Distance Education- Student Knowledge of Technology

Students’ Lack of Appropriate Knowledge in Using Technology
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Students’ Lack of Appropriate Knowledge in Using Technology
In the digital era, many schools continue to implement the appropriate technology to facilitate distance-education learning. The Internet enhances flexibility, convenience, and availability of learning resources that were absent or hard to get in the past ten decades. For example, students from different parts of the world can now take online courses abroad without reporting to schools physically. All they need is an electronic device such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone and a reliable Internet connection. The advancement of technology makes it easier for individuals to share audio and video files quickly. However, even though learning institutions are doing their best to improve students’ online experience, challenges in this educational method are inevitable. One of the most significant student issues is the lack of appropriate knowledge in using the technology provided by schools on their online platforms. Although learning institutions are trying to come up with many online courses, not all students find it easy to use these technologies.
The lack of appropriate knowledge to use the technology provided by learning institutions makes it difficult for students to obtain relevant skills. Tatiana Markova, Elena Zaborova, and Irina Glazkova (2017) claim that distance learning is becoming pervasive and rapidly growing in the higher education sector. However, these researchers assert that there exist various issues that impact the effectiveness and quality of education. One of these problems is the unknowledgeable human resource managers who would ensure that students are well-guided so that they can navigate the online platforms with ease. In reality, distance education can only be more efficient and effective if learners understand how to use the provided resources appropriately. Markova et al. affirm that it is not straightforward to develop a virtual learning environment that is more student-centered, encourage participation in online classes, and make it less intimidating (Markova, Glazkova, & Zaborova, 2017). Faculties should be more committed to coming up with an instructional delivery method that enhances proper interaction and communication between instructors and students to create an effective virtual learning environment.
The issue of students’ lack of appropriate knowledge in using the technology can give rise to three primary challenges. They include miscommunication, failure to adhere to the given instructions, and the students’ acquisition of low-quality education. Notably, e-teaching requires proper delivery skills and design expertise. Online courses should be designed in a way that fosters effective interaction between educators and students. Before doing anything else, instructors should ensure that learners have all the materials they need for the course and that they can navigate the online platform appropriately (Markova, Glazkova, & Zaborova, 2017). Besides, without effective communication between students and instructors, the former will fear to ask questions or reporting system errors that hinder their optimum usage of the available resources. As such, the most significant thing is enhancing proper interaction so that learners can ask for assistance when the need arises and get it on time.
If one becomes a leader or head of the nursing education development, it would be critical to consider how the above challenges can be addressed to facilitate high-quality distance-education learning. For example, one should ensure that nursing students are well-equipped and ready to deal with upcoming issues. Joan Simons, Lesley Holland, and Kythe Beaumont (2018) depict that resilience is one of the significant factors that make learners to be focused on their studies on virtual environments (Simons, Beaumont, & Holland, 2018). Specifically, it refers to individuals’ flexibility in adapting to the highly dynamic technological field. In distance-education learning, students should be given time to identify the challenges they encounte...