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5 Online Learning Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Online Learning Challenges and their fixes

Despite the popularity of online learning, it’s not for everyone. While online learning offers flexibility, convenience, and access to a broader range of courses, it also presents challenges for virtual teaching assistants, professors, and students. Let’s explore the everyday challenges of online learning and strategies to overcome them.

Online Learning Challenges Experienced by Students

1. Technical Difficulties

It’s common for students to experience frequent technical issues during online learning. These technical issues can range from poor internet connection to malfunctioning hardware or software, which can cause delays and disruptions that make it difficult for students to follow the lesson plan and complete their assignments on time.

One strategy to manage technical difficulties is ensuring students have access to reliable technology, including a good internet connection, up-to-date hardware and software, and adequate technical support. It is also helpful for faculty to provide professors and students with clear guidelines and resources for troubleshooting technical issues.

2. Time Management and Staying Motivated

Online learning requires self-discipline and time management skills. Without the structure of a physical classroom, it can be challenging for students to stay on track and avoid procrastination. Aside from that, the lack of face-to-face interaction with professors and peers can lead to feelings of isolation and demotivation.

To help improve time management, professors should provide students with a clear schedule and expectations for coursework and assignments. Professors can also encourage students to create their own daily or weekly schedule that includes time for coursework, assignments, and other responsibilities. Another option is to establish regular check-ins to support and give students accountability.

To stay motivated in online learning, professors and students should set goals, establish a daily routine, stay connected with peers, take regular breaks, and celebrate achievements. These strategies provide direction, structure, support, and positivity to help overcome the challenges of virtual education and stay engaged throughout the learning process.

3. Students Being Left Behind

Distance learning can also pose a challenge for students who struggle to keep up with the course pace, particularly those with learning disabilities or diverse learning styles. In-person support from professors isn’t always available in online courses, which further accentuates these challenges.

To avoid students getting left behind, professors can provide additional resources and support for struggling students. This can include tutoring services, online resources, or small group sessions.

4. Distractions Everywhere

Many distractions can interfere with studying and learning. Social media, email, and other online platforms can quickly distract students from their coursework and make it challenging to stay focused.

Professors should set clear guidelines for online behavior during class to overcome distractions – like turning off devices and avoiding certain websites. Encouraging a dedicated study area and using productivity tools like apps or browser extensions can also aid their focus.

5. Socializing With Peers

The lack of face-to-face interaction with professors and peers can lead to feelings of loneliness and disconnection, which tends to happen with students who thrive on social interaction.

Professors should facilitate opportunities for students to collaborate and connect with peers, including online forums or discussion groups, virtual study groups, and group assignments. Regular office hours, social activities, and community-building exercises can foster these connections.

Simplifying Online Learning With Instructional Connections


Online learning challenges are common among students. By understanding the challenges and implementing strategies to overcome them, professors and students can successfully navigate online learning environments.

At Instructional Connections, we understand these challenges and do our best to simplify the online learning experience. We offer a unique Academic Coaching Model that provides universities with student-centric and faculty-centric support. Our services are designed to address the needs of universities facing the 21st-century demand for online degree programs and courses.

Let us help you overcome these challenges. Call us at 888-221-2418 or contact us through our website.

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Common Problems Students Face in Online Learning

Online Learning on a laptop

Distance learning is not a new concept. However, as it has become an increasingly popular teaching method over the years, many issues in the virtual classroom have come to light. Adapting to a new teaching method can significantly impact the way in which students learn, and given that many students are still opting to take remote classes, it’s important that we continue to address the issues that impede student development. 

In this article, we examine some obstacles that make online learning difficult and offer solutions to solve them faster.

Online Learning Issues and Possible Solutions

Professors and their virtual teaching assistants can help students smoothly transition from in-person to virtual courses if they consider the following challenges.

Distractions

Since students are not in an actual classroom, distractions are unavoidable. Additionally, students don’t typically have the same level of privacy they had at university because they often share the house with the rest of their family, so concentrating can become difficult.

The best solution to this problem is to create a schedule with family members. Students should let their families know when they need a quiet study room to follow the class lecture in peace.   

Low Motivation

People are generally very active and sociable and need communication with colleagues to remain productive. Therefore, isolation in a virtual classroom affects motivation, which may result in procrastination.

To overcome this issue, the best solution is for professors or virtual teaching assistants to continue creating schedules or to-do lists that encourage students to keep going and not abandon the work. Also, it is necessary to carve out time for students to keep in touch with their colleagues. Hosting workshops or study meetings is a great way to encourage students to collaborate on their homework.

