10 Reasons to Try Online Learning
1. Online instructors and students gain experience and skills that will make them marketable in the 21st century.
2. Online learning is active. Students analyze and evaluate independently while reading, writing, and discussing heavily. Because of this, many students find online learning more fun.
3. Online learning is flexible. Based on their preferences and needs, instructors and students can work on a course at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., at home or at school.
4. Involvement in online teaching after years of offering the same courses is rejuvenating. In addition to learning new technologies, instructors make discoveries about how to teach that they bring back to the traditional classroom.
5. More students participate online because they are less self-conscious and less subject to the time pressure that can inhibit classroom discussions. Instructors, in turn, get enhanced one-on-one contact with students.
6. Web site integration allows a larger variety of content and resulting opportunities for individualized learning. The whole world becomes the classroom.
7. Instructors have opportunities for extra income as online companies look for experienced teachers.
8. Through sharing with another college, an online teacher can offer courses that would never have sufficient enrollment if just one college was involved.
9. Online instructors can look forward to a retirement almost anywhere in the world where they can still teach their favorite class once a year.
10. Online learning can work on a variety of levels. The Internet can deliver an entire course, enhance communication in a face-to-face course, or provide a storage place for basic course information.
Reasons from:Sam Zahran, Fayetteville Tech CC
Julia May, South Piedmont CC
Celia Hurley, Randolph CC
Linda Earnhardt, Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Sylvia Proctor, Johnston CC
Linda Lutz, Catawba Valley CC
Elaine Seeman, Pitt CC
Dennis Keough, Southwestern CC
Patrick Keough, Carteret CC
Jeanne Whisnant, Mayland CC
Online vs. On-site: Major Differences for Instructors
On-site learners know the drill. Online learners may not.
We all have many years of training in how to behave in a classroom. The social rules, class procedures, and expectations for online learning are less clear. The instructor must make sure that students are completely aware of what is expected. Spell instructions out completely! Every item that you take the time to make clear in advance will save a dozen email messages later.
Online learners will quit more quickly.
In a classroom, most learners are comfortable enough to wait things out if the first week or two of instruction is unclear. There is no such social pressure to stay at a computer if an online course isn’t meeting expectations. Online learners will walk away. They’ll assume that online learning is a bad form of education or that they just don’t have the skills or personal style to handle it. Begin personal interaction with online students immediately. Get them talking with the rest of the class. Build preparatory assignments that give students experience with the course site and the technical skills they will need. Provide on-going praise, encouragement, and other incentives for them to keep working.
Online learners require more interaction with an instructor.
This principle might be a surprise, but it’s true. On-site learners designate one or two of their members to be the implicit "participators." These students ask most of the questions and give the instructor feedback while the others learn more quietly. Because online students can’t pass this role to others, be prepared to answer plenty of email. To keep your burden as instructor reasonable, pre-empt questions by answering them in support materials before they need to be asked. Encourage interaction between students so that they can get help from classmates in addition to the instructor. Provide links to online resources in technology and the subject you are teaching.
Online learning can lack feedback for both students and instructors.
Poorly designed online learning fails to provide feedback for everyone involved. Instructors do not know if students understand the material or if their teaching methods are working. Students aren’t sure if they are working enough or if they are catching all of the concepts. To compensate, use communication tools frequently and provide a variety of assignments. Ask more confirming questions and review more often.
Online instructors must take some technical responsibility.
Whether you like it or not, participants will look to you for technical help when taking online courses. Prepare yourself. If you know your skills are a little "iffy," collect a set of resources to which you can send students.
Online learning is frequently more participant-driven.
Online learners are usually a self-motivated breed. As an instructor, listen to what they want to learn. Give them content choices. Use telecommunications to get them to teach each other. A good online instructor is a facilitator, not the only source of information.
Online learning should be broken into manageable pieces
.Because online learners quit quickly and because our attention span for a computer screen is limited, online content should be broken into chunks that take twenty minutes or less to complete. Students can always do more than one piece if their attention span holds.
All learners are media critics.
We have all been trained by television, movies, and Internet to be harsh media critics. If presentation, content, or design is mediocre, we seek out other sources. Information is plentiful and we have to be good critics or we just don’t have enough time to get what we need. Quality design becomes critical in this atmosphere.
After all is said and done, there are still more similarities than differences between online and on-site learning
.A good test for any online material is to first ask, "Would this work if I was presenting it as a live, on-site course?" If the answer is no, then start over.
This page maintained by Kathy Davis.