UNE has over 15,000 distance students. That”s almost 80% of all UNE students, the largest percentage at any Australian university, studying online. Online/distance study can be isolating, but there are a number of ways to interact with other students.
Moodle forums: This is often the first place students will interact. It was in my case. There’s usually a forum for introductions. I would introduce myself and then read others’ posts and ask them about themselves. There are so many interesting students at UNE! Often, I’d see the same names in the forums of different units I was taking and others would recognise mine. That was enough to strike up a conversation. “Hey, I remember you from last trimester…”
Facebook groups: Facebook has been a great way to get to know other students better. There are many UNE-related groups, e.g., unit or school specific. I’ve made many friends through these groups. I really like the collaborative aspect of groups. Many times I’ve asked for advice about course progression or an explanation of a complex concept and people have responded quickly with helpful, insightful answers. It’s really wonderful, the sense of community that develops. People will celebrate your good grades and commiserate when you’re having a tough time. There are groups suited to everyone: UNE-run Facebook groups, student-run groups for specific units (search for these using the unit code), groups for UNE schools, UNE societies, and UNE parents.
Messenger apps: I use Facebook Messenger frequently to chat with my friends. I’ve made some close friendships this way. I’ll sometimes realise I haven’t spoken with someone in a while and send them a message to check in, or they will get in touch with me. It’s a good feeling to know these distant friendships endure and someone’s thinking of you. Sometimes we’ll form group chats; some have lasted many months and have really made me feel a part of a friendship group. On at least one occasion, I’ve been mistaken for another person with a similar name, received a message by accident and ended up making a new friend!
Email: I’ve developed friendships through serving on committees with other students (yet another way of connecting with others!) or having participated in group activities as part of a unit. Staying in touch with these people has been really rewarding. Social media isn’t everyone’s thing, and I’ve always enjoyed communicating in long form, like letters. (Letters are probably one of the few ways I haven’t connected with other students, but I’d gladly add it to my many modes of communication!)
Zoom meetings: I’ve met with other students over Zoom to discuss uni or just catch up. Being able to speak with others in real-time allows you to put a face to the screen name and photos. As a distant student, I’ve rarely met others in person, so using Zoom to catch up with other students has been the next best thing.
Informal study sessions: Last year, an Honours student, Torryn Lewis, ran a series of Pomodoro method study sessions and shared the meeting link via Facebook and the Moodle forums. Students would join the Zoom meeting and simply write (or read) for 20 minutes with a 5 minute break between sessions to chat. It was a great way to meet others in the course and feel a part of a group.
Interacting with other students has been such a positive experience for me. You have nothing to lose and much to gain by connecting with others, and they can also benefit from your presence and input. I’ve made some lasting friendships via these mediums. They have added another dimension to my study experience that I otherwise would have missed out on as a distant student.
A great article Evie, even with my extensive experience as an external at UNE, I learnt of a couple of methods of student communication I have not explored. Thank you.
Ah, how I miss the external schools which were compulsory in the 1980s to sometime in the 200but 0s. It was means of not only contact with academics through traditional face to face teaching and workshops, but also socializing with fellow students. I was mortified when I enrolled in a Master of History around 2010 to find no intensive schools were offered. How I longed to sit in a lecture theater and listen to pearls of wisdom from a historian and sit in a tutorial and debate historical themes with my fellow students. Recently, I completed 4 years of Psychology which included voluntary intensives of which I attended every one and was pleased to notice the large number of externals who attended. Similarly, now enrolled in a Bachelor of Historical Inquiry and Practice as a distance student, I was pleased to find that Professor Fudge, a medieval historian and theologian offered intensive schools with all his units which were well attended. As this short epistle notes, external students appear content to attend intensive schools at UNE. Maybe a short survey to externals to judge their interest in intensive school attendance might be useful.
Victor
“Maybe a short survey to externals to judge their interest in intensive school attendance might be useful.”
Good idea, Victor. As a member of the UNE Student Council, that is a project you can undertake.