Technical Problems

When online learning began increasing in popularity, connecting to Zoom or Google Meetings proved challenging, as these platforms were underdeveloped for such a massive shift. Students and professors faced various technical issues and problems that often prolonged class time.

Besides always looking for trustworthy platforms and ensuring students have a reliable internet connection, there isn’t much that can be done regarding technical issues. However, when these issues arise, it’s important for students to contact their professors immediately to ensure they can follow the lecture as seamlessly as possible. 

Poor Interaction = Boredom

Upon transitioning from an actual classroom to a virtual one, students often report feeling bored or less interested in the subject due to decreased interaction with professors and peers. Additionally, students are typically required to complete their assignments independently instead of collaboratively in a virtual environment, further contributing to poor peer interaction.

Although professors always remain available for their students, the motivation for students to keep up with deadlines slowly decreases over time, and the syllabus becomes difficult to follow. One solution to this problem is for students to initiate open discussions with their peers to share ideas and offer constructive feedback on assignments. 

Teaching Assistants Help Overcome Remote Learning Obstacles

Teaching assistants have slowly become integral to any classroom, especially virtual ones. At Instructional Connections, we have helped over 50,000 students in more than 50 universities meet their learning goals online and gain the knowledge to develop their studies further.

To learn more about what our team can do for you, feel free to reach out to us – we’re always happy to help!

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The Biggest Challenges of Online Teaching

Online Teaching Issues & Solutions

As distance learning has become more common, teachers and students have had to adapt to follow the syllabus.

When distance learning was introduced on a more regular basis, many students felt demotivated, while teachers reported that they were falling behind academically. Additionally, students became less responsible and less active during lectures.

And while online teaching holds its unique set of challenges, the educational system as a whole must address these challenges to resume the mission of creating competent academic citizens. Here are some of the biggest obstacles facing online teaching today and how to overcome them. 

The Critical Challenges

Remote and face-to-face teaching are very different methods of lecturing the same material. However, as teaching methods have shifted over the years, many students worldwide have chosen to continue their studies online. As such, teachers have had to adapt to adequately connect with their students online.

Passive Classrooms

Looking at a PowerPoint presentation and listening to the teacher’s lecture for 45-50 minutes, followed by homework assignment instructions for the next day, leads to passive students. Hence, their academic development stagnates.

To thoroughly soak in the new material, students need more interaction. Teachers must revise their plans for the day and find exciting ways to engage students to practice what they’ve learned.

Remote Peer Collaborations

Peer collaboration is a proven method for learning. However, achieving this in a remote classroom can be challenging.

It can be difficult to facilitate peer collaboration in a remote setting, and oftentimes teachers are unsure how to do so. However, the potential benefits of peer collaboration – even when done remotely – make this learning method one that teachers should focus on. 

In a remote classroom, teachers can help foster collaboration by creating student groups ahead of time, assigning different roles to each student, setting goals and making expectations clear,  and prompting students to share their thoughts and opinions virtually with their classmates.

Students must engage with the topic to complete the assignment and better communicate with their peers.

Using the Right Teaching Platform and Tools

More than 700 colleges in the US registered on Zoom in 2020, but connection issues often disrupted the lectures.

Although these disconnections were primarily short, they greatly distracted students. Therefore, reliable platforms that won’t interrupt the class with a glitch are imperative. Moreover, teachers should also consider using educational tools to engage students in the lecture.

Conducting Effective Examination

One of the most serious challenges universities face with online teaching is choosing the proper examination tactic. If not conducted effectively, universities create underskilled academic individuals in the future.

Each subject has specific skills students should acquire during the course. To assess students’ performance to the best abilities, universities have a few open options.

  • Open-book exams – This assessment focuses solely on students’ critical thinking, analysis, and reflection on the material. In such exams, students receive a specific subject matter they must complete in a given time, but they can use notes and books to support their statements.
  • Proctored Exams – A proctored exam is a monitored examination. An instructor or an authorized invigilator will monitor the student during the test. The proctor ensures that the exam’s norms and regulations are followed.

Get More Instructional Strategies from Instructional Connections

Remote learning has slowly become the norm in the educational systems, and colleges and universities need more support to conduct online classes successfully. However, with the right partner, these challenges become a thing of the past.

At Instructional Connections, we have identified these problems and have helped over 50 universities to overcome them. If your board struggles with issues related to remote learning, don’t hesitate to contact us – we’re happy to help!

