What are the additional challenges when dealing with online learning.
There are a host of challenges confronting students who are widely dispersed, do not have an opportunity for face-to-face interaction; come from conflicting values emanating from different cultures. There are, in fact, characteristics that are common to folks collaborating in a virtual environment. Would it not follow that there are different proclivities to learn in virtual environments?
Joel
Dr. Joel Ginsburg
Hi Deborah,
I like and use real life stories in both my on site and online courses. Just as you say students really like these stories because they start to see relevancy and application to their course content.
Gary
I disagree with no real life stories or experiences in the online learning environment. In all of my online courses, we start out with a brief biography written from each student to help them get to know one another a little better. If the instructor encourages the students to relate the materials with personal experiences I see this as real world experienices and they are important in the learning environment for all students. I believe sometimes those that feel learning online is a way to be disconnected, have a fear of the traditional classroom being lost, which is far from the truth. Being opened minded and working with students in different types of enviornments is essential to our educational system. If handled properly students and instructors may share many wonderful experiences online that are just as important as those in the classroom.
Personally, I believe many afraid of this type of learning fear for their jobs and the tenure system, which I am not so sure should not be done away with, for it is time to move forward and be on the move-not stuck in the past!
The instructor can ensure that syllabi weekly assignments and or discussion questions and or replies to student posts can easiy elicit personal experience. And, the students get to polish their writing experiences.
In traditional experiences, it is my experiences, that a limited group of talkative students tend to do much of the sharing, while the "shy" folks stay quiet. In online, an instuctor can direct posts to "shy" folks to inspire sharing of experiences.
the one major thing lost with online learning- no real life stories or experience from a person in front of you. its a very dis connected way of learning. real world experience goes further than anything read online.
This is an ongoing concern for we Virtual Instructors as student retention and Live Chat lecture participation are difficult to reinforce as we do not see our students in real time so getting them to be responsible by participation is often challenging.
Hi Joel,
This course is going to be awesome as well as cutting edge. I am very interested in learning more about this course and what approaches you will be taking in delivering this course. It is so needed as a result of how quickly the delivery methods have evolved in the area of online learning. Thank you in advance for any information you can share.
Gary
My dissertation dealt with characteristics common to successful members of widely dispersed self managed virtual teams. I am a collaborating on a web-based assessment for potential successful applicants for international businesses and their virtual workers.
I will be using this assessment, a book I am co-authoring, and syllabi to offer universities courses to finally teach how to teach how to successfully work in the virtual environment. Gary, there is not ONE university, traditional or online that offers such a course.
Joel
Hi Joel,
Right you are about the different proclivities to learn in virtual environments. The majority of learning research has been done on face to face instruction. There needs to be research conducted on how different deliveries can be created for online learning. The technology and convenience of online learning has been the focus for the past few years. Now that online learning is becoming institutionalized research on learning effectiveness is going to be the next big effort.
Gary
