Before
you Begin
Tips for
Online Learning
 Familiarize
yourself with HP 101, the course design and structure
- Allocate
time to the course on a regular basis
Create
a study schedule for yourself and mark it in your schedule; let
others around you know that you need those times to study; avoid
distractions
Review the online resources
and bookmark those that you would like to explore more fully
Create a comfortable
physical space to study. If studying at home, make sure that you
have a good chair, desk and good lighting. If studying at work,
you may need to make arrangements with your supervisor and make
sure that you have a comfortable work station/place to store your
study materials between sessions
- Evaluate your own progress regularly
- Become familiar with doing research online
Hone your technical computer
skill so that the technology does not interfere with your learning/does
not distract or frustrate you
If you want
to follow-up on any of these ideas in more detail, here are three
places you could go.
There
is an excellent guide to self-directed learning and online learning
at http://www.studygs.net/.
The
website at http://www.webct.com/oriented/ViewContent?contentID=1811174
offers
a readiness index for online learning.
A
good introduction to Internet Basics in a health promotion setting
can be found at
http://www.opc.on.ca/english/our_programs/hlth_promo/resources/mapping/toolkit/int_basics.htm
Participating in an Online Community
Although HP
101 is designed as a self-directed course, this does not preclude
establishing self-study networks or involving yourself in existing
listservs to participate in an online community. You may want to
create a small group at work and work through the course together.
Module
9 identifies a number of listservs, online journals and other
online resources where you can further your learning.
For a good introduction
to participating in an online community, consult A
Brief Learners’ Guide to Online Community, written by Dianne
Conrad (diannec@athabascau.ca),
Director, Centre for Learning Accreditation, Athabasca University.
Going Further in Health Promotion
As you work
your way through HP 101, you may find that it stimulates you to
look for other learning opportunities. There are many courses
and programs in Health Promotion that would enable you to expand
your learning in a more formal manner. Module
9 presents an overview of online and other Health Promotion
courses and programs offered in Canada.
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