Are online students ever reading as much as traditional students?
Is that a detriment to their learning process?
Bonnie,
Have you experienced this personally? I give my on-campus students just as much reading as my online students. The difference is the online students HAVE to do it to help them through the content. Many on-campus students come to class expecting instructors to feed them the information. If the instructor does not do that, on-campus students would be at as much of a disadvantage as online students.
Herbert Brown III
Online students seem to have more reading assignments than ground students.
Poor readers are more likely to have problems understanding online requirements.
Neer,
I would agree with you and I have observed the same behaviors. The only thing different is really the delivery method of the course content.
Herbert Brown III
I happen to teach on ground (traditional student) as well as online (e-learners)and what I experience is that while some students are there to gain the maximum knowledge they can others are in the classroom to get their certificate or diploma. I would venture to say that the attitudes of the student on ground and online are the same regardless of how the education is deliver. Both types of learning environment have students that are goal oriented versus those who wants a degree/diploma to claim that they went to college/university.
Kendrick,
I have to find ways to motivate my on-campus and online students to read. Many of them believe that they will be talked "at" and learn everything through a lecture instead of coming to class prepared and ready to discuss the content in more depth than what they read. Therefore, I end of requiring things like mini-quizzes and such on the textbook content to ensure they have at least reviewed the material before we discuss it.
Herbert Brown III
I would venture to say yes that online students do read as much as the traditional student. I say this only because online learning is self-directed; therefore requiring more individual effort. Whereas in a traditional lecture/classroom, a student can sit and listen to a lecture; in an online course, the student is not afforded this luxury. Most of what an online student learns is through reading, discussions, assessments, and other collaborative resources.
Milka,
Can you be more specific?
Herbert Brown III
