The becoming of online students’ learning landscapes: The art of balancing studies, work, and private life

Abstract

How do online students manage to balance studies, jobs, and private life – and yet succeed with their studies? Online studies typically attract students in jobs who seek to formalize their competence. Based on qualitative research design, this article sheds light on the academic learning of online students who attend a full-time program. Our focus narrows down to the inaugural class of online students enrolled in a Business and Administration bachelor's program. Specifically, our inquiry delves into the dynamic relationship between the academic progression of these students and their spatial and temporal activities. The article suggests that understanding this polycontextuality by using the metaphor of learning landscapes can help practitioners and students reflect on what influences their academic learning, which can help online students develop self-management skills. Self-management skills are essential in online education, and to help students develop such skills, educators must be aware of the individual learning landscapes of online students when designing online courses. In addition, our findings provide knowledge on how to on-board students in perennial online educational courses.