My Learning Experience

I have many goals that I have set for myself over the course of my life. Most of these goals I have set for myself, I have achieved with hard work and dedication. One of my many goals I had set for myself before coming into the military was to further my education. I probably would have never made it through the first semester of college, lacking the proper discipline and being immature I decided to join the United States Air Force. I thought it was a good idea to get the Air Force to pay for my education and I would be able to see the world. Though I joined the Military to further my education it took my 10 long years to start on my goal. I would always put college off till next year or later. With the help of a couple of friends I decided to return to school this year and chose the University of Phoenix as my decision.

Despite all of the accolades and all the technical training I received from the military, I didn’t really feel that the transfer of learning would benefit me. Through out my career, there has always been someone physically there to explain the applications of my skill trade. I felt really challenged and not to mention scared knowing that I was going to learn how to meet all the course objectives via a virtual class room. I had enough trouble in grade school even though I was in a physical learning environment. I had my work cut out for me. The added pressure of having to get a degree within an allotted time in order to maintain my instruction in K9 School was ironic. It also placed me in an automatic learning style of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is learning in which the consequences of behavior can lead to changes in the probability of its occurrence (Benjamin B. Lahey, 1998). Teaching future K9 Handlers the principles of conditioning involving classical conditioning and the types of learning is a taste of my day. Just knowing how the contingency square works in behavior modification was enough to help me get my foot in the door of education. Getting my degree meant I would meet the criteria of being a DoD K9 Instructor. Failing to do so would be the punishment which meant getting fired from this position of instruction.

At first I struggled to meet the demands of learning online. I first noticed that I was nervous about starting a new way of learning. I also noticed that my motivation and attitude were not effectively tuned to completing the tasks. In regards to the learning experience itself, motivation is closely related to the topic of emotions (Benjamin B. Lahey, 1998). The sensation that I was feeling was very unpleasant. I was afraid that I was going to fail and that I was going to get fired from teaching what I love doing. I also realized that my struggle with this transformation centered on effective time management and the fear of the unknown. By incorporating time management skills and learning about the benefits of online learning, I started to feel more confident and willing to give it a try. Now, I have completed more than 5 online courses and have consistently maintained my motivation to complete my course tasks. Online learning is a challenge that requires work on the learner’s part to succeed. 5 courses later, I have formulated some solutions through experience that would have better prepared me and enhanced my virtual on-line learning experience.

It is important that every online learner understand the need to arrange a time within their weekly schedule to dedicate to the online courses. For example, a student could set aside every Tuesday for 2 hours in order to participate in one course. It is still important to very important to manage your time and schedule when you will be working on your courses.

Students should also be web-savvy meaning comfortable with various internet tasks. Those tasks should include navigating the web, emailing, downloading and uploading files, and posting messages to a discussion board. There are several books and/or classes that will help you maximize your internet skills; furthering your ability to learn in an online environment.

Learning in a virtual class room is tough. With online learning, you will not have the