A big debate in Higher Education is whether online classes are a hindrance to student’s learning or helpful. It seems that there are many aspects to consider when determining whether or not online classes have the same or better affect on student’s learning. Another thing to consider is your own individual experiences of online learning. There are many different ways to conduct an online learning session.
Do you think that online classes should replace face-to-face classes? What aspects, such as a student’s learning style, are there to consider when determining whether an online class shouldreplace a face-to-face class? Also, feel free to add any other opinions you may have on the subject. To look at the argument in closer detail look at the following link:http://www.citejournal.org/vol4/iss2/general/article1.cfm
Blog Posted by: Kelly Workman
Online classes are definitely more convenient for students, especially students who also have full-time jobs, and may have to flex their work schedules so that they can be in class. However, I don't think online classes should completely replace face-to-face classes. I've taken online classes in the past, and I have always learned better when I am physically sitting in the classroom. I think what we are doing for this class, where we meet every other week in class and online is a good mixture because whether the student prefers to meet online or in the class, they get their way.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know some students who can easily get distracted with online classes. It is very easy to check your email, while participating in online classes, since you are already connected to the internet. So, for those students, they may have to try harder to focus on the class.
Although Online classes are definitly more convenient, it becomes more of a pain considering the person who is using it and their ability to learn through technology. What is questionable about e-learning, eluminate, and other online education sources is whether it's easy to use and reasonable given what the learner knows about that specific technology.
ReplyDeleteWhat also becomes a concern are the variables used in learning such as needing a face-to-face atmosphere. This is very important to me personally, because I know for a fact that it can be very frustrating when you can see who you are talking to or you need physical demonstrations for a subject. I definitely wouldn't say that online education is a hinderance, but considering that person's learning abilities and preferences, it may not be all that helpful either.
The pros to this type of technology would be exposure to online education as it is prominent feature for future education. However we need not to forget the traditions of education such as the chalkboard, the overhead (which began technology in the classroom), the teachers presence, and a raised hand (not by the click of a button).
While online classes are efficient, I believe that they lose a level of effectiveness that face to face interactions allow. There are, and will always be, deeper levels of understanding that can be reached through actual personal interaction. Were education to be switched to a completely online format, students and teachers lose the opportunity to become acquainted with one another on a personal level that allows teachers to know when a student is or isn’t understanding information. We should never underestimate the importance of non-verbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions. Face to face learning gives students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and develop personal relationships with the professors and the class. Communication via email, chats, and even Eliminate can provide a 'hiding place' for people who are not comfortable with speaking out and connecting with others. This would be a hindrance to the learning process, especially in this field.
ReplyDeleteIn short, online learning is a very valuable resource. However, I do not consider it to be valuable enough that it can stand alone. An equal mix of online and face to face learning offers a fuller learning experience to students.
I happen to agree with Jasmine. I do not care for (so far) online classes because of the lack of face-to-face interaction. Waiting turns to ask questions, not seeing facial expressions, and not seeing the tempo of the students would leave me helpless as a teacher. As a student, I feel alone. Suffering quietly, as to not disturb everyone with my question or concerns. Also, the temptation is too great to skip off to try out whatever is being presented. I never have trouble concentrating on my instructor in the classroom. However, as my desktop is my laptop and as the instructor demonstrates things, I find myself wandering off trying them. Ultimately I come back, behind and confused.
ReplyDeleteMy experience watching online learners is growing. This year I am a monitor for several online high school classes. Granted that each of the learners is a self-motivated learner, I already am hearing and seeing procrastination and frustration. Student too feel alone and look to one another, sharing the same blank space, for companionship. While synchronis classrooms like ours, and a watchful eye, keep us from straying with one another, I am most certain that we too drift.
Emmett
Online classes are a great learning tool however I do not feel they should replace face-to-face classes. Each student has a unique learning style and it is important that these styles are in mind when creating and signing up for classes. I find that I favor online classes. I love working independently and am disciplined enough to make my way through a class online. However, there are students who are not disciplined enough to keep up with the work. There are some classes that I do not think could really be done online. Art classes are an example of classes which would pose as a problem. In my opinion it would be easier for art students to learn techniques in person rather than taking direction online.
ReplyDeleteI have taken many classes online. These classes basically consisted of learning facts and concepts rather than the hands on aspect of learning.
One question I would like to pose for this blog is the debate of whether age has anything to do with the success of online classes. Do you think a freshman in college would be able to keep up with an online class? Do you think an online class would better benefit a senior in college? Or do you think age does not play a part? In my opinion age is important because with age comes maturity. One must be mature in order to be successful in an online class.
