If you’re considering taking a remote course on a subject that relies on having a lot of practical experience, don’t be put off. Although you need this hands-on experience to pursue a career after completing your course, there are ways to make remote learning with a practical subject work for you.
Getting the chance to put your learning into practice
It’s useful to have the knowledge needed on practical subjects, which you can gain through a masters electrical and computer engineering course. Kettering University Online provides learning that is 100% online, and it was ranked number three in 2019 among the best-value colleges in Michigan.
However, many employers will want practical experience, so there will be opportunities to try out what you have learned. These are often in the form of in-person work experience placements, which you can either find for yourself, or maybe get help from your course provider with this. It may not be paid, but some students get travel expenses – others receive a small wage or other payment. This all depends on your provider. It’s worth asking before you start so that you know what to expect. Most importantly, you get the practical experience and you see for yourself how everything you have learned works in an offline setting.
This also means that the workplace doesn’t have to be located in the same area as the college you’re studying at. It can be more local to you. So, although you attend these in person, there is a lot of flexibility around the area you choose, the days you attend, and when you start.
There is an alternative that some course providers offer, or you may find programs that allow you to do this yourself. Although many students find it helpful to try things offline, online simulated work experience can work just as well for some. For other students, it provides an environment to prepare them for work experience later, or to begin a career in an entry-level role. It works by simulating experiences that are as close to real-life scenarios as possible, and testing the students on how to carry out specific tasks.
Undertake your own projects
As a remote student, you can also gain practical experience by undertaking your own projects as part of the course. For example, with the Mobile Robotics course, you will carry out the necessary research and complete projects independently. This has advantages over a work placement, because it allows you to work on the project at a time to suit you, and you still gain practical experience. You could find that you get more done because you can work on it for short periods of time, even at short notice if you unexpectedly have some spare time.
With the type of technology that many people have access to now, it should be possible for students of practical courses such as electrical and computer engineering to be able to test out some of the theoretical content to see how it applies to real-life settings, without having to attend the college or another place of learning.
The completed projects can also be added to your portfolio to help after graduation, when you’re applying for jobs that are relevant to your qualification. They show employers that you can work on your own initiative, apply what you’ve learned in a practical way, and with minimal or no supervision. Many employers don’t want to have to micro-manage their employees, so these are all great qualities that can help you stand out from other candidates.
Lots of online materials to help you
Taking learning out of the classroom and moving it online requires a lot of different course materials. Some people find it easier to learn through experience.
Others pick up more information through reading, or can be more responsive to audio or visual materials. That’s why courses incorporate all of these into their learning. Written content, audio recordings and videos aren’t just used to show off how many different forms of learning are available – they help online students to take in knowledge in whichever way suits them best. This is crucial with remote learning, as they may not be able to put all of this into practice immediately.
With remote learning, online tutorials can be recorded for those unable to attend at that specific time. These can be watched when students have the time, and they can be re-watched for those who may struggle to take in everything at once. It also means that when they attempt the practical side of the course, they can follow recordings of tutorials and refer back to any of the other materials they need.
Tutorials on practical subjects don’t have to be limited to rows of faces on a screen. The tutor can demonstrate the topic in a variety of ways. This includes showing how to carry out practical tasks, or sharing their screen to show specific models of how things work or other technical information. It’s possible to make the remote learning experience feel as close as it can be to being there in person.
Remote learning that encourages students to try things themselves can be great for helping them to learn. For example, when the tutor has shown you how to do something, by asking you to demonstrate on-screen, or answer questions about how something is done, you get to show that you have understood the course materials and know-how to apply them practically.
Support and interaction
Some of the reasons that students give for preferring offline education are not having the environment where they can have access to the tutor, missing the support from other students, and the lack of a social side of learning and student life. These are easily solvable when providing remote learning. Any good course provider will have a student admissions team to help answer your questions on specific courses and determine which study path is right for you.
They will also have regular online tutorials so that you can ask your tutor anything and interact with other students. If you attend these while they are live, you can get to know the other students and experience the social element this way – by bouncing ideas off each other.
