I believe that the biggest obstacle is Technology, so many changes. As well as the older learners at times feeling lost without facetime
Cyndy,
Yes,the time management is such an important consideration. I was teaching only last night and a student said (when I handed out materials and homework) "this is like I am back in school". I didn't quite know what to say and questioned him and he stated that he didn't realize that there was going to be work involved. :(
Renee Shaffer
I believe the time management for the moms and dads who are returning to school is a large barrier for the students. I do not think they realize what they have committed to when starting school. This does take commitment, and effective management of their time to achieve.
Grace,
Often times, students have never been really asked to participate meaningfully in discussions. So sad that in college they have to be taught how to do this.
Renee Shaffer
Lisa students do need to be motivated to collaborate with peers particularly in the discussion board - rather than just entering content into threads - but really collaborating and discussing. Other barriers such as procrastination and feelings of isolation make some of our students very frustrated. In terms of the institution, some students find an inadequate level of technical support to meet their lack of technical knowledge.
In my opinion, the biggest obstetrical for active learning in an online environment is student understanding about the technique.
Nathan,
You bring up a very good point. It is time intensive to update course materials and content. Institutions must accept the fact that they need dedicated staff to help with this and I wonder how many are really thinking about this.
Renee Shaffer
I think the biggest obstacle is technology. Whether its the system are down or a student just cannot function properly in any of the online environments, it's a deterrent. It would be beneficial to have the 24/7 technological support and even troubleshooting videos to prevent a student from disengaging.
A major issue with online programs is how slow they are to update the content. Active learning requires dynamic and responsive curriculum. In design it also means new tools and techniques have to explored. If the institution has a cumbersome and slow system to get the content and tools updated, the students suffer. I teach for a few different online schools and only one is good at making sure the content and instructor feedback/updates are applied in a timely manner. One school has not updated the assignment in years. It's painful and a disservice to our students. I offer addendum's and resources to offset the issues. Not fun.
I feel that if we had the opportunity to modify the assignments, discussion board questions, and due dates - active learning may be easier to accomplish. Many deliverables focus on the autonomous learner.
Students need to be motivated to collaborate with peers in the classroom using different topics to share experiences.
Shawn,
I like your use of the words "frightening" and "losing control". It is so true.
Renee Shaffer
Carolyn,
It is always best to give students a tutorial on how to be successful in your classroom.
Renee Shaffer
The biggest challenge is breaking out of the traditional education mindset. Many institutions are led by educators who are products of traditional education and fear that online platforms may erode the reputation and/or quality of their educational programs. If institutions fail to break free from this traditional-model perspective, the institutions will not support online education. Following that train of thought, active learning bucks the traditional model as well. Losing control of the classroom by going online is frightening enough for traditional educators... but allowing the students more freedom and autonomy in their educational experience may send some old-school educators off the cliff. I'm a firm believer that changing the way we think will change our behaviors. Institutions must first change their mindset regarding active learning and online education before these concepts will be fully supported.
The biggest obstacle I have found is when my students don't get the proper training on how the "classroom" works. Many times the first week of class I am teaching students how to post DB, reply to DB, upload assignments etc. Its so important to make sure technology is updated and students have access so they can move from traditional classroom to online.
Eric,
Only an half day? It can be frustrating.
Renee Shaffer
Richard, as noted bandwidth can be an issue particularly in some parts of the country. Assuming students have access to high speed internet and have the technology capabilities may be a bit of a stretch in some cases and that can definitely interfere with active learning.
I would have to say technology. It is great when it works, and incredibly frustrating when it does not. The upgrades are often problematic and students/faculty alike are not often notified of this. It seems like IT tends to do whatever they want (updates/upgrades) and then rolls it out and hopes for the best. There are always problems and I plan on at least a half day with tech support when there is a LMS platform upgrade...
One of the biggest obstacles is the technology. As others have stated it is usually one the student side of the equation. Making sure the student knows how to use the technology is important to making sure there will be less issues.
The biggest institutional obstacle to the promotion and development of online education is the insensitivity and unwillingness to change from a traditional method of instruction