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Tips for Engaging Students in Online Learning

Engaging Students in Online Learning

Engaging students is hard enough in the physical classroom, but the tactics you use in person might work just as well online. And surprisingly, incorporating tried and tested working methods to engage students in learning isn’t as hard as it seems.

Like online courses, blended teaching, or what we now call hybrid learning, isn’t anything new — most importantly, it isn’t going away. In fact, all signs point to it being the future of learning. But for it to be as effective as in-person courses, it’s essential to ensure your students are soaking in the material.

Keep reading to learn Instructional Connections’ top tips for keeping students engaged in your university’s courses and how a virtual teaching assistant can help!

Help Students Create a Routine

To engage students from the get-go, give them some ideas to set a routine for their asynchronous work time. One example of this would be adding a post to the discussion board before starting their work for the class. This can be as simple as discussing what they did the previous weekend or what they’re looking forward to learning on the syllabus.

These simple routines at the beginning of each class can help students make natural connections with one another (and their professor) and open up — especially in an asynchronous setting.

If you have a virtual teaching assistant in your classroom, this is a perfect opportunity to help them get involved and connected to your students. If students feel comfortable with your virtual TA, they will also feel comfortable approaching a professor.

Use Interactive Content & Materials

This should probably go without saying, but it’s imperative to show students more than just a lecture packed with facts and instructions — all students learn differently. Professors should consider preparing or finding materials on certain topics that are easy to digest or designed to be more engaging. This will help lessons be more interactive and will naturally encourage student participation.

  • Try using videos or varied media in your online or hybrid course — they’ve proven valuable and engaging in education.
  • For both synchronous and asynchronous online learning, you can use a digital whiteboard to present information and solve problems with your students, show pictures and charts, and play clips, podcasts, and YouTube videos.
  • The internet is your friend! With the rise of virtual learning and a surplus of online materials, you can find interactive videos, quizzes, and other assets that supplement your lesson material. 

Incorporating a virtual teaching assistant into the classroom can help open up time for professors. Some professors may have their virtual TAs facilitate asynchronous discussions and other tasks.

Utilize Class Forums or Discussion Boards

Some students are more comfortable typing out their thoughts than sharing them in a recorded video format in class.

An online discussion space is an excellent opportunity for everyone to participate, give their opinion, become familiar with other students’ views, and learn proper etiquette for professional discussions. This learning activity also allows students to think about the question and form their thoughts and opinions at their own pace. Sometimes, the pressure of immediately answering a question in class or the anxiety of recording a video response causes students to freeze and have trouble giving their highest quality answers.

Virtual TAs have many roles in the classroom, but the program or professor’s needs always determine these roles. While some professors may have their Virtual TA monitor and respond to student questions and forum responses, some may want to do this independently to connect with their students. 

Virtual Teaching Assistants for Every University

At Instructional Connections, we make life easier for your professors. By providing support only where it’s needed, our virtual TAs allow your faculty members of record to focus on class engagement, course delivery, and student outcomes.

Learn more about our virtual teaching assistants and see how they can work for your university program.

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Event

March 21-23, 2023: TxDLA Annual Conference

March 20-23, 2023, Texas Digital Learning Association‘s Annual Conference (in person) in Galveston, TX. 

Instructional Connections is a sponsor of this conference. Additionally, we are presenters.

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The Elements of a Solid Distance Learning Model

students working on a Solid Distance Learning Model

With at least 2,500 colleges already offering online programs, it’s no secret that distance learning has become an increasingly integral part of higher education. Instructors and academic coaches have had to work hard to develop a good model for teaching in this environment. But it’s not easy.

There are many different factors that need to be considered when developing an effective distance learning model. This article will discuss some of the vital elements of a solid distance learning model.

Constant Email Communication

It’s important for instructors, faculty, and teaching assistants to always open their email channels. Communication is an integral part of distance learning, and many interactions happen through email.

If instructors and faculty members are not responsive to emails, it can create a disconnection between them and their students. It’s recommended to answer emails from students within 24 hours, even if it’s only to stay: “I’ll have to research that and get back to you.”

For coursework that spans a holiday, educators should still try to be available for urgent inquiries from their students. However, high holidays like Christmas or Yom Kippur need balance and a break to be honored. In cases like this, course-related correspondences might be temporarily suspended, but educators should still try to check their emails at least once daily.