Outside of these, tutors and other college staff will be easy to get hold of via email or phone. So, if you are struggling but don’t feel confident enough to speak out during tutorials, you can ask them for help this way. In some ways, this is better than in-person learning, because your only chance to ask questions can be in the physical classroom, and not everyone feels confident doing this.
Even if you study in person and have your tutor’s number or email, contacting them out of office hours can feel like intruding on their personal lives. Remote learning is different in the sense that it’s structured around being convenient. Although tutors will still have specific working hours, it can feel less intrusive for a remote student to email them outside of working hours and wait for a reply.
Some students use their own initiative to set up groups on social media or have regular remote study sessions through Zoom. This gives them the chance to discuss the courses, and anything they are struggling with, without the tutor being present. They are more likely to feel self-conscious asking or discussing some of these questions and topics in front of a tutor, or pushed for time if the online tutorial is only set for a specific length of time. These groups effectively replace a brick college or university, and are convenient for the student, compared to in-person learning, which takes time in traveling and can conflict with other responsibilities.
Learning through partnerships
Kettering University Online also has partnerships with employers. So, for anyone who owns or manages a company and wants to upgrade the knowledge of their workforce, the programs can be delivered to their staff online. This allows staff to learn essential skills during their work time, and then try them out in the workplace. Businesses consider it an investment because the staff can be more productive, add new skills or improve existing ones.
The university has partnerships with businesses around the US, Canada and internationally. These include Bauer Foundation Corporation in Florida, Fisher-Price in New York, and Great Wall Motor internationally. Some of the training topics covered in the workplace include AI, global leadership, healthcare engineering and mobile robotics.
Finding a workplace that either partners with Kettering University Online or is dedicated to learning and improving in the workplace could help when you have graduated from your remote learning course. Even without in-person learning, some of the companies could be open to taking on someone with your newly acquired knowledge. The practical experience you gain remotely can also improve your chances of employment, either with one of its partners, or any other company you apply to.
Helping you adapt your existing skills
If you choose remote learning, you may be surprised to find that you already have skills and knowledge that can be adapted. For example, one of the core courses (Modeling of Dynamic Systems) in Kettering University Online’s MS in Engineering uses techniques based on linear algebra. If this is one of your stronger subjects and you have related experience or qualifications, this will help you understand when you need to apply your learning in a practical setting.
Alternatively, Financial Management is one of the optional core courses. If you have experience in this area, even if it’s not related to engineering, you can learn how to apply the knowledge to any other industry, including engineering.
So, you may already have practical experience that you can change to apply to the new industry you want to work in. Remote learning gives you the knowledge you need to adapt it, and because you study at a time and a place to suit you, it makes learning more accessible.
Why learning practical skills online can be better
Not only is it possible to learn practical skills remotely, but it can also be better to learn this way than in person. We’ve already briefly mentioned some ways that remote is a better way to learn, but here is why remote learning can aid practical learning in a little more depth.
The time and space to learn
When you have the time and space to learn, you’re not bound by set classes and tutorials. You also don’t have to spend time and money traveling to college, when this could be better spent on learning or your other commitments. Because of this, an hour study session only takes an hour, and it’s easier to focus on learning. So, you can learn quicker how to apply this in a practical setting.
Help is there when you need it
Knowing that you can access help if you need it can be a great safety net for remote students, even if they rarely have to reach out to ask for help. Although in-person learning has the same help, it might be harder to ask a tutor during class. The short wait for a response to your email can often result in you realizing the answer and proving to yourself that you have the knowledge you need to carry out practical tasks.
Creating projects for yourself using the practical knowledge you’ve gained
When you’re in class, you may feel pressurized to get something right the first time. By learning remotely, you can practice and perfect your ability to complete the practical side of your qualification. Nobody has to know about the mistakes you make along the way, and you can share the finished project when you’re happy with it.
It might seem like remote learning is only for knowledge-based subjects, but with the technology that most of us have access to, we can all complete the practical side of remote learning. The learning method even has advantages for practical subjects, and with the right teaching methods, there’s no reason why practical subjects can’t be taught remotely.
