There are some course that by their very nature cannot be effectively taught online. Possibly, any course teaching a skill that requires the development of a physical competency , under direct, real world contact with an instructor may qualify. For instance, swimming: you can teach some things about swimming over the online medium, but in order to safely learn it you would have to be in a pool with an instructor.
Agreed Paul. The adoption of the hybrid approach has posed a significant problem for Learning Instutions which want to take their entire programs National or International. In other words, they want to place all components of all courses online. Should an Institution decide to do so, what measures must it take to ensure that students are exposed to right kinds of learning experiences? How must they control for cheating?
Satrohan
In a brief response, yes. Not all types of courses can be taught totally online but through a blended approach, all courses can have an online component.
I think that many of the areas that career colleges are involved totally online courses would be difficult. Through the use of the blended presentatio method, much of the traditional classroom activities can be conducted through an online component, but hands-on application needs to be a component.
Great question!
Your conclusion is plausible; however, the technology can be used to support the achievement of learning objectives covered in the classroom. Can you share with us an example of an instructional transaction which you believe will benefit from a combination of traditional classroom instruction and online learning?
Satrohan
I believe that many, and possibly all, subjects can be taught online, but should be taken in a traditional group classroom when available. In teaching online personal training courses, I feel that my students are missing out on the interactive debate and sharing of ideas that I experienced in the traditional classroom setting. While facts and ideas can be presented to the students online, there is little time spent by the students cross communicating to each other about their ideas. In personal training, there are many things that can only be learned by experience. While many of my students have experiences that would lend to the education of the other classmates, I don't feel that the classmates take the time to read all the forums to learn from other's experiences. If we were to be in a traditional classroom setting, all students would hear all ideas and the feedback and questions would be immediate, while the topic was fresh (along with the desire to learn about that specific topic). Therefore, I conclude that while online learning is a great tool for education of those with limited accessability to a traditional classroom, it should not be prefered over the traditional setting.
Michelle:
I agree. Professional courses that are performance-based and involve the acquisition of psychomotor skills do not lend themselves completely to online learning; especially when errors on the job can have grave consequences.
There are several courses that cannot be taught online. Coming from a medical background there were several courses I took that would have been impossible to learn online without a hands-on lab or dissection lab. I do agree with some of the other participants posts that many classes would work well with an online & on ground component.
Agreed on all points, James. The didactic learning component can be taught in an online environment; however, online instruction cannot yield the desired results for high risk situations, examples of which you have mentioned. Another example would be operation and maintenance of military systems.
Satrohan
Sylvia:
Agreed. Quality of the online learning experience is the primary criterion for successful online learning as well as maintaining the credibility of the program and the institution that offers that program. Regardless of whether we take the hybrid approach, the online component must meet the requirements for a quality online course. We have to strive to optimize the use of computer technology to enhance the effects of the instructional transactions that lead to students achieving the desired learning outcomes; not trying to use the technology to deliver and manage all instructional events.
Being a teacher in the Medical field, I do not believe that every course can be taght online. I do believe that there may be facets of a course that can, but some lab classes must be taught in a classroom setting. Chemistry labs, physics labs, labs in Medical Assisting dealing with injections and phlebotomy would not work well online due to the equipment needed and the dangers of having an inexperienced individual handling some of this equipment, without supervision. The didactic portion of the learning can surely be presented in an online format. However, the actual experiments and hands-on techniques must be done in a classroom setting with a knowledgable instructor.
At the beginning of my instruction it was not apparent to me that online courses were of the quality that one would desire. After reading the replies to your question it seems to me that all disciplines and topics can be taught in hybrid courses. Online for theory and on site for practical aspects of training would be a plus. Many universities in the area are offering such online courses and have successful graduates.
Satrohan, online can be effective in all disciplines and topics with a combination of on ground training.
Jean:
Your position on experiential learning is well taken. I would like you to share your thoughts on this scenario.
Suppose you are tasked with rolling out an online course nationally, the learning outcomes of which are theory based as well as experiential driven. What measures will you take to ensure that learners are given the appropriate learning experience? What measures will you take to ensure that the learning outcomes are adequately evaluated?
Satrohan
I think that most subjects can be taught in an online environment, however, there are certain aspects such as in the medical fields that require hand on experience to really learn the material. So, I believe a mix of both online and in-person training can be most effective for teaching certain subjects vs relying only on online education.
Some learning is experiential in nature, and is best learned in person.
Scott:
Your answer points to several factors we should consider when we are deciding to make courses available in an online environment. Having read your response, I have concluded that you are in favor of online learning provided that:
• The technology supports student-instructor interaction.