It’s also essential for educators to have someone ready to answer on their behalf if they cannot respond within a 24-hour window. Teaching assistants and academic coaches are generally expected to take over answering duties if the educator is not able to do so.

Utilizing Other Means of Communication

While email is generally considered the primary way for learners to get in touch with their teachers or professors, it’s by no means the only method of communication that can be used.

At the discretion of the school, phone calls, online chats or messengers through the university’s website, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), video conferences, and web meetings are popular ways for educators to connect with their students in a distance learning environment.

It’s essential to learn and become adept with these communication channels to have another option to connect with students in the most effective way possible.

Addressing Technology Glitches and Downtimes

Since the distance learning model heavily relies on technology to work, it’s wise for educators and academic coaches to be familiar with many common glitches.

Educators are expected to have at least basic troubleshooting knowledge on some of the most common issues distance learning programs face. These include:

  • Internet connection problems
  • Audio and video issues with webcams or microphones
  • Login issues with the learning management system (LMS)
  • Problems accessing or downloading course materials

When any of these happen, it’s important to be patient and have a backup plan ready. For instance, if there’s an issue with the LMS, educators can still send course materials to their students through email.

When responding to students affected by issues and downtimes, having a calm demeanor can help build confidence while waiting for a repair.

It’s also vital that educators and academic coaches report any instances of errors or downtime related to the LMS. While issues with learning management systems should be rare, notifying the administration about them can help prevent similar problems from happening in the future.

Addressing Student Problems

When an issue emerges with or from a student, educators are expected to address them as soon as possible. This is especially true for students who are worried or upset about a specific issue.

Addressing the issue within a 24-hour window is ideal, though some problems will require more time to resolve. If that’s the case, assure the student through email that their concern is currently being addressed and thank them for writing about the issue.

Often, students who have difficulty with the coursework or feel lost during a distance learning program simply struggle to keep up with the pace. That’s why educators need to be as understanding and helpful as possible when addressing student problems.

Keep These Elements in Mind

The elements of an effective distance-learning model are clear and concise communication, utilization of multiple communication channels, as well as addressing technology glitches and student problems well.

When educators and academic coaches keep these elements in mind, they can build a strong foundation for their distance learning program that will benefit them and their students.

Instructional Connections specializes in helping colleges and universities optimize their online learning programs by providing online academic coaches. Contact us today, and our team will be happy to discuss how we can help your institution.
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Research

Effective Practices in Using Coaches in Large Online Courses

Virtual TAs on a laptop computer with a student

Tracia Forman and Jessica Sanchez, UTRGV

Presentation given at the Texas Digital Learning Annual Association Conference 2022, Galveston, TX

Increased online enrollment has results in the use of supplementary instructional support to enhance effective course delivery.  Use of an instructional team approach plays an invaluable role in student success.

UTRGV-TxDLA-Presentation-3.23.22[78]

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Research

Academic Coaches And Student Success In Higher Education: A Quantitative Study.

Building Online Education Programs on a laptop

Academic Coaches and Student Success in Higher Education.

Published in the Journal for Distance Education. May 31, 2023.

Nicole C. Letchworth, Summer Koltonski & L. Kathleen Sheriff (2023) Academic Coaches and Student Success in Higher Education, American Journal of Distance Education, DOI: 10.1080/08923647.2023.2210491

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08923647.2023.2210491 

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How Online Academic Coaches Help Nursing Students

Online Academic Coaches Helping Nursing Students

According to the AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing), nursing is among the occupations experiencing the most job growth in the U.S, yet it is still predicted that there will be a shortage of registered nurses.

One of the ways this can be addressed is through online academic coaching specific to nursing programs!

Benefits of Online Academic Coaching for Nursing Students

An online academic coach understands the needs of colleges or universities and their students. They are highly qualified and experienced professionals. In addition, they have experience with online learning and know-how to enhance student success in distance learning and online programs.

Differences Between Academic Coaches and Mentors

Currently, one of the ways a nurse can gain experience and knowledge is through mentorship. A mentorship is when a more experienced nurse mentors another and acts as a teacher or supervisor to help the less experienced nurse achieve their goals.

Coaching seems similar, however, our online academic coaching model takes a more facilitative approach and promotes autonomy within students while they are in online courses for their degree.

A study was done on a coaching training course that was delivered to 148 healthcare professionals. Evaluations from the attendees suggested that coaching would create more learning opportunities and prompt students to become independent learners – two things that are greatly needed for online education and distance learning.

