Fear of the Digital Blackboard
Posted by Sharon Cece on November 28th, 2008
I had a number of fears prior to enrolling online, some relating specifically to online mechanisms and format, and others that dealt with the more with typical fears of a returning college student.
In regard to the first, though I had a general knowledge of computer applications, I certainly was no tech whiz. At first glance, being hit with the numerous course websites and academic pages as well as ”blackboard”, the online education platform, gave one the impression a new student might require a preliminary degree in “learning how to be an online student” before becoming an online student! Thankfully, this is not the case. There are numerous support vehicles in place to assist distance learning and online students, and after a few days of trial and error you soon become quite adept at maneuvering the various course sites, finding out where you need to be and gaining the information you need to have. Advisors, professors, mentors, and TA’s are very helpful; moreso, my fellow students were invaluable in pacifying e-course apprehensions.
I also was concerned that learning online would sequester me socially compared to attending a brick-and-mortar classes, where social interaction is a virtual inevitability (no pun intended). However, I found that online learning can offer similar social benefits, and soon “clicked” with a number of students with shared ideas and similar family circumstances. One student, who happens to be from Tallahassee where Florida State is located, was following the same course schedule as I and we became fast friends as well as study partners. When I drove from North Carolina to Tallahassee to walk for graduation, she was right there in the bleachers cheering me on. Our friendship continues, and I hope to do the same for her when she graduates.
Another fear I entertained was, quite frankly, that I would not be able to test well after so many years of being away from school, or find time to study with two small children to care for, or devote myself to coursework the way I did when I was the quintessential 18-21 year-old college student. My fears were unfounded. As an older student, I found I was more disciplined, more determined and–well–smarter than I used to be. My grades as a young, fresh-from-high-school student were varied, A’s to C’s (okay, a couple of D’s too). When I returned to FSU as an online student, I received straight A’s from my first class straight through to graduation. I mention this not as a bragging point or to minimize the scope of difficulty regarding online classes; on the contrary, some online courses were the most challenging I have ever had. Rather, I hope to highlight the possibility that our fears can in fact drive us to be more successful. That you have a fear at all means that you care, and to care makes you work harder to succeed.
