What Life Skills May Students Learn in an Online Course?

Students may learn about management, chemistry, writing, and other discipline-specific content in online college courses.  In addition to the specific subject matter, what life skills may students learn by taking online courses?

Student may learn the following:

• • Communication skills. Students may learn to effectively communicate when taking an online course.  In most cases, interactions with the instructor and other students are remote, so students may learn to write effectively and to express ideas clearly and concisely. Students may learn these communication skills through e-mail, discussion boards, and working with virtual teams.

• • Advocate for self. In an online class, professors are helpful and responsive, but they treat students like adults and expect students to initiate communications.  In the online environment, students may learn to advocate for themselves and seek clarification, as needed.  Students may learn to ask questions and speak up for themselves.

• • Independent learning. In a traditional course, students often learn by listening to the professor lecture in the classroom. In an online class, professors will share readings, videos, and other materials with the students, but students are responsible for working through the course materials and learning the content.  In an online course, students may learn how to learn independently.

• • Time management. In many cases, online courses do not have regularly scheduled weekly meetings.  Students are responsible for reviewing the requirements for the week and for completing those requirements by the scheduled due date.  Students may learn how to manage their time in order to complete the deliverables in a timely fashion.

• • Virtual teamwork. Students may learn how to collaborate in a remote environment when taking online courses.  When completing group projects, students may learn how to plan and complete projects from different physical locations.

• • Tools for collaboration. As students complete group projects in a virtual team, they may learn how to use software and other tools to collaborate.  Working as a virtual team, students may learn how to use tools to share materials, to edit documents, and to communicate, for example.

• • Diversity. Given the benefits of online courses, students from a variety of backgrounds are enrolling in such courses.  Online students may learn from others in different majors, stage of life, careers, backgrounds, and other demographics.  The diversity of students in an online class may allow participants to learn from perspectives that are different from their own.

   

  The skills the students may learn in an online class may help to prepare them for their professional careers.  Each of these skills are essential in the workplace, are in demand, and are coveted by employers.

  In addition, with the growing trend of virtual teams and remote work, students are developing the skills necessary for a virtual work environment.  By taking online courses, students may develop a skill set helpful in the workforce and beneficial for a lifetime.