The Nursing Shortage

It is projected that there will be more registered nurse jobs available than any other job in the U.S. by 2022. Despite the rapidly growing number of registered nurses, there is a nursing shortage due to the aging population, the chronic conditions that come with age, and high turnover rates.

Causes

Advancements in medical science and quality of life have helped Americans live longer. However, this does not mean that they are healthier during old age. The baby boomer generation is entering old age, meaning they will need more health services as they age. And older persons are typically diagnosed with more than one comorbidity.

The workforce is also aging, and a third could be at retirement age in the next decade or so. This includes nurse faculty, meaning fewer nurses will train new ones, leading to enrollment limitations and fewer nurses generated by schools.

The difficulty of the profession also contributes to turnovers. Nurses work in an inherently stressful environment compounded by the threat of physical and emotional hurdles.

The Effect on Patient Care

An inadequate number of nurses will have a negative impact on patient care. It will lead to more uneven patient-to-nurse ratios, more fatigue and stress for nurses, higher chances of medication errors, lower patient care quality, and higher patient mortality rates.

How Online Academic Coaches Can Help

One study looks into how the shortage of nursing faculty and the increase of students is being addressed by using academic coaches in online programs.

Online academic coaches would be able to help nursing schools by providing the needed manpower for assisting students. They work to be assets for both the faculty and the students by managing discussion threads, assisting with grading, and various other tasks. This frees up nurse faculty to focus on engagement and teaching.

Help Your Staff and Your Students Succeed

Instructional Connections has been providing high-quality online academic coach support services to colleges and universities offering online courses since 2010. Improve your student success in online programs with our virtual teaching assistant services.
Call us at +1 888-221-2418 or submit an inquiry.
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The Role of a Virtual Teaching Assistant in Online Learning

Role of a Virtual Teaching Assistant in Online Learning

More and more people are finally taking notice of online learning’s many benefits, with some finally accepting that many students perform better in this learning environment. However, there’s no denying how hard the shift to online learning is for some students and teachers.

This is an excellent opportunity for virtual teaching assistants to showcase how much their profession can contribute to this new way of learning in university and college courses.

But what exactly is a virtual teaching assistant’s role in online learning? This article discusses some of the essential roles virtual teaching assistants play in the online learning environment. 

Dealing with Online Course Documents

Online documentations have become a crucial part of online teaching. Whether that’s reports, assessments, records, and learning materials, all of these have moved into the digital space. Despite the shift to digital copies, these documents are still just as important as ever.

For virtual teaching assistants, one of their roles is to familiarize themselves with all the different types of digital files needed for their online learning course. These could be documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or PDF files.

Teaching assistants must know how online documentation works to help teachers troubleshoot issues, store documents to the Cloud, and do other tasks related to digital paperwork. They also maintain all compliance with federal and state laws regarding confidentiality and the security of protected information.

Fostering Student-to-Student Discussion & Interaction

One of the first possible casualties of online learning is student-to-student interaction. During an online course, most students are limited to interacting with the teacher only. Meanwhile, the teacher may be preoccupied with creating and delivering lessons.

Virtual teaching assistants are in the perfect position to lessen the teacher’s tasks and foster student discussion and interaction. Teaching assistants may help the teacher conduct student-to-student dialogue during the course.

Teaching assistants may help the teacher provide instructions for when, where, and how students can participate in virtual discussions.

It could be done by dedicating time from lesson delivery to activities like group discussions or turning a classroom session into an open forum. These activities may prove too much for teachers; teaching assistants can help in these activities.

Maintaining Clear Lines of Communication

Communication is an integral part of classroom education, even more so in the digital space. Students may have questions, clarifications, and feedback, but these can often be neglected due to a teacher’s hectic schedule.

Virtual teaching assistants can help maintain student-teacher communication by acting as the person in the middle. Teaching assistants can answer students’ questions, take note of feedback, report at-risk students or other issues for the teacher to address.

Teaching assistants can also monitor online class forums and message boards for any messages or posts. They can be the go-to person for students requiring clarification regarding projects and activities, which frees the teacher from extra tasks while providing students with someone they can reach out to.

Virtual teaching assistants are essential in modern education, especially since the world is quickly becoming digital. It’s more important than ever for teachers and educational institutions to invest in the many benefits teaching assistants can provide

.Instructional Connections is a leading provider of high-quality instructional support services to colleges and universities. If you’re interested in our virtual teaching assistants, contact us today, and our team will answer all your inquiries!
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