Reflection:
During my first-semester distance education my background as a student, ISD, and Instructor did not prepare me for this learning environment. I had used an LMS before, but never for much more than the minimal level of continuing training.
That semester I enrolled in two courses that were very different. One was completely asynchronous and required extensive work to acquire the skills needed for success. The second class met on a day that included at least one holiday, and we had at least one snow day. In addition to having to learn how to use Blackboard and how to balance Family, work, and school and how to interact in the DL environment to provide computer-mediated learning.
One experience that stands out from that semester was the completion of the asynchronous courses final that was due at a specific time. The weather said a severe storm was on the way, so I left work early and rushed home to complete and upload the assignment early in case we lost power. As hail was machine gunning the roof and rain flooded the lawn (a remarkable event because we live on top of a bluff), my wife yelled at me to take cover; the lights flickered, and I hit send hoping the final loaded. The storm turned out to be a tornado, but as it turned out, we only had a flickering of lights and no interruption of utility services but a distance away the town of Colonial Beach was ravaged by the storm.
My range of DL experience is limited compared to the amount of time I have learned in classrooms and labs. However, like other students, DL is suitable for me in some cases and may not serve learning needs well in other cases.