Does Synchronous learn run counter to the online vision.
I attended an online forum where the facilitator spoke of the need to be truly asynchronous. The gentleman went really far with his argument...proposing the elimination of set due dates and late policies. It is interesting noting how fellow instructors "virtually" bristled at his presentation.
For me, the instructors definitely displayed an authoritarian and need to control the learning environment model with their dissent. I make this claim because schools like New Charter and emergence of even courses like this one display the power of an asynchronous environment.
Moreover, the beauty of teaching on-ground is the synchronous nature of the old classroom. Yet, from my new experiences in online asynchronous teaching, an intimacy or new attachment develops between instructor and students. Could it be the students experience learning in a psychologically, more personal way?
Thomas,
Ok, that is crazy talk! This may vary depending on audience but even MOOCs have deadlines. I would call what the speaker described a "correspondence" course. I agree with you, how would you develop a sense of community?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
