Is Online Learning as Effective and Valuable as Classroom Instruction?
Alliant has experienced a recent explosion in the number of online courses available to students, ranging from required core courses to unique electives. However, some students have raised concerns that such courses are replacing classroom instruction, which they see as more valuable and effective than online learning. We asked a student and instructor with experiences in online learning for their opinions.
By Diane Zelman
Close your eyes and recall a moment of learning in your life, when ideas coalesced in a new way. Now, where were you? If you were sitting in your dining room at 11 p.m. in your pajamas, then perhaps on-line learning is for you.
Six years ago a small group of AIU faculty bonded over our desire to grow beyond weekly preparation of lectures and colorful PowerPoints, to think more about how learning actually occurs, and to bring our vision online.
We were committed and experienced classroom teachers. Our goal was to promote engaged, constructivist learning. That means that we provide the fundamental materials needed to cover the course topic online, we try to offer students learning choices, and we use student writing, online group projects, discussions and peer evaluation to enhance learning. In online course design, we continually ask, “What is the applicability of this material? How can I design it so that students will learn in a real, lively, active way?”
Students who choose to take on-line courses usually focus on the trade-off between the immediacy and interpersonal experience of classroom learning and the considerable convenience of flexible learning. San Francisco students have taken my summer courses from all over the world. Students from different campuses and countries can interact in the same learning environment, permitting AIU to offer specialized courses across campuses when a critical mass of students are unavailable on a single campus.
We are surprised at the self-disclosure that emerges in online class discussion. Less vocal students have more time to formulate a thoughtful response. Students can reflect on assigned readings online, in the moment, at the time they read them. When I teach a reasonable size online class (15-18 students), I get to know students as learners, much more than in face-to-face courses, where I primarily get to know them as talkers. However, the heavy online discussion and writing demands make it is harder for students to hide, so student workload is sometimes experienced as both heavy and relentless.
Quality online instruction does not save money. Alliant must maintain a costly infrastructure for development, technical help, and faculty training. The creation of even a barebones online course can take months. Although the instructor does not spend 2-3 hours each week in a classroom, he or she continues to prepare materials, adapt them to the Moodle platform, provide feedback and communicate informally with students (more than in face-to-face courses). Online instructors spend more time in preparation and delivery of courses, and they struggle with issues of time boundaries between personal and professional life.
Online learning complements, but does not replace, other kinds of class delivery at AIU. Which learning goals are best suited to the online world remains an empirical question (one to be answered with careful observation, research, and student feedback). In the meantime, students deserve a choice between high quality online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses, and the faculty and administration need to maintain a commitment to reasonable class sizes in all formats.
By Michael Seely
Online teaching is no substitute for the value of classroom education. For the integrity of our school and our field, it’s important that we recognize online education for what it is and what it is not, and not be blindly swept away by the current technology wave of our culture. While the discussion boards and YouTube videos that are so common among online classes are a nice supplement to the teaching process, they cannot replace or replicate the classroom experience or the benefits of being physically present in the same room as a teacher.
There is tremendous value in the social aspect of education. As students, we learn from the questions and experiences of our peers in addition to the material presented by the teacher. In a classroom we are able to get feedback about our ideas at the same time our minds are activated and the neurons are firing. We can ask questions when things are unclear, and instructors are able to gauge how students respond to their educational methods. But more importantly, in classrooms we can bond with and learn from our classmates. The social element is key—classmates provide support during the stresses of major projects, papers, and finals, and allow us to develop social skills and form relationships with our future colleagues.
Another important distinction is that the method of instruction is fundamentally different for online classes. More intrepid teachers will post PowerPoint slides or even audio or video clips of their lectures. But many online classes consist largely of independent work involving reading, watching videos, writing papers, and posting to discussion boards. Discussion board posts, emails, and instant messages provide a great means of exchanging ideas, but because of the anonymous nature of the internet, they create a much more limited teacher-student relationship.
I recognize that many of our faculty put a great deal of time and effort into online education. Yet despite their best efforts, discussion boards and other online tools are unable to replicate the educational environment found in the classroom. Discussion board posts end up being everything from mini- essays to random thoughts, but never quite feel like a conversation. Additionally, very few online-only psychology programs have achieved APA accreditation, and I have a feeling that’s due, at least in part, to the elements of education that online classes lack. ,
In the end, online classes are little more than glorified correspondence or independent study courses. They provide the convenience of not having to commute to class, provide a great option for those who are inclined toward independent study, and allow for a variety of media to be incorporated into the curriculum. In some cases, they even serve as a stop-gap measure to address shortfalls in certain topic areas. But online classes cannot provide the same level of teacher instruction, teacher attention and feedback, or social support. Technology is simply not conducive to that social element. Perhaps online classes have a limited place for courses that don’t need a social element, but I think it is important for students, teachers, and administrators to continually evaluate the place that online classes have in our training programs.
