigue.” 

Communicating via teleconferencing does not honor our natural communication strategies (evolved over millennia of being social creatures). As a result, “social cues are disrupted and out of sync and as our brain tries to fill in the gaps, we are left feeling anxious and irritable,” psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober explained. 

To put it simply, being thrown out of our comfort zones and into a range of educational situations we may never have tried before, we were shown the best and the worst that online education had to offer. We also got a chance to realize that what’s “the best” for one learner may not work for another. Even impressive, well-designed online classes will fail to engage a learner whose needs are not being met.

Different Types of Online Classes 

Length 

• Will my learner thrive best in longer classes (where they’ll have time to get to know the instructor and other students) or shorter classes (where they’ll feel less pressure to stick with something if they don’t like it)? 
• Do we know my learner’s skills in this particular subject well enough to commit to a semester-long class? 

Often, learners who are hesitant about online learning will do best with short (even one-time) classes at the start. This can provide some familiarity and comfort with a particular instructor and their policies before committing to a longer class. 

Likewise, you don’t want to be stuck in a class that’s too hard or too easy for a whole semester. Learning more about what your learner needs in that subject first is a great jumping off point. 

Evaluation

• Am I looking for a class where my learner gets feedback? 
• Does feedback need to be formal (i.e. a letter or numerical grade)? 
• Will evaluation be given publicly (in front of other learners) or privately? 

Getting your work judged (which is what evaluation is) can be anxiety-inducing for anyone. However, getting feedback — especially in core subjects like math, writing, science, etc. — is a crucial part of educational growth.

Determine what kind of evaluation will best meet your learner’s goals for this moment. Some classes have no feedback and just give instruction and a chance to interact. Others give detailed, personalized feedback that can help a learner revise and grow.

Some of this will be determined by the reason you’re using an online class. If you are homeschooling, you may need feedback to fulfill state requirements to “count” the class as part of your educational goals. If you are giving your learner feedback at home on a topic, then you might use an online class for instruction only and evaluate the assignments yourself. If you think your learner would benefit from hearing a voice other than your own on a particular topic, then finding a class with evaluation will be key. If this is just a learner interest that doesn’t require evaluation, you may not need to assess assignments at all. It all depends on what you need for this particular goal. 

Schedule 

• Can my learner commit to weekly meetings at the same time?
• What other activities do we have scheduled that may make an online class challenging to fit in?

Running late, missing classes, and feeling stress over getting to the next activity on time can make the pressures of online classes even more exacerbated. Make sure you’ve got space in the schedule before adding a demanding online option. 

Interaction Expectations

• Will my learner do best with face-to-face videoconferencing?
• Will the instructor require cameras and microphones on? 
• Can my learner interact via chat/text instead of verbally? 
• Is interaction with other classmates expected? 
• How often does the class meet face-to-face? 
• Are there opportunities for private meetings with the instructor? 

This may be the most important question to finding the right fit. Not all classes have the same expectations when it comes to interactions. 

Understanding Online Class Terminology

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, it can still be hard to determine what class will best work because the terminology can be inconsistent across platforms. 

Terminology on Dayla Learning

My classes (which are hosted on SEA Online Classes) use the following terminology: 

Live- These have face-to-face meetings on a regular (usually weekly) basis. Personally, I do not require learners to turn on cameras or microphones if they don’t want, but class interactions are often more robust and interesting when they do. Some teachers will require use of cameras and microphones. 

Guided– These classes have due dates and ongoing interaction between the teacher and student (and sometimes classmates), but it is asynchronous and does not require face-to-face meetings. Learners will get feedback from teachers on their work. Much of the instruction is through pre-recorded videos rater than live lectures. 

Self-Paced– These are classes that can be started and stopped at any time. There is no interaction with the teacher, and there are no evaluations. Learners will watch pre-recorded videos and complete assignments that they can submit to their parent/guardian or a tutor that’s working with them on homeschooling tasks. It’s basically like purchasing a printed curriculum to use at home but formatted in an easy-to-follow and engaging online format. 

You can see a list of my current classes in the various formats here. 

Terminology on Other Platforms

Other terminology you may see on online sites include the following: 

Flexible– This often refers to a “guided” class that has instructor interaction in an asynchronous setting. Outschool uses this terminology for these types of classes. 

Self-Study– These typically refer to self-paced classes that can be purchased and started/stopped at any time with no live interactive components. They’ve very popular across a range of online class platforms like Udemy and Coursera.

Open Access– This typically refers to a college or university class that has been made available (often for free) to the general public. It usually does not have an interactive component and includes assignments and recorded lectures.  

Experiment to Find the Best Fit

If “Zoom fatigue” and the experience of getting tossed into the deep end of online education didn’t go so well, I urge you to experiment before throwing the whole format out the window. 

Not all online classes are created equal, and even high-quality classes with engaging instruction can be the wrong fit for an individual learner’s needs. 

Start with what works and experiment to see how you can find online classes that will add to your educational options.