Every student has their own learning style, and the personalization of online learning gives students with all different types of styles the opportunity to tap into their inner potential.
If you are trying to decide what type of program is best for you, it is very important that you identify what your learning style is, what type of learning experience you prefer, and how online programs can be personalized and tailored to suit your unique needs. In the midst of a student-centered learning revolution, more and more schools are focusing on taking a personalized approach to delivering curriculum rather than the common one-size-fits-all approach from the past. Read this guide to learn just how individual learners can benefit from the personalization of distance education programs.
What is Personalized Learning?
Personalized learning is not a brand-new concept, but it is a concept that is being offered much more by virtual schools than by schools that offer in-person experiences. There are a wide range of strategies that can be implemented to personalize an educational program, but most commonly the professor, counselor, or educational specialist will take steps to determine the needs of the student, their personal interest, and their aspirations. After all of this is assessed, the faculty will employ different methods of delivery or different activities that will ensure the student has the best experience possible.
What is an Individual Learner?
There are many different types of learners and the individual learner is the most misunderstood. Individual learners, simply put, learn better in a quiet setting by themselves than they do in a group. Some students may be visual learners and others auditory. It is possible for a student to be an individual auditory learner as opposed to an individual visual learner. Differentiating between learning preferences and styles is critical to differentiating instruction and personalizing a lesson plan.
Infographic: One Style Does Not Fit All: How Personality Differences Affect Learning
Students who prefer to learn individually tend to gravitate towards online programs. They do not need the contact and socialization that other group learners need when grasping new concepts or when trying to engage with their peers. While online platforms are great for individual learners, there are several characteristics that vary between these learners that need to be taken into account when personalizing education.
Why is Personalization Possible in Online Programs?
Individual learners prefer that the instructors or professors take a more passive role in facilitated learning. This is much more possible in an online setting, where the professor can be passive with one student and more active with another. That is why the online learning environment and distance learning platform is the best option for personalizing instruction that caters to the specific needs of the learner who wants to take an individualized approach.
Conclusion
Students who complete a personal assessment and then enroll in a personalized distance education program will have the opportunity to experience learning in a way that they will benefit. It is not beneficial to a student to complete lessons that do not capture their interest or do not reach them, but this is changing now that college is being reinvigorated and restructured. While not all programs take this step, personalization of online learning is becoming the new norm.
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