John,
Well stated. Your straightforward explanation is appreciated.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Gershom,
Yes, the details of responsibilities required of an online facilitator do take on some additional dimensions. The ambiguity of meaning of the word 'responsibilities' seems to add interesting dimensions to this discussion.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberley,
Very good distinctions. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I disagree. I do think that the responsibilities are the same however your connection with your students is different (Face to face VS Online Asynchronous communication.
Teaching the information requires the same attention to detail and knowledge of the information. However your interaction and connection with the students have to be more consistent in the online learning environment to ensure that students are retaining the information and understanding the concepts.
I disagree because most responsibilities are the same. Of course, teaching online does require more use of technology than in the traditional classroom and this means there are some different responsibilities. However, instructors do have to monitor, assist, encourage, and facilitate students in both settings. The instructor has to grade assignments and watch for student behavior problems in both settings.
I agree! I actually believe that teaching an online course is more difficult due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, which creates barriers in learning. For example, to ensure the same quality of education, I believe online instructors are responsible for incorporating new forms of technology to enhance learning. In addition, online instructors must adapt and learn to become more like a facilitator then an instructor.
I believe the responsibilities are essentially the same; however, the percentage of time spent on the responsibilities differs. For example, both types of courses require instructors to deliver course content, answer student questions, provide grades and feedback, and provide coaching and assistance. In an online classroom, the student receives much of the course content from reading assignments and multimedia presentations/course materials so the instructor spends little time lecturing on this information. Whereas, in the f2f classroom, lectures are a common component of the delivery of course content. In my experience, much of the alloted f2f course time is spent listening to a lecture. The online instructor may spend more time coaching or assisiting individual students via email due to the asynchronus nature of online classes. The f2f instructor may only provide coaching/assistance during a period of time before and/or after the scheduled class time and during designated office hours.
I definitely agree that we have the same responsabilities which is to make sure our students reach the objectives and goals of the session or class and meet all the requirements to be prepare in their future. However, the learning styles and methods to keep the students motivated, active and particpating can't be the same due to the limitation of not having the face to face and personal visible benefits.
Thomas,
The increased time and attention to accommodate individualized needs for those needing more assistance and guideance is something many instructors identify. This area of debate may have many variables to discuss that increase, or decrease, the 'task-specific' responsibilities of the online teacher.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I disagree. In a way I believe that it takes more responsibility to teach in an online environment that in person, especially at the Collegiate level. Generally, you will have students in the Online environment that will need more assistance and guidance than ground students.
Tom
Elizabeth,
As many educators have indicated, "Teaching is teaching, regardless of the platform." The tools, techniques and challenges may differ but the overall responsibilities for outcomes remains. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I strongly disagree. Teaching a course online direction correlates and equates to the same responsibilities when teaching the same course in a traditional classroom setting. The basic tenants of teaching are the same: imparting the information, promoting critical thinking and keeping students engaged.
Melissa,
You stated some very good points. Yes, the outcome should be the same, very good. Sometimes the need to rely so much on the technology can make the effort seem more laborious. Thank you for your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I would have to disagree on this. Whether teaching on ground or online the insturctor's responsibilities should be the same. There will be some variation of course but the outcome should be the same.
As a past ground instructor, I did not use email or text as I do now as an online instructor, but my responsibilities have not changed. If an online student does not show for lecture, I email or text him/her. If this would have happened on ground I would have called them or talked to him/her in another class. Honestly, I think as online instructors we are harder on ourselves due to the fact we do not "see" our students so we are rely more on technology to contact them.
Coleen,
Your perspective is well stated and correctly focused. Nice job.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Disagree. Our responsibilities as instructors are to teach - whatever the method of delivery - to ensure that each student has met a specific level of knowledge or that they have mastered core competencies. If a course is a hybrid for instance (online/face-to-face both), the online time may be overlooked because the student assumes that the in-class time should be sufficient effort for meeting the goals of the course. However, their online learning time may be monitored. It is essential to clarify specific expectations related to participation and grading associated with online assignments in the first initial meeting. Don't assume that the students will read the syllabus or online course materials, rather follow-up via email is essential. You may also find it helpful to require a response email from each student to make sure they received the email and clearly understand the instructions and timeline.
Amanda,
Thank you for sharing the thought process you encountered. These are many of the same things encountered by other online instructors. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
At first I started to agree with the original statement. However, the more I thought about it, the more I disagreed. When teaching, no matter what the environment is, you will have to impart the same information to the students. Also, you will need to keep the students engaged by using various methods. You will also need to manage the learning atmosphere and keep it positive. It sometimes is actually more difficult to teach online since you cannot tell a person's attitude/meaning just by reading the words. I have had students type in all capital letters not realizing that they were "yelling." Both environments have their challenges and that is something that an instructor needs to keep in mind at the beginning of each quarter/semester.
Annabel,
Yes, this is often the reality of these circumstances. However, many f2f instructors are incorporating Socratic techniques as part of their lectures to get the students to participate in a more active role and create a real-time class discussion and less of a 'one-way' lecture. Thank you for sharing this insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hello,
This is a very good question. I would have to disagree, since the responsibilities are the same. Our responsibility is to ensure that the students learn the course objectives, that we manage the course and we support student overall success. However, the online instructor is more of a facilitator, whereas the instructor in the traditional classroom typically provides lectures. In the online setting there is more interaction through class discussion. In the traditional classroom there is fewer interactions, since most instructors provide lectures.
