I believe the responsibilities are the same; it is the techniques that vary somewhat. Online teachers are still responsible for determining the appropriate lesson objectives, developing lesson content that will achieve the objectives, and then delivering the content in an effective manner. The venue may be in a classroom, online, or in some other medium but the end result should always be a student who has achieved the desired objectives.
Kelli,
Well said. Do you have any examples of the differences in 'mode' and/or 'methods' you indicated? Thank you for your contribution.
The degree of responsibility is the same regardless if you faciliate online or in a brick and mortar establishment. Both facilitators are in the classroom to set their students up for success, the mode in which they do it differss slightly and the methods they use to ensure the student 'gets' the material may vary BUT the common goal is to instruct and guide the students.
Thank you!
Kelli
Dawn,
From your description, this may be a symptom of our "customer service" orientation in education going beyong its point of usefulness and possibