It is an understandable fear for people embarking on an online learning route to be concerned with isolation and how it will feel to be away from the classroom, or lecture hall, with other students.
That is an obvious difference. Your classroom becomes wherever you want it to be, but generally it will be a room of one, rather than plenty. There is not even a lecturer (well, not in person anyway).
It would only be natural to have concerns and fears of feeling all too alone within the process of earning a degree.
However it is not rare for campus-based students to feel isolated within a sea of other people. Particularly those at huge universities that have modules and lessons that cross many different degrees, and thus have many different people sat within them.
Although with online degrees I think the fear is quite the opposite, “loneliness in a pool of one”. But the fact that you are not the only one completing the course online should be of some comfort.
Social interaction will not seem important for those self-motivated students who prefer to focus on their own work, and view the involvement or interaction with other students only to demonstrate an ability to work as part of a team, rather than for peer support.
I find that most students find the guidance of others, or just sharing experiences with others in similar circumstances can help quell feelings of loneliness.
Universities will usually provide their own facilities for the online students to interact, as a necessity for group work as well as for peer group relations.
The reality is that all types of students will use these mediums.
There are also national resources like The Student Room, which has advice and forums that will help students get information from one another as well as finding others in similar circumstances.
But what about contact with lecturers and support staff?
Not physically seeing a lecturer or teacher can create the illusion that an online student is unsupported and therefore isolated.
In fact their physical presence in many circumstances can actually give a false impression to campus-based students that they are available for more time than they actually are. It is not always easy for students to track some teachers down for tailored responses to questions, guidance or clarification.
An online student has her lecture in video format, so she can refer to her actual lecturer for clarification, with a simple pause and rewind rather than via a wild-goose-chase. When a more personal response is necessary again tools should be in place to get those answers, whether they are provided by timetabled webchat, email or by phone.
There are many advantages in online learning. Students find themselves to be more specific and thoughtful in their questions, and to cite these communications for future reference should a similar situation arise.
Thus there is no reason for an online student to justifiably need to feel isolated.
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At the very beginning, we need to get used to the difference of distant learning from traditional one, once you know there is a lot of support, it will be much easier than we expect.