Online Courses: A Perspective from Online College Professors November 20, 2010
Posted by elearningtyro in : Useful Resources , add a commentThis guest post is contributed by Brian Jenkins who has been writing for BrainTrack.com for two years. He writes about a wide variety of topics related to education and jobs.
What do professors who teach online courses really think about teaching online? It depends on who you ask. Scott Brady, geography professor at Chico State, and Jay Halfond, Dean of Metropolitan College & Extended Education and Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences, have different views about online education.
Scott Brady, who has taught at least one online course every semester for nine years, stated, “You come up will all these things as a teacher, like whether you’re going to tell a joke at the five-minute mark, or whether you’re going to ask a certain student something. I don’t know if I can put that into an online environment. I can’t bring everything to an online course that I can with a traditional course.”
Regarding online teaching, Halfond, who taught both online and traditional courses for several years, said, “[With online classes] it is easier to make thoughtful, substantiative contributions, much more so than in the classroom, where you might get 30 seconds to talk. It encourages students to think more deliberately and write better.”
A study performed by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities – Sloan National Commission on Online Learning included interviews of administrative and faculty members. The study showed that 64% of faculty felt that it takes “somewhat more” or “a lot more” effort to teach an online course compared to teaching a face-to-face class. The report, Online Learning as a Strategic Asset, includes the results of 231 interviews of administrators, faculty, and students at 45 public institutions located across the nation and more than 10,700 comments from faculty members that teach a variety of subjects.
According to the above mentioned report, a large majority of the instructors stated their primary motivation to teach online was to “meet student needs for flexible access” or because it offers the “best way to reach particular students.”
According to the study, many faculty members were dissatisfied with the support services and the incentives provided by public universities. Faculty members ranked seven of eight support dimensions as below average, including support for course development, course delivery, and students; intellectual property policies; recognition in tenure and promotion; and incentives for creating and delivering online classes. The only support structure rates as average was technical infrastructure.
In Volume II of the report, which is available at the same website, the majority of faculty members with online teaching or development experience stated that the learning outcomes of online classes are as good or better than face-to-face instruction. Also, over 85% percent of faculty members with online course development experience stated it takes “somewhat more” or “a lot more” effort than traditional classes.
According to Janet Poley, President of the American Distance Education Consortium, tenured colleagues or department chairs, in some cases, advise professors to stop teaching online if they want to get on a tenure track. “Because the perception is that if the online teaching is going to take more time than face-to-face, what they should be doing is teaching face-to-face and getting their research projects started,” Poley said. “If the incentives aren’t matched up administratively, then you’re going to have people who at a minimum are frustrated.”
Online learning is increasingly popular, so colleges and universities will have to figure out a way to meet the needs of professors.
The Advantages of Online Learning in the K12 Environment November 1, 2010
Posted by elearningtyro in : Useful Resources , add a commentThis guest post is contributed by Carrie Oakley, who writes on the topic of online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: carrie.oakley1983@gmail.com
It’s an issue that’s being dogged by controversy after the other; what with state-run public schools being up in arms against the funds that are allotted to virtual charter schools because they’re not limited to admitting students from one district alone and with for-profit organizations supplying learning materials and online curriculum, allegations of corporate profiteering are rampant in the online K12 schooling environment. But even with all these controversies, K12 online schools offer various benefits for middle and high school students:
- Those who live in small towns and don’t have access to quality public schools stand to gain the most because they’re provided with access not just to the right study materials and lessons, but also because they have qualified teachers to guide and instruct them and because they get to interact with students from various geographical locations. Students find that the experience broadens their horizons and allows them to see beyond the perspective and periphery of their hometowns.
- For parents who prefer to homeschool their children but have no clue as to how to set an organized study schedule or buy the right homeschooling material, online charter schools are a boon because they provide students with a computer, Internet connection, and various other materials needed to learn online. The moms only have to supervise their kids as they engage in reading, writing, arithmetic and various other activities.
- The curriculum is more practical in nature and may involve varied activities that are not offered in regular high schools. So your repertoire is wide and your skill sets varied.
- Schedules are flexible and lessons can be completed at the students’ pace instead of the student having to keep pace with the school – this works out well for students who are skilled in other aspects like sports, music or the arts and devote most of their time to practice and competitions.
- If the student is dedicated, he or she can finish high school in less time than it takes at regular schools. Online schools offer a fast track route to your high school diploma if you’re dedicated and determined to get there earlier.
- Although the lack of face-to-face interaction between teacher and student and the lack of camaraderie and communication with fellow students is often cited as a reason to eschew online education in the K12 environment, in some ways, this turns out to be a boon rather than a bane. Students are spared of peer pressure and are at less risk of developing habits that could derail their education and turn them onto the wrong path.
Online K12 schools are here to stay, and for students who are not averse to treading a new path, they’re a good alternative to your usual public school.