• Students obtain support and feedback in a timely manner.
• Psychomotor skills should be taught using a hybrid approach.
It is quite true that in an online environment we lose the dynamism and synergy arising out of dialogue and discussions in real time. The dynamism is definitely lost; however, the synergy may not be totally lost-----just delayed. Students can share their thoughts about questions with other students, instructors and guest lecturers through asynchronous discussions. When students participate in asynchronous discussions and monitor them on a daily basis, they are exposed to a wider range of knowledge that is likely to evolve from a timed classroom session. Moreover, they have more time to read and assimilate other students' responses as well as those of the instructor or teaching assistant.
Your point about the type of learner in the class is well taken; however, I would like to pint out that much of what has been written about catering to the different learning styles of learners does not hold much water when budgetary and time constraints come into play---and they do have a significant impact on all online learning programs driven by profitability.
Satrohan
Any course can be taught on line. With proper equipment that would allow the instructor to interact with the students in real time and have an assistant with each student. Since this is not a reasonable way to run a class or a school. I think the better question is should every class be made available on line. With an on line class you loose the face to face interaction with not only the instructor but the other students. When you only respond by e-mail you never hear what someone thinks about a question until a lot of thought has gone into the answer. This may make the answer better but you will never get the passion or feeling of that answer. You also need to think about what type of learner's you have in your class. This is why hybrid classes may offer the best of both worlds when teaching a class where tactile skills are a large part of the class.
Good question. With todays technology I can't think of one that could not. Grpahics, and computer technology allow the design to simulate enarly any interaction, thus negating the need for in person learning.
Hi All,
I agree with your observations about some of the challenges of delivering and managing some types of instructional transactions in an online environment. These are some of my thoughts on the subject that I would like to share with you.
With the advent of e-learning, some institutions strive to place all courses of programs online; even though, as you pointed out, the content of some courses may not lend itself to the requisite instructional treatment to facilitate meaningful learning experiences in an online environment. The end result in such situations is that those institutions receive course evaluation results which point to student dissatisfaction. As a matter of fact, I have seen course evaluation data in which these statements were typical:
• The text book did a better job than the online lecture.
• The online lecture is an electronic page-turner.
On the other hand, I have worked with Instructors in the Pharmacology and Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and similar fields who adopt a combination of on-the-ground classroom delivery and online learning.
Now having said this, one has to examine the primary reason for some Institutions placing the entire program online. The primary reason seems to be driven by increasing enrollments by reaching out to a wider geographical audience, at the national as well as the international level. The hybrid approach is successful an institution targets students who live within reasonable traveling distance to the institution.
Of course, some argue that modern telecommunication technologies, video-conferencing, for example, can approximate the learning experience of classroom environments. I do not believe so as the adoption of some of these technologies introduce factors which work against one of the main proponents of online learning—the ability to participate in learning activities at any time once one has access to the Internet. The human presence in a traditional classroom environment is essential to promote a wide range of learning outcomes that cannot be successfully replicated nor measured in an online environment.
In conclusion, I want to share with you a decision one Dean of one institution with whom I worked made when he was given the mandate to place his entire program online. He maintained that the credibility of his program will suffer. I agreed with him because we were looking at a professional degree in healthcare, the learning outcomes of which were primarily performance-based rather than knowledge-based.
Satrohan
As technology advances, there may come a time where all courses can be taught on-line. The creativity involved to keep courses in an action learning format may evolve to a degree that makes the on line medium an enjoyable exercise that encourages more research and understanding.
However, currently there are some courses that may need a blended approach to learning, especially given the fact that one of the key success factors on in the willingness of students to fully participate in the on line learning environment, and the evolving skill level of those students.
One of the more interesting challenges seems to lie in programs where teams are involved. CMS challenges still exist that allows for a smoother break out of teams and the reporting of their work when key components must be met, but the presentation of the work takes on a different subject matter.
In short, yes, however some courses are better suited for in-class. Examples of this include, as others have mentioned, where an individual or especially a team has to manipulate a physical object (a laboratory experiment, a physical design project) in order to accomplish the learning task. Alternate exercises can be constructed using media and simulation, but I think they result in excess cost and time and aren't as effective.
In my 32+ year career in law enforcement, I was involved in delivering some classes which I don't feel could be delivered online. These would include firearms training and weapons courses, hand-to-hand combat, and authentic scenario responses.
I do feel that most other types of classes can be delivered online with appropriate resources and effective faculty.
Denzil Verardo, Ph.D.