Like many of you have already stated, online classes do have specific benefits for those who enjoy studying and working through material on their own time. However, I also agree with the majority in saying online classes should NOT replace face to face classes. With my few experiences with online learning I had to work extremely hard to pay attention longer than twenty minutes. If I am in the classroom, I can still have the same issues but with a teacher staring at me during class I tend to try harder to give him/her my full attention.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that this type of learning should be done solely in a higher educational setting. In high school, the average student is not mature enough to motivate themselves to conquer an online course. As Emmett stated, he has experience monitoring students participating in online course work but the students often get behind, seem confused or lost, and then become “a little fish in a big pond.” They quickly become an ID number or name on a screen that feels alone in their frustrations. If students were in a face to face situation not only would they realize they aren’t the only ones behind but the teacher would be aware of the students’ progress in the material.
In general, online classes are becoming more user friendly and can be done with students who have the correct learning styles and motivation. However, there is a plethora of elements that a student can miss by having class online.
In response to Lauren's post, I don't think the students' age is a factor in whether they would be successful in participating in an on-line course. Maturity isn't measured by age (but by experience), and I think that their specific learning styles and levels of self-discipline should be considered.
ReplyDeleteMy first experience in being exposed to on-line courses happened the spring semester of my junior year. My instructor decided to post one of her lectures on-line; and I must say that out of all the lectures she taught that semester, I remember the least from that particular one. I found myself G-chatting with my friends while I listened to her lecture; and quite frankly, my attention was not there. I would have considered myself to be mature back then, but at the time, I just didn't learn that way. Barbara Stern's article mentioned that students who are "more social by nature" tend to have difficulty in adapting to on-line instruction, and I fit that concept. I enjoy the face-to-face classroom experience because I could ask questions, share my experiences, and at times, have a healthy and constructive debate with my fellow classmates. Overall, I don't feel as though age plays a major role in a student's success or difficulty in on-line instruction.
I like having options and I am a firm believer in educational freedom of choice. There are so many different ways to learn and types of learners. It goes without saying that people are not all the same. For me, I am able to navigate all types of learning environments: traditional classroom, seminar, on-line, and independent study. My husband, however, has a very difficult time regulating his time and setting goals when faced with a independent study course. But he has the choice.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked on my English and Speech Communications teaching certifications from Mary Balwin, all of my courses were independent study. Since I was doing freelance work at the time, it was great not to have to show up in a class each week or several times a week. I ended up with a 4.0.
Now that I work full time, it would be much more convenient for me not to have to drive and hour each way to class. I must say I like independent study most of all because I am the boss of my time. It is very nice to see all my classmates face to face but for me, it is not necessary. I am surrounded by people all day.
Having educational choices is quite a luxury.
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ReplyDeleteOnline learning is one thing when the teacher just gives a lecture, but if there is to be any amount of interaction between students and teacher, or especially interaction among students, online courses seem to have a real problem. I have had lectures via satellite or recorded on Blackboard, but this is the first class that I have participated in that regularly uses real time online teaching techniques, and to be honest, I am quite frustrated with it so far.
ReplyDeleteWith Elluminate, I have no problems staying focused on the content and ignoring distractions. The application sharing capability is very convenient, and I could see the program being a great option for quick small group meetings. However, I cannot get around the fact that at any point in time there can only be one-way verbal communication. Not that I can blame anyone for using that feature, though, because if class members can chime in whenever they want to without knowing who else is trying to speak, the results could be mayhem, which suggests yet another problem with online learning of this type; we cannot all see each other.
In order to be prepared for future technology that closely simulates an actual classroom setting, it is probably important to follow and even experience the technology that we have now. However, as for the effectiveness of current technology as a primary learning tool, from what I have seen, it doesn’t work as well (in terms of understanding content) as face-to-face learning for most people. I find it hard to justify using online classes as anything other than a temporary substitute when absolutely necessary, for example, to alleviate the burden of traveling a long distance.
I do not believe that online courses should replace face-to-face classes. Personally, I have enjoyed several hybrid courses, a mixture of online and in-class meetings, similar to the format of this AHRD 590/EDTC 612 course. This format has presented a better balance in meeting my personal needs as a student. The format allows for some flexibility and the chance to become more familiar with the online format, a nice introduction to online courses.
ReplyDeleteI have taken one online course that primarily used Blackboard’s discussion board to facilitate online discussions. There were several other tasks associated with the course, but discussion board was the main “online feature” utilized. Each class member was required to post eight times per week on a pretty tight schedule, taking away the convenience factor of the online course. Additionally, I found it almost impossible to read everyone’s (28 people in course times two post per day, 3 days a week) post and post became very repetitive, since we were all commenting on the same topic. I am mentioning this example, because I feel the structure/management of the online course is a very important component to meeting learning objectives. A suggestion to improve this would be to have group discussion boards with a smaller number of participants in each group. There could be a group facilitator and discussion topics could rotate from week to week. Additionally, I believe Elluminate Live is an important and necessary tool for online courses to be successful.
As the article (http://www.citejournal.org/vol4/iss2/general/article1.cfm) mentions, in my experience I did notice a greater workload in the online course using discussion board than a typical in-class course. In part, this was due to the amounts of reading and since all “discussions” had to be written, a far greater amount of time was needed to eloquently deliver one’s point.
My concluding thoughts are that online courses are a work in progress and I personally prefer the hybrid or in-class model.
Again, we in Ed Tech are guilty of asking the 'wrong' questions and being sucked into such useless debates (I am speaking globally here, not to any response on this blog). The power of technology happens when it is used to do something that could not be done without it. So ... do I think online courses should 'replace' F2F, absolutely not! Why are we asking such a narrow-minded question? I love the interaction in F2F learning environments. I also realize that time and geography are not always cooperative and that 'learning' is an activity, not a place. So, while I would love to sit around Greenberry's with my Ed Tech colleagues around the world - I instead attend online webinars and discussion groups with them throughout the year and meet them once a year (if lucky) at a conference. Is it better? No - but it beats the heck out of living in my own bubble.
ReplyDeleteReplace is perhaps too all encompassing a word for this debate. Perhaps a better question would be whether or not it is possible to receive equal benefit as compared to a face to face class with respect to acquiring the learning outcomes expected. The Reader's Digest condensed version is that I have experienced magnificently taught courses both face to face and online and experienced the exact opposite in both venues. Here at JMU, Pavel Zemliansky's Digital Rhetoric course that I experienced last summer was a masterclass on how to foster effective and intimate interaction in a totally digital environment (which by the way is where many of us spend much of our professional interaction time with clients and colleagues so why not learn how to do it properly before you are turned loose on the public at large!)
ReplyDeleteI am pro-choice! F2F classes, online classes, and hybrid classes should be offered to fit the learning styles of students.
ReplyDeleteIf a student is at an institution that does not have enough resources to offer a broad range of class types, then the student should consider other institutions to fit their needs.
Considering whether online classes should replace face-to-face classes - I tend to want to reframe the question and ask: What is the ability of online classes to replace face-to-face classes?
ReplyDeleteIf one sees "online" and "classroom" as just two methods or platforms from which instruction can be delivered, then the task becomes one of evaluating which platform will best serve the instructional requirements of the subject matter to be taught.
In light of this, I feel it is a shame for educational institutions to be jumping on the 'e-Learning' bandwagon, simply to compete with their peers, especially if it means that the necessary coverage of subject matter suffers at a result.
However, with the growing sophistication and capabilites of both e-Learning providers and e-Learning development applications, I believe that there is a way to ensure that no matter which delivery method is used, the subject matter does not suffer.
Let's say, for example, that a technical vocational school has decided to replace their classroom-based course called "Mechanical Diesel Fuel Systems and Applications" with an online version. The enabling learning objectives for this course, whether it is delivered in the classroom or online, are that students will be able to:
* Identify the location of a fuel filter
* Describe the steps to remove and replace an old fuel filter with a new fuel filter
* Identify the location of the injection nozzle
* Describe the materials needed to clean the injection nozzle
* Describe each step of the injection nozzle cleaning procedure.
I believe that if the online version of this course makes use of multimedia assets in a way that presents, explains and equivocates the 'up close and hands on' experience which seems necessary to this particular subject, then an online version of this course could be effective.
Do I think that online classes should replace face-to-face classes? Should replace is a very definitive statement, which is why I said no. Is it feasible in some curriculum? Sure – but not all learning can be as effective without face to face interaction, for instance, communication or human resources. Those two areas need to have person to person exchanges, but in a setting where body language can also be read. Using a web cam can get you close, but to really read and understand a person it needs to be face to face. Another thing that has to be taken into consideration would be who is doing the online class design? If the instructor has little understanding for adult learning, then the lessons might be all for naught, for if the material is presented with no fluidity or cohesiveness, it will not make sense to the learner.
ReplyDelete