- Because of the flexibility of the virtual classroom, punctuality is not a problem, and students don't lose valuable class time due to weather, traffic, or unforeseen scheduling conflicts--the bane of all working adults. Also, students who travel can log in from anywhere and therefore will not fall behind their classmates.
- In the electronic class, students interact with each other more than with the instructor. This promotes true peer-based discussion learning, a long-sought "holy grail" of higher education.
- Access to the Web places library and other research resources within reach of every desktop. Students can develop their ideas and carry out assignments using a host of sources that were previously inaccessible to distance learners.
For these reasons, online distance learning has quickly earned numerous adherents among faculty, both nationally and internationally. The combination of the intellectual rigor of traditional education and the flexibility of cyberspace benefits both faculty and students and creates robust learning communities online. Students find that they learn more in this environment, adding to the satisfaction faculty experience when teaching electronic courses.
There are, however, some important caveats to this rosy picture of online learning. First, like the students, instructors must be fully trained and supported in the use of computer technology. They must be exposed to examples of "good practice" and mentored by colleagues with extensive prior experience in the electronic classroom. Successful online teaching requires much more than simply placing one's lectures online--it mandates the careful rethinking of an entire course. All assignments must be reviewed and, if necessary, redesigned.
Dr. Edelson has taught several courses online. He has determined that for his classes to be successful, each element must be carefully spelled out in greater detail than in courses with conventional syllabi, where ambiguities can be "talked out" in class. He has also discovered that without the visual cues that are commonly taken for granted in the face-to-face classroom, he must pay greater attention to written comments and ask probing questions that require students to respond in greater detail. In the end, he found the results of teaching online very comparable to what students experienced in his face-to-face classes and was pleased at the high-quality learning environment. He also had to ensure that the campus bookstore would mail books to students and that all aspects of campus business could be done by students electronically without their having to visit the college personally.
The rapid growth of online learning attests to its acceptance by students and faculty. Both groups have discovered that the many positive features of the electronic classroom outweigh the negative effects of not physically meeting as a class.
This article was excerpted from Complete Book of Distance Learning Schools by Dr. Jerry Ice and Dr. Paul Edelson
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