In what ways is online learning qualitatively different than face to face learning? In this instance you get to pull on your own experiences as well as the readings, and answer as well as critically contribute to the debate surrounding online learning.
When I decided to return to school in order to pursue my MLIS, the options available to me were limited. The closest accredited program for me would be at Rutgers University, which is about an hour and twenty minutes away from where I live. Add the distance to my responsibilities as a parent and to my job, and I knew that online learning was what would work best for me. Overall I have found that online learning is a lot more difficult than a face to face classroom situation. Not only does it require one to be highly organized, but highly motivated as well. As a student I found that in order to be successful, it was necessary for me to set deadlines for myself. Yes of course there are deadlines set by the Professors, but I have to organize my time better to incorporate time for all of the readings as well as the contributions to the online discussion forums. When you are attending a physical class it could be very easy to do the reading and show up to class and then decide whether or not you will take part in the discussion. With online learning, each student is expected to participate in the discussion and I think that helps to motivate students to be more involved in what is going on in the “classroom.”
In Chapter 23 of Online Learning, Constance E. Wanstreet (2009) states, “Researchers and practitioners are in general agreement that interaction is a key variable in learning and satisfaction with distance education courses” (p. 425). This is significant and although she does discuss how the definition of interaction varies according to each researcher, I personally feel that my own personal interaction (which I consider to be my contributions to the discussion forums and responses to my classmates’ expressions of ideas and thoughts) while taking online courses is significantly higher than it would be if I were in a face to face environment. Usually what happens to me within a classroom is that I am so busy trying to absorb and reflect upon what other students are saying that I find it difficult to respond immediately. After the class ends, however, I usually think of something that I would have like to have shared, but the moment has passed. By the time the class meets again, it is usually time to move on to another topic and so on. I really feel that the creation of an online community is conducive to continuous learning since students can respond multiple times to multiple classmates regarding various topics. There would never be that kind of time within a traditional classroom. I think that more is brought to the table in terms of the discussions and there is a lot more reflection and careful consideration that is utilized before students respond to posts. Even after the teacher has moved on to another part of the class, it is still possible for those conversations to continue. My point is that I feel there are more opportunities for learning in an online course. Professors always want to share additional resources with students and it is definitely done easiest online. It is a very simple task to post a link for an article, video, or a website for students to explore at their leisure.
Sharing between the professor and the students as well as sharing between students is a much larger possibility with online learning as well. I also think that with online learning there is more support available because if you have a question-you can simply post it on a Q&A board and usually you will have more than one response. Working at your own convenience and your own schedule is a plus as well. I strongly feel that online learning offers more tools for students to use to navigate and to support them throughout their own personal learning experiences.
Wanstreet, C. E. (2009). Interaction in Online Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature. In A. Orellana, T. Hudgins, & M. Simonson (Eds.), The Perfect Online Course (pages 425-442). Nova Southeastern University: Information Age Publishing.
Even after the teacher has moved on to another part of the class, it is still possible for those conversations to continue.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. In the classroom environment I never had much interaction with my classmates outside of the classroom, so any discussion and exchange of ideas happened in the 50 minutes we shared 2-3 times per week. With the online environment, it’s kind of nice to read other student’s ideas and then reply to them any time of day, even if we’ve moved on to a different lesson. In some of my previous classes in the program, we used the ANGEL discussion forums, and they were very active. I enjoyed reading thoughts and responses from all of my classmates and responding to those that struck a cord with me.
I think that so many of us have gotten used to the online environment, email, online chatting, journaling, blogging, Facebook, that we’re pretty comfortable interacting in the environment. I think that the anonymity of the online environment helps too, especially with the student who may be a bit shy and unlikely to speak up in a classroom.
The one aspect of interactivity that can be lacking though is student-instructor interaction. I’ve had some classes where the instructor is very present in the discussion forums, leading online conferences with Elluminate, answering emails quickly. But I have also had a couple of classes where the instructor was practically a non-entity. I’d only hear from the instructor when an assignment had been graded and returned, and that would only be an email to let me know and some feedback comments on the assignment.
I agree with you Tracey-I have had instructors who aren't really "there" as well, but for the most part I find that the professors are quite involved and active within the forums and the class. I also feel that personally, I am much more articulate when I write than when I speak! And forget it if someone interrupts me to comment on something I said before I completed the thought-I am easily pulled away from what I am thinking and then sometimes have trouble getting my point across. At least in a forum, people can respond but you are able to complete your thought process without interruption-and before you post you can read back over what you have written to make sure that you have been clear.
ReplyDeleteIt's not for everyone, though, but I also feel the same way that you do-it's nice to be able to read your classmates' ideas and respond when you are ready.
Hi Julie
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that there is a large possibility for sharing opinions in online classes, but I do like that the that in face to face classes you can get immediate feed back from your classmates. Online classes do give you more time to think about how to respond to questions that are presented, which is a benefit. But Face to face classes also have the benefit of everyone being in the same time zone (for group projects there is still the need to work around schedules, but there isn’t the need to worry about what time it is in other places so that you can contact your partners) but maybe that is a benefit because it give you time to respond to post and things…
Julie, thank for this marvelous posting. I agree with you that on-line learning affords students more time to give considered responses in discussion forums. It is a better learning experience when a student can give more careful consideration to a response checking references and re-reading sources before responding to a discussion. Also, as you point out the asynchronous nature of many on-line discussions gives everyone an opportunity to voice their ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe on-line forum is also more anonymous and therefore, I think, more democratic. It doesn’t matter, what I look like; what my political affiliations are; how I dress; how much make-up I wear, or don’t wear; what sports I play; what car I drive; all that matters is the contribution that I make to the class. My contributions are not confused with other aspects about who I am, or at least not to the same extent as they might be in a face to face class. There is also less time spent in tangential discussions which are often frustrating and wasteful of everybody's time, though in a face to face community these tangential discussions are sometimes very insightful.
Usually when I respond to a post I have to read the post twice to make sure that I understood what was said. Then I have to write my response in a word document and read that several times. This is my optimal way to respond to a post but sometimes I need to respond quickly and do not have the luxury of following that process. Sometimes I have a hard getting the words out when I am speaking to people but the blogs allow me to take my time perfect what I want to say.
ReplyDelete"My contributions are not confused with other aspects about who I am"-Gabrielle-I think you are right that online forums are more democratic-people tend to make assumptions and judgement about others based on the way they look, dress, etc. and even though they might not realize it, it's possible that they have formed opinions about someone when they don't really know them. An online forum levels the playing field in a sense.
ReplyDelete