Saba and the Chaos of Online Learning

     Saba in his "Distance Education Theory, Methodology, and Epistemology: A Pragmatic Paradigm" discusses how different and at the same time how similar distance versus face-to-face education can be. As for the final results, the difference between the two is not that significant. Eventually, students learn the same material and obtain the same knowledge. However, because the teachers and the students do not meet in person, the complexity of distance education can be overwhelming for both educators and students.
     I have been taking online classes for quite some time. The first couple of weeks of each year are the toughest for me, because I build a new schedule, manage my time differently, and I have to compose some system for each class because I usually take two to three of them. I reach my equilibrium by dividing each class into sections. The first half of the week I read all the material given and search the internet for additional resources.  The second half of the week I respond to discussions, and then I write my papers on the weekends. If I do not have enough time to read any extra material, this is when I am out of my equilibrium, because I feel that I am behind on something important – some significant changes in the world, or valuable information that I missed.
     I assume because I went to schools with behaviorist approach to studying, I still have to have a system and some discipline towards my online education to be able to keep up and maintain that equilibrium everyone strives for.

References
Saba, F. (2003) "Distance Education Theory, Methodology, and Epistemology: A Pragmatic Paradigm" in Handbook of Distance Education. pp. 3-19.