Distance Learning

I took the plunge and returned to college to complete the pre-requisite coursework for a Nursing program.

This summer, I am taking 1 class:  Human Nutrition.

The class is online.  Thankfully, I managed to get into the class on the first day of the term.  I had been on the waiting list for weeks.  

This is my very first online class.

This is only the 4th week of classes, and I am already a big fan of distance learning!  I had no idea online classes were so awesome.   

I suspect that one of the reasons this online class is so nice is that the instructor is a pro at online teaching.  She is simultaneously teaching 2 or 3 sections of this class online, and she is extremely organized with the syllabus, links, notes, discussions, and assignments.  She is very clear on what is expected for this course, and how to succeed.  The assignments for the first week were so simple, that they really seemed to just be a lesson in how to follow instructions and pay attention to details.

One of the things I like most is the way that the class is organized.  The syllabus lists the assignments and tests, on a weekly schedule.  Each course week runs from Monday morning to Sunday night.  Each weekly assignment or exam is due by Sunday at midnight.  I really like having a full week to complete assignments like that.  It is not that I want to wait to the last minute.  What I like most is picking which day of the week I can sit down without interruption and complete the assignment or exam. 

I tend to do the reading early in the week, and work on the assignments on Wednesdays or Thursdays.  I ended up taking the first exam just before midnight on a Friday night.  Some weeks are busier for me, so I end up working on schoolwork Friday or Saturday afternoon.  I am just in awe of that kind of flexibility.

I am also a huge fan of not having to find childcare in order to take a class.  That is a big deal for me.  I get to be home with the kids, and I don't have to stress about care.  I can study and work on coursework while they are playing in the backyard, or after they are asleep at night.  They can be ill or grumpy or tired, and it won't affect my ability to complete assignments, since I am not having to show up on a certain day at a certain time.

With the online assessments, the instructor can input all the questions and answers in multiple choice format so that the tests and quizzes are graded immediately.  It was a really neat feature to take the exam near midnight, and get the results immediately!  (I got an A).  I was able to see exactly which questions I missed on the exam right away, which I think actually improves my learning.

For this class, books and notes are permitted for exams, but the exam is timed.  So, it would be very difficult to look up all the answers, if you haven't studied or familiarized yourself with the content.  I am suspicious that the instructor made the exam questions more difficult also.  

There is one question on the exam that has stuck with me because of how detailed it was.  I got the answer correct, because somewhere in my brain I remembered that detail from my previous anatomy coursework (many years ago).  Goblet cells produce mucous.  I could win that question in a trivia game, because I have random pieces of anatomy trivia in my brain.  It just seems to me that such a detail is way beyond the scope of an introductory nutrition class.  The chapter was about the digestive system.  I expected questions about saliva, the stomach, and the intestines.  But goblet cells?  When the exam was over, I actually went back to my textbook to look and see if there was mention of goblet cells.  They were there, in a small section, a minor mention in the paragraphs about the stomach and small intestine.  I am trying to decide if this is typical of college exam material....and maybe my study skills are not as good as they need to be.  Or, is this an example of the instructor picking a really minute detail out of a chapter, to use as an exam question?  Either way, this shows me that I am not retaining the material that I am reading as well as I thought.      

From this experience so far, I wish there was a way to take ALL of my coursework online.  Unfortunately, I do not see a way to have online laboratory classes, so I am going to have to go to campus for those.  But, now that I see how this opportunity works, I am going to keep my eyes open for more online classes to continue my education. 

One fun tidbit in the field of nutrition is that the "Food Pyramid" that I was taught in school as a child, has been replaced by the "My Plate" campaign.  First, the food pyramid was redesigned, making the outer edge look like stairs (to remind folks to keep active).  Apparently that awareness campaign did not improve the public's understanding of nutrition.  (I think the new design went in the wrong direction and did not provide the  simple visual that the original pyramid had).    The My Plate system seems more simple and logical to me, so I am curious if it is having a positive impact yet.  I am amused that these awareness measures are only focused on serving size (which is important), but my health conscious friends are discussing the changes in the food quality itself--genetic engineering, mass production techniques, and such things that have reduced the nutrition content of our food.  Is serving size awareness enough to overcome the poorer nutrition quality?  I doubt it.  Time will tell, I suppose.  I find awareness campaigns to be interesting, but not really informative enough to make an impact the size they are aiming for.

Another blessing in my Human Nutrition course this summer is the requirement to use a Diet Analysis software program.  The instructor is having us input data on a made-up subject, but we are also doing some assignments that are about our own diet habits.  Regardless of the assignments required for the class, I am able to use this software to analyse my own food intake, to see its size and nutrition quality both.  I am taking advantage of this opportunity this summer.  I have already been focusing on being active to improve overall fitness.  I am taking care of the medical side of my health by treating the thyroid issue.  So, the next logical step is to analyze and improve my overall diet and nutrition.  

What great timing for this specific class!