Attendance at a traditional campus will always be an option for prospective students. However, several universities now offer opportunities for students to pursue their education online. This mode of studying is ideal for individuals who work or have a family and other social commitments, and who wish to start or continue their education for the development of their skills and improve their opportunities for promotion.

Louis Whittington

In addition to attracting working people with families, online learning also appeals to younger and older people, as evidenced by the 5% increased 2010 on-line enrolment of the UWI Open Campus over 2009.

Online learning is attractive to most persons because it allows individuals to stay at home and study at a time that is convenient to them, instead of having to drive to a campus to attend classes in an overcrowded classroom based on some predetermined schedule. In addition to offering flexible scheduling, the student engaging in online learning is not required to be in the same location for the duration of the course. He or she can participate at anytime and from anywhere, hence the UWI Open Campus motto “Online, Onsite, On-demand”. Another convenience of studying online is that students have the opportunity to be reflective in their responses to other students’ work, since often their contributions are asynchronous. For example, students can view and respond later to other students’ written contributions posted in a discussion group or forum.

While the online mode of studying provides a great opportunity, it also possesses some challenges. Some of the challenges are the feeling of isolation, the impersonal nature of communication, staying motivated and disciplined. Therefore, it is extremely important for the student to understand the challenges, if he or she is to complete his or her studies successfully.

To assist online students in overcoming these challenges and succeed in their online experience, the Open Campus has implemented various approaches and strategies. The Open Campus has employed knowledgeable, competent and experienced coordinators and e-tutors to facilitate and guide students in their learning. Additionally, students may visit Open Campus Country Sites and receive orientation and assistance from staff such as Programme Coordinators and, at times, Site Heads. The Open Campus has also established policies and protocols to guide the interaction between the coordinators, e-tutors and students to ensure that the students’ online experience is conducive to learning and the students are ultimately successful. The emerging virtual Student Guild also helps to build a learning community.
The Open Campus has established a Help Desk to deal with any technical issues that the online student may encounter. It also provides on-going training for new and continuing coordinators and e-tutors to ensure that they remain on the cutting edge of the technology and communication tools available as well as the ever-emerging online pedagogy.

Are you ready for an extremely rewarding challenge and experience? Then register for one of the many UWI Open Campus courses or programmes and enhance your job opportunities or promotional possibilities. Get Online, Onsite, On-demand!

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