Not every class is designed to be synchronous. Asynchronous classes by definition will not be able to translate face to face content to a student.
In a traditional classroom lecture usually dominates most of the time. Frankly, this is becoming a problem in F2F environments also. It is important to hold the students' attention. Technological interactive tool has allowed this to be more available online. Most online classrooms are asynchronous.
Also we must consider our audience, most students seeking a non-traditional classroom are not looking for long lectures and the intructor standing at a board writing massive amounts of notes. Technology has been introduced to this generation of learners along with convenience and they are seeking this in the learning environment.
James, I found when I added Jing assessments to a report, even though I was saying exactly the same thing as I had been doing in writing, when they heard my voice it made it seem less negative, and more of a "helpful hints" explaination. I think it is the power of hearing someone's voice, tone, inflection - all those things we lose when we reduce conversations to written words.
It's not always appropriate because it may lead to a misunderstanding, so students don't learn the material properly. For example, I have students evaluate certain prejudiced websites in my online class. Often students misinterpret or are deceived by what's presented on the website. I need to be able to give them quick feedback, so they don't start to share and support some of the ignorant ideas presented on the websites.
Yes! I agree! I would like to, in the future, assign partners or groups of students in the same online class to work together with each other through phone calls, email and/or texting to complete an assignment. Students can still work together in an online class--you just have to find the right way to get them to work together.
You are so right about the non-verbal cues. That makes our word selection so important in the on-line class!
I think every situation is different, and what works with one online group might not work with another class. The oontent can be similar, but since there is no f2f communication with the online group, additional conversations may be needed. Emailing back and forth is helpful. I have also created Jing videos and included them as resourcees for topics that I think might be troublesome for students.
Course content created for online courses have to be more streamlined and concise. In a F2F setting you have the ability to elaborate on conversations more readily than online. You can "get off track" and include additional information that you may not have planned for. This would not work online as students may become confused with the additionals. Therefore, clear, straigt to the point contect would be more advantageous for online students.
Because students in the online environment need to be somewhat self sufficient in discovering and learning material on their own, the role of the instructor in the classroom and materials used in the traditional classroom may not provide enough direction for the online student. Even though communication can occur through various methods, such as email, chatting within the course, or other methods, material needs to be more readily available to the online student then in the traditional classroom.
Issue:
Why can't course content created for a face-to-face course be appropriate for an online course?
I think the question begs the question by assuming that F2F content is by nature not appropriate for OL courses. I do agree that much of what is used for oncampus will not easily transfer to OL. However, I believe it is NOT an issue of content, but rather of structure. In other words, much content is usable, but needs to be organized and presented in a way suitable to the OL environment.
Anthony J Matias
We must remember that face-to-face content is not applicable in an online environment as it is an asynchronous environment vs one that is synchronous.
Simply stated, an online course is not a face-to-face course. In an online course the students will have to work at their own pace, they aren't required to come to a classroom daily. They don't have the regular verbal interaction/stimulation from other students. The course content will need to be structured to clearly outline the content, expectations, and allow the students to gain the required knowledge without the face-to-face interactions.
Communication in an online course has to be purposeful. Communication in a face-to-face course is taken for granted and not as intentional.
In a face-to-face course, tone and body language play a huge role in dissemination of information and emphasis on the important points. This is missing in an online environment. Technology can bridge this gap, but it must be appropriate for the particular content to ensure that objectives are met.
The method of delivery is very different.
In the online environment, there is no F2F interaction with the instructor. The student needs to remain motivated & self-driven all the time. The delivery of the content has to be different. Students have to be engaged on the DB, the chat room, etc.
Chanda Ghose
I often concern myself with the fact that the students cannot see or hear my voice when I am giving feedback or even presenting material in the online classroom. I have another person read my statement to see if I am being clear, but still a student may misinterpret my words and feel hurt by what I considered helpful feedback.
I use the sandwich method with my online students. I say something positive, but it has to be meaningful and truthful, then I provide constructive support, and follow that with another positive statement.
I also encourage my students to e-mail me and I try to answer questions in the Q&A within 24-48 hours.
I guess this could still happen in the face to face environment. If students do not feel they can come ask questions they may misinterpret feedback as negative and not ask for you to explain. I just do not want my online student to feel isolated from their instructor.
Some course content can be transformed to be taught in the online environment, but just taking a fact to face course and transferring it to online is not appropriate. Student engagement is different online than face to face and the role of the instructor is also different.
I may use the same textbook as my face to face course might use, but I may have to adjust my learning outcomes to ensure that the environment will support students' mastery levels. The lectures also take on a different shape. Simply recording my lecture and posting the power point may not keep the student interest. In the online learning environment it might be best to include pictures, audio recordings, along with video clips and other tools to get the information across.
Christopher,
True. Content has to be adapted to the online environment. You also have to anticipate students needs.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
John,
Great post! You are right. You have to adjust. You shouldn't have to start from scratch when you already have a course; outcomes should remain the same.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Juliet,
That is true. I don't think it is about content, it is about delivery.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Thomas,
True, I think we have to watch that we don't try to make online instruction a variation of f2f. It is what it is.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
