Creating Traditions for Online Students
Education is an experience that is not just about learning, but also about belonging. Our students looked forward to taking part in the graduation ceremony as much as we wanted them there, sealing a relationship that we aim to carry on in the future.
It’s not just about a certificate for them, and they’re not simply a closed file for us. We spend years proving to students that being at an online institution won’t diminish their learning experience or the final outcome, and we don’t underestimate the impact that an alumni network can have on past, current and future students.
We advocate that the online learning experience should not be a half-hearted emulation of the classroom experience, but that doesn’t mean that we have to compromise on the feeling of belonging that only a lifelong relationship with a community of like-minded people can give.
Active Alumni in the E-Learning Sector
As vice-chancellors know very well, alumni networks have a great relevance for all education institutions, as they are a solid base to build reputation and support the future in many ways, including financially.
We, in the e-learning sector, don’t underestimate the importance that universities place on alumni–both in financial and reputational terms. The fact that graduates studied online should not be a barrier for them to have a lifelong relationship with the institution; in fact, those graduates are probably highly inclined to join alumni associations to compensate for the fact that they didn’t actually attend a campus-based course.
Universities thinking about adding online programs to their portfolio shouldn’t fear a setback in alumni donations should they decide to go down this path. Yes, going online will probably mean a different approach to alumni relations, but it shouldn’t be an obstacle.
By sharing an online community with tutors and staff, these learners have already showed their disposition to participate in something different, and they are likely to be more inclined to join an alumni association. And, it’s worth highlighting, those students are already used to a distance relationship with their institutions.
The launch of our alumni network InterActive International Alumni Association, which happened during the graduation, evidences that.
What online learning has to do in order to showcase its strengths is to dare, and present itself as more than a vague simulation of the campus-based experience. It isn’t about reassuring students and academic partners with something familiar, but to prove that another way to inclusive education is possible, while disproving prejudices and taking down barriers.
It’s time for this sector and those involved to get over the dated idea that online learning is a mere alternative to traditional education or, even worse, a less dignified option. With new and more inclusive technologies launched and developed every day, e-learning has all it needs to effectively complement traditional education.
Jeremy Bradley is the Director of Academic Affairs at InterActive and oversees the portfolio of undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education programmes. Jeremy studied for an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in biology, philosophy, and communications before completing an MBA in public policy and finance.
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