翻译《如何进行在线学习》

How to Make eLearning Work
如何进行在线学习

By Elise B. Zito
作者：紫图雅丽

Provided by ClassesUSA.com
提供：ClassesUSA

It sounds perfect. You come home from work, relax, and at your convenience, plop down at the computer for an online forum that will eventually lead to a desirable degree. Plus, a recent survey by Eduventures, a leading education analyst firm, found that 63 percent of employers feel the quality of 100 percent online education is "as good as or better than" face-to-face education.

听起来很美好。你下班回家，放松，然后在你有空的时候，在计算机前坐下，进入一个网上论坛，最终拿到一个理想的学位。加上最近教育风险公司，一家引领教育分析的公司的一项调查发现63%的雇主认为网上教育的质量与面对面教育相比百分之百是“一样好或更好”。

But practically speaking, how will you fit eLearning coursework, online discussions, group projects, and term papers into your already busy life? With the responsibilities of everyday life on your plate, it can be challenging to have a positive and profitable online education experience. That's why Alice Quinlan, director of the Woods External Degree program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Terre Haute, IN), shares her insight into making eLearning work for you.

但实际上来说，你如何在已经很忙碌的生活中安排好网络学习的课程、网上讨论、小组项目，以及学期论文的？在你每天伏案工作的同时，拥有一份积极而有益的在线教育体验具有挑战性。这就是为什么昆兰雅丽，圣伍兹玛丽学院（ 印第安纳州特雷霍特城）伍兹校外学位计划的主任，和你分享她进行网络学习的见识的原因。

Outline Your Goals
勾勒出你的目标

"It's important to get real clarity about your motivation for pursuing a degree," says Quinlan. Whether it's for personal fulfillment, a career change, or to better the life of your children, she insists that putting your reasons on paper will help keep you focused and shape the decisions you make throughout your online learning experience.

“重要的是彻底弄清楚你追求学位的动机”，昆兰说。不管是为了满足自己、更换职业、或让你孩子有一个更好的生活，她坚持把你的理由写在纸上，这有助于你在整个在线学习过程中看清重点并坚持决心。

Traci Joan Macnamara, a student in Goucher College's online master of fine arts (MFA) in creative nonfiction degree program, set the goal of writing her first book while in school. "I was coming into [the program] with a few scattered essays and ideas about how to bring them together into a continuous book-length narrative, but I wanted some mentorship through that process," she says.

崔西疆，一个高车学院的创造性的非文学作品学位计划，在线美术硕士（MFA）的学生，在学校的时候定下写自己第一本书的目标。“我带着零散的短文和关于如何将他们合成一个连续的长篇故事的想法进入这个计划，但现在我想在这过程中结交一些良师益友，”她说

A clear end goal not only led Traci to the appropriate program, it helps her stay on track with her studies as well. "I have made excellent progress in my writing," she shares. "I've written more than I've ever written in my life, and after my first year [in the program], I had a first draft of a book manuscript."

明确目标不仅令崔西选择了合适的计划，也帮助她在学习的轨道上走得很好。“我的写作进展极好”她分享道：“我要书写更多我的生活，经过第一年[的学习]，我有了一本书稿的初稿。”

Set Up a Support System

建立一套支持系统

Whether it be family, friends, or fellow students, be sure to include others in your struggles and successes, Quinlan encourages. Let the important people in your life know how things will change once you're busy with schoolwork, and how they can help you achieve your goals. "Sometimes it helps just to have someone to talk to about the work," she adds.

无论是家人、朋友或同事、同学，务必让他们参与到你的努力与成功中来，昆兰鼓励到。让你生命中最重要的人知道一旦你忙于课业，事情将如何改变，以及他们可以如何帮助你实现你的目标。“有时候有个人来谈谈功课也是有帮助的。”她说。

Traci attests to the strength she gets from the support of her online classmates. "We encourage and check in with each other over personal e-mail, and we also interact in an online forum," she shares. "In my current semester, we have an online ‘coffee shop' forum, and it ends up being a place where everybody can just post what's on their mind or ask questions related to the writing or coursework."

崔西证明她从网上同学给予的支持当中获得力量。“我们通过私人电子邮件互相鼓励并核对作业，我们也在网上论坛中相互影响，”她分享到：“在我这个学期，我们有一个『网上咖啡店』论坛，它是这样一个场所，在这里人人都可以张贴他们与写作或功课有关的想法或问题。”

Aside from helping her think more critically about the material, Traci says being able to interact with her peers on a more personal level has given her a sense that she isn't the only one trying to juggle a million things at once. "[Eventually], the emails moved beyond a discussion of writing and literature into things like caring for a dying parent, working in a restaurant to pay the bills, traveling to Asia, and visiting a friend in the Peace Corps in Fiji," she shares. "It was helpful to know that people were doing these things while pursuing an online degree."

除了帮助她更加挑剔的思考这些素材，崔西说能够与同龄人在相当个人的层面上相互影响，给她一种感觉，她不是唯一一个要立刻设法处理数以百万计的事情的人。“[终于]，来回的电子邮件超出关于写作和文学的讨论，变成照顾临终父母、为付账而在餐馆工作、去亚洲旅行，以及拜访一位斐济和平队的朋友，”她分享道：“知道人们在读取网上学位的同时仍在继续做这些事情很有用处。”

Seek Counsel

寻求指导

"It is critically important to reach out to your professors for help," says Quinlan. "No online student should hesitate to connect with an instructor - push past any hesitation or embarrassment and think like a consumer. You're paying good money for the course, the instructor is a professional, and he or she is there to help," she adds.

“联系你的教授寻求帮助是非常重要的，”昆兰说，“网上学生不应当在联系导师时犹豫——抛开任何犹豫或困窘，把自己想象成一个消费者。你为这门课程出了大价钱，导师作为一个专业人士，他/她应当帮助你，”她说。

"During my first semester, I had weekly phone conversations, lasting about 30 minutes each, with my professor," Traci shares. "With others, I have had e-mail discussions and monthly phone calls." Since one of her main reasons for enrolling in the program was to seek mentorship, Traci says such interaction with professors has helped her immensely in accomplishing her goals. Most online programs offer a variety of ways to achieve this level of contact with professors. Virtual office hours, professors' Web sites where additional material is posted, and basic e-mail correspondence are just a few of the available options.

“我在第一个学期，曾每周与教授电话交谈大约三十分钟，”崔西分享道：“与别人，我用电子邮件讨论，每月打一次电话。”由于她加入这项计划的一个主要原因就是结交朋友，崔西说，这种与教授的互动在很大程度上帮助她实现了目标。大多数在线计划提供多种方式实现与教授在这种程度上的接触。补充材料张贴在教授的网站“虚拟办公时间”上，最基本的电子邮件只是互动选择的很小一部分。

Budget Your Time

预算你的时间

Balancing coursework with an already busy schedule can be a challenge. "The key is to not let yourself get behind," says Quinlan. "Take it one step at a time, and stay on top of your work as much as you can."

在忙碌的工作和课程之间做好平衡是一项挑战。“关键是不要让自己落后，”昆兰说，“要一步一个脚印，同时尽量做到最好。”

Traci says she understood the value of managing her time even before she enrolled in the program. "This coursework and writing have been my priority, so I've structured my life around it, not tried to cram it into an already-busy life," explains this communications operator at McMurdo Station, the largest United States base for scientific research in Antarctica. Having worked different jobs while pursuing her MFA, Traci sets small day-to-day goals to meet no matter what her work schedule. "One thing I try to do is write 300 words [about a page] a day - that's the number I try to hit as far as a pace goes," she says.

崔西说她在加入学习计划之前知道管理时间的意义。“这些功课和写作放在优先位置，因此我围绕它来安排自己的生活，而不是将它塞进已经够忙碌的生活中去，”这位美国在南极洲最大的科研基地麦克默多站的话务员解释到。在攻读美术硕士的时候她做着与之不同的工作， 崔西安排短小的逐日目标以应对各种工作安排。“我想要做的一件事是每天写300字[约一页纸]——那是我尽可能做到的一个数字。”她说。

Regarding her online coursework, Traci admits that keeping up with the online forums can be a challenge. "It feels overwhelming to log into an online discussion and see five different conversations going at once, so I try to respond to one at a time," she says. "I'll allow myself 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes later that day, and then move on to a different set of threads the next day. In that way, I'll pace myself to participate over three days instead of trying to do it all at once."

关于他的网上功课，崔西承认要跟上在线讨论其实是一项挑战。“对于进入网上讨论同时看五个不同的谈话，会感觉不知所措，因此我尝试一次回复一个话题，”她说，“我每天允许自己早上花上三十分钟和稍后的三十分钟来恢复话题，然后第二天转移到另一个话题。我用这种方式花了三天的时间参与其中，而不是一下子做所有的。”

Keep Your Eye On the Prize

关注奖励

"Tapping back into your original motivation is important," says Quinlan. "It's easy to get overwhelmed, and it's vital to make the material relevant to yourself in order to stay motivated."

“时时想着最初的动机很重要，”昆兰说，“很容易不知所措，让资料与你有关对于保持动机至关重要。”

Life is unpredictable, and situations may come up that interfere with your coursework, such as family problems, financial troubles, work pressures, or health issues. But Quinlan urges you to keep going, even if you need to withdraw from the program temporarily.

生活难料，家庭问题、金融问题、 工作压力或健康问题等各种情况都可能会干扰你的功课。但昆兰敦促你继续走下去，即使你需要暂时退出计划。

"The whole premise of adult education and online learning is it's never too late to start, and it's never too late to finish."

“成人教育和在线学习的整个前提是它什么时候开始都不晚，什么时候结束也都不晚。”

Traci, who admits to feeling extremely overwhelmed during her first semester, attests to the value of not giving up. "Writing a book seems impossible most of the time," she shares. "The mentorship is what keeps me going - these people are expecting to receive my work, so I do the best I can to get it to them in time because I want their feedback. That personal connection keeps me motivated."

崔西承认第一个学期给她的感觉非常震撼，证实了不放弃的价值。“写一本书一般情况下似乎是不可能的，”她分享道，“良师益友是能让我前进的人——这些人希望能见到我的成绩，所以我按时尽我所能给他们，因为我希望得到他们的反馈。这种人际关系令我不断进步。”

原文出处： http://www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=5896101&ClientType=Printable