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1.2 How Technology Has Transformed the Way We Learn

means of digital equipment. You can enter this virtual classroom anywhere you have an Inter-
net connection and at any time you choose, 24 hours a day. For example, Chantal established
a family homework time after dinner at her house. She and her children, Jayden and Layla,
sit at the same table, and she logs in to her classes and does her assignments while her kids
work on their homework. That way, everyone studies together, and Chantal is able to help her
children if they need her.

Online learning enables you to participate in a course and do your assignments at home, at
work (with your supervisor’s permission, of course), at a local library, or at hotspots—physi-
cal locations such as coffee shops, bookstores, and other establishments that offer Internet
access over a wireless network. You might attend class on the go with your smartphone, tab-
let, or laptop computer. When you travel, you may be able to access your class on the many
types of public transportation that have Internet connections, such as commercial airplanes,
trains, subways, buses, or ferries.

Your local library probably has digital materials available 24/7, which you can download to
your computer, so you don’t have to worry about getting to the library before it closes to conduct
research for assignments. Even more importantly, you have an entire electronic library avail-
able to you immediately when you log in to your Ashford University Student Portal. The Ashford
Online Library consists of multiple databases of books, scholarly journals, magazines, news-
papers, and other resources in electronic form. The resources in these library collections are
extensive. For example, the ebrary database, a collection of electronic books, contains more
than 116,000 e-books that cover all academic disciplines. Subscriptions to these databases
are very expensive, and many of them are accessed only through libraries that are not avail-
able to the general public. As an Ashford student you can access them for free, anytime you
wish.

You Do Not Learn Alone

One of the most important impacts of technology on learning has been the transition from
individual learning to collaborative learning. No longer do you work alone in your college
courses; you have the support of other students, instructors, and university staff, if you need
it. All of your Ashford courses include discussion forums, where you will post your thoughts
and ideas about weekly discussion topics. In addition to your posts, you will respond to the
posts of other students and read their responses to you. This interaction among all members
of the class means that you learn from other people and they learn from you—as a commu-
nity. You may even learn you have something in common with one of your classmates (see A
Closer Look: Connecting With Classmates). In Module 5 we will talk more about communicat-
ing effectively with your fellow students and using the discussion boards.

If you don’t understand an assignment, your course has an Ask Your Instructor discussion
forum. You can post your question there, and everyone in the class benefits from seeing the
instructor’s response. Or if you prefer, you can contact your instructor privately by e-mail at
any time, and your instructor will respond as soon as possible.

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