I agree. It is constant-the reassurance and encouragement. Most of the students that I teach are adult students that are definitly non traditional. They have been to school before and failed or they are much older and have never been to school. Either way, they are nervous and unsure of their abilities. They need daily contact which is time consuming when you have 7 classes of 30 students each.
Becky
I think just as it is more difficult for the student because they do not have the luxury of face to face cues and body language, it is also more difficult for the instructor to identify those students that need extra attention.
In addition to the duties that you outlined, you also have to take the time to review all of your students and their records and first identify what type of learner they are and then what their issues are. You then have to decide how to deal with it and contact them. It is a much longer process and more tedious, in my opinion.
Becky
Janet:
I share your opinion that it is easier to manage students in a face-to-face setting. This question addresses management of student behavior; not means of establishing contact with students and observing student behaviors. You may want to re-visit the question and the course materials; then elaborate on your answer.
Satrohan
No I don't believe it's easier to manage the students online compared to the traditional classroom. In the traditional classroom you can observe different behaviors where as online unless you are in the virtual classroom you can not see the behaviors of the students. You must rely on other methods to contact the students and that is not always possible.
Jan ODonnell
Alanna:
I am also of the opinion that delivering instruction online is more demanding. In addition to all the factors contributing to face-to-face being easier to conduct and manage, as an online Instructor, one has to tailor one's availability to match the students' requirements.
Satrohan
Alanna:
I share your opinion, by experience, that it takes more time to manage an online learning environment. Please elaborate on your position by sharing with us some of the challenges you believe Faculty and Administration face.
Satrohan
Based on others responses I find it difficult to see how a traditional classroom environment could possibly take the same amount of effort. I taught in a classroom setting for a couple of years before going on to the online portion and I definitely think it is more difficult. Students are more needy I have found in the online program because they are not seeing individuals so they need that encouragement and constant approval from you as the instructor. This is not always present in the classroom and when it is it is easier to nip in the bud than online. I find myself much more emotionally exhausted at the end of the day than I did when teaching in the classroom setting.
I think that it takes more effort to manage an e-learning environment due to the lack of personal contact with them. Students can often go off on their own where as in a traditional classroom they have all the other students their to encourage them to participate and they can really get more out of it that way. There are a lot of challenges in the e-learning environment for the faculty and the administration. Lots of questions that would have been easily answered in the classroom. Sometimes you feel like pulling all your hair out. But we are here to teach and provide them with education.
Anthony:
Your first and last sentence has captured the essence of the topic under consideration.
Satrohan
It definitely is not the case that there will be less effort in total. The requirements for managing students online, though essentially the same, can be strikingly different from an in-class scenario.
A facilitator still has to manage their own time bookkeeping, checking on student participation, and the like. The only difference is that these responsibilities are totally immersed in the computer with no face to face interaction.
When it comes to filing and finding necessary records, the online environment can be automated in ways that would be excessive in a paper folder world. In this regard, there could be far less work for an online facilitator.
However, in a classroom, a teacher could see the postural attitude of a student and determine at a glance if that student is overwhelmed, distracted, or frustrated. Human interaction communicates so much more than simply reading some postings and determining online habits.
Lack of participation online may be interpreted as a quiet learner, someone overwhelmed by technology, or someone who has logged in but is now trying to get their twin toddlers in to bed.
The risk of attrition could be under or over-assessed, so a good facilitator would have to contact students and try to pull information out of them through chats and emails for a proper assessment.
The responsibilities are the same, but for an online teacher, the distance and lack of direct interaction can make the execution of those responsibilities a lot trickier.
Tricia:
For a moment there, I was beginning to wonder about the different perspective on the question being addressed in the forum; until you mentioned that you might have gotten off topic. Imust, however, admit that you have expressed some interesting very statements some of which would serve as excellent Discussion questions in and of themselves.
Yes; I share the same opinion------it is more difficult to manage students in an online environment.
Satrohan
Despite the seemingly easier scheduling of homework for the students, they have a more difficult time managing the due dates for their reqired work. Most of my students' work is turned in on the evening of the last day of the weekly period. Often the work is incomplete in thought and/or content. I have learned in a short time that their incorrect work is a poor reflection of their knowledge, but more accurately a response to the lack of structure. Most students and people in general will respond positively to structure. Structure is natually lacking in the online classroom due to the freedoms noted in the question addressed here. Therefore, a greater demand is placed on the instructor to create the illusion of control and structure in the online class. I try to manage this by creating policies on extensions that are fair but definite, then I stand behind what I have commited to doing with late assignments despite the excuse. If I say one thing, and do another, I can't be depended on and the students will feel unsure of the quality of their instruction and therefore of their education. Self-confidence is important in all walks of life, but especially in the online classroom. I've gotten off topic some, but in conclusion, i think it is more difficult to manage student in the e-learning environment.
Agreed on all counts, Paul. Providing timely feedback becomes more of a challenge when our courses include activities such as case studies in which the choreographing approach has been adopted to teach the case studies.
Satrohan
Great list of duties required of the online instructor.
I think it takes more effort to manage the students. If we were in a face-to-face class we can immediately comments of something the student said, answer a questions, etc. The online instructor has to dedicate additional time to the class so as to keep the students engaged. I think if an instructor does not reply to a posted question as soon as possble, the student's interest may drop off a bit and it may be difficult to get them back.
I have found many online students spend a considerable amount of time checking into a class for very brief periods to see what the instructor may have posted, how questions were responded to, etc. It is a greater time committment in the online environment to manage the students but I find it to be very rewarding.
Michelle:
You have captured the essence of this question in the last two sentencs of your answer. Motivation and self-discipline are key to being successful in an online environment. Having said this, it may be easier, in a face-to-face environment to identify students experiencing problems with the course work and at least attempt corrective action before those students drop out of the course. In short, you can accomplish some things faster in a face-to-face environment.
Satrohan
I agree with most of the other posts on this subject. I think it can be difficult to manage students in both types of environments. If a student is a typical procrastinator it is not going to matter to them if they see the instructor in person or receive an email. I teach students earning a doctorate all the way to a certificate in both an online & on-gound environment. It really depends on the student's motivation & self-discipline in both environments. It has been my experience that no matter what the environment or level of degree the student is trying to attain, inevitably there are students that will sabotage theselves.
Schawn:
Please elaborate on the reasons you feel there will be less conflict.
Satrohan
I agree with your comments and also believe that there is less conflict in this setting.
James:
Your points are well-taken. The only addition I would like to make is that it is easier for students to hide their weaknesses and other personality traits in an online learning environment. Some of us spend a lot of energy hiding our weaknesses. It seems to be a natural human trait. Deciphering personality traits through the written word is a tough manoeuvre.
Satrohan
