Art and Graphic Design – Why not teach yourself?

The value of an instructor-led, on-line art course.

Self-learning opportunities abound in today’s world of web surfing, You Tubing, Wikipedia-ing (is that a word?), etc.  Some folks think that paying to take an on-line course is a waste of money. Why pay for learning about a topic, when I can get it free on line? There are definite advantages to a well structured, instructor-led on line course.

First, let’s all agree that the advantages of on-line education are many, over traditional in class courses. The major one is cost, of course. Tuition, registration and administration fees for an on-campus experience all make learning costs very high. We pay to support all that “brick and mortar” as the physical campus is called.

The convenience of “going to school” in the comfort of your own home cannot be overstated. Driving to the campus in a snowstorm, or missing a class session because the storm is very bad, are no longer concerns. On-line students do not have to re-arrange their schedule to attend a time-slotted class. They can visit the e-class or download course material anytime that it is convenient and no matter where they are. I live in New Hampshire and have taken on-line courses. In one class, my classmates were from New York, Virginia, Berlin, Samoa, New Mexico… you get the picture. We all “attended class”, shared our ideas, discussed lessons.

The advantages of Instructor- led learning and peer interaction are many.
Instructors provide factual material in a direct, logical manner and they also provide inspiring personal experiences. Students benefit from an instructor’s years of professional experience and time-proven teaching methods. Answering questions directly and explaining in a variety of ways can only come from a student-teacher dialog. Did you ever call for help from a utility, insurance company, government program office? How much fun was it to deal only with a pre-recorded, automated help line? It doesn’t take long to wish for help from a live human being. On-line learning makes contact, via email or web, easy and availability is 24-7. Students can leave messages, images of their work and present problems to share with their classmates all while enjoying anonymity from afar. Students, who are reluctant to raise their hand to ask a question in class, can ask away on line and avoid embarrassment.

When it comes to art or design, instructor support is essential.  Only an experienced pro can help the student achieve a desired goal. Having feedback and input from an instructor helps one avoid the necessity of un-learning bad habits. We sometimes wrongly interpret a lesson and proceed in the wrong direction. A good instructor puts the learning brake on and steers the learner in the right direction. Good instructors also adapt and tweak the lessons to adjust for the class diversity and level of need.

So, remember that instructors supply experience, knowledge, input, feedback and advice. Moreover, the student can expect encouragement understanding and praise.

— Le Grand Fromage