Last night in class, we were discussing the concept of online courses and whether or not the teacher was an important factor or not. Last summer I took a course at York Tech to fulfill a requirement for Winthrop. The only times I saw my professor were when we had to come in and take a test. Other than that, we communicated online, through their web page. The page consisted of our assignments and when they were due. We were not offered any help beyond that, and were not given specific items and terms to know for the test. To study, we were told to learn chapters ?-?. We had to teach ourselves and were not offered a study session before the tests. We had to just kind of guess what we thought was important and hope that what we studied would be on the test.
In high school, one of my teachers was adopting a child from Guatamala, and she was away for about two weeks. Yet instead of just leaving random assignments with the sub, she actually videotaped herself giving us the lessons. She videotaped two weeks worth of lessons, so that we wouldn't lose that aspect of learning. It was great!
In situations like the first one, the teacher served no purpose. Anyone could have made up the web page saying what chapters to know. He was only a blank face as far as we knew. I have known of other online courses that have log in hours, video communication, and get to meet in person several times throughout the semester (not including test time). From my experience with online courses, I would never take another. I feel that you lose the whole idea of being in a class and having the classroom experience, which includes knowing your fellow students as well as your teacher. I feel that having a teacher is the most important aspect of learning and that trying to replace them with technology just will not work.
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2 comments:
I can't stand online classes. I learn so much from class discussion, and the professor's tone and emphasis on what is important. It is nice to be able to ask a professor the minute that I lose him in the classroom discussion. Though we have this blog and other online discussion boards, I don't think this is the same as communicating in person. When we discuss issues in class, I get a sense of the other person's priorities and perspectives. This does not always come across online. It is easy to misunderstand someone's written communication, because you don't have their facial expressions and body language. I have enjoyed the blog as an addition, but it would not replace classrom discussion.
I am sorry that you had such a negative experience with an online course. I also took a course online at York Tech and had a wonderful experience, and we never met the instructor. We did have to go to the testing center at York Tech to take the tests, but the instructor was not there - just the testing center employees. Our instructor provided us with podcasts along with focus questions which pertained to the podcasts and the readings, so I knew exactly what I was expected to learn and know. By keeping up with the podcasts, readings and focus questions, I was able to do well on the tests and required assigments. The professor was very prompt and thorough when answering emails. I never had need to phone this professor, but he always stressed to call if necessary. As with any course, this demonstrates the power of the instructor. I had such a positive experience, that I have recommended this course and instructor to a co-hort member who needs this same prereq to complete the MAT program.
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