Ruben,
There are times in a traditional classroom that you can play off the students mood. It is hard to do so in an online format!
Shelly Crider
I disagree. Online courses required more work to be delivered to students and it should take in consideration those most naive users
Hi Shelly --
Having developed both 'traditional' and online courses I would have to disagree very strenuously with this statement. In my experience a lot more 'groundwork' has to be done, especially up front, for an online course. All of our ducks have to be in a row well in advance so students have guidance on expectations and subject matter that is as complete as possible as they prepare to launch themselves into an online course. When doing 'traditional' courses there is a bit more wiggle room in terms of at least some aspects of how the course evolves over time. I don't mean in terms of changes in learning objectives, but not everything has to be so concretized, in my view, for the face-to-face classroom.
Saying all of this makes me think about the possibility that face-to-face courses allow for more spontaneity than do online ones.
What are your thoughts about this assertion?
Debra
Debra,
If an instructor starts off strong in the discussion, you can get a lot of spontaneity going in the discussion area.
Shelly Crider
I disagree! Both modes require a great deal of planning and development. Students who take courses online expect, and deserve, a rich, engaging experience, and online instructors have to be able to give their online course that extra "punch" it needs to provide students with that environment. When you are standing in front of a classroom, you can see how students are reacting. You can engage in a dynamic conversation that involves many students because you are all right there, interacting.
An online class does not provide that automatic feeling of engagement, so an online instructor has to go out of his or her way to make all of the online components of the course more dynamic, more engaging, and more impactful. Because of that, it generally takes more time to develop a quality online course. It takes more time to write a quality lecture that connects with the student. It takes more time to develop quality discussion questions that get at the heart of the course's main ideas while still holding a student's interest. It takes more time for an instructor to remain engaged in the course throughout the week. Online instructors have a unique skillset that allows them to make a seemingly impersonal method of learning into an engaging and supportive environment.
Speaking as a novice, the investmnet of time is much greater when creating an on-line vs. on-the ground. I really appeciate what this course provides.
Richard,
There is a lot of great resources listed throughout this course!
Shelly Crider
I disagree. The time invested to develop an online course is at least equal if not more. Where as in a traditional class you are constantly there to edit and guide the course in an online course the preparation must be complete. Every aspect of the class must be available and clear to the students. Also, lectures often require much more explanation in an online course to be sure that the subject matter is explained completely and addresses likely questions. Finally, the online course has all the same aspects as a traditional class including assignments, lectures, discussions, etc.
I disagree with this statement because I find that to have a quality course, there is upfront development time and constant tweaking of the course each time it is taught. For example, what I thought was clear instructions may be interpreted differently by a student and I need to take the time to reorganize the instructions. Also, as the platforms change and are upgraded, so must the course be tweaked.
Daniel,
Thank you for stating "constant tweaking". An online course definitely needs to be reviewed each time it is offered.
Shelly Crider
I disagree. While the instructor is expected to facilitate the online course the expectation is the student will navigate the course on their own. Thus sufficient time needs to be spent on designing and laying out the course so the online platform is not a deterrent to the student achieving the expected outcomes.
Ron,
as well as what is expected of the students. If all the details are not there for a student to follow, the student will get frustratted.
Shelly Crider
I disagree with you. I think the time to develop a quality online course is much more time intensive than a traditional classroom. Now, after you have taught your first online course and you are "tweaking" it and refining it, it seems that it would be easier the second time. However, this is true of a traditional course too. Teaching the second or third time around (the same subject) is always easier for me as I get my bearings and get more familiar with what works, what needs fixing, etc.
I think setting up a quality online class is time intensive because you have to create so many documents and formats that are more intuitive within a traditional classroom. I love teaching online though and even though it's a lot of work, it's worth it!
Amy,
Tweaking and refining need to be done on an ongoing basis.
Shelly Crider
Well, no, it actually takes just as much if not more time for an online course, because so much information needs to be broken down into written words. There is not much if any face to face time with the students and as an instructor I spend more time trying to make sure that I answer everything in detail, kind of like anticipating the questions they may have. That takes a lot of time if done correctly.
Explanations and communications are critical, when in writing versus face to face it just takes more time to explain things.
I find that it takes more time to design and develop an online course than an instructor-led course. With an online course, animation, activities, and interaction must be built into the course, where as in a instructor-led environment the development time is less because interaction and activities can be done in class with personal instruction.
William,
Good point. To build into a course and make sure links work does tend to take time.
Shelly Crider
I disagree because you have to type everything up when creating a online course. When you are creating a classroom course you can state what you are thiniking without documenting everything.
I disagree. The reverse is true. I have four decades of continuous instruction in higher education and have been involved in the development of courses in both online and traditional schools. My own calculation is that the time and energy spent for the preparation of an online course is at least 100% more than in the preparation of a course for a traditional institution.
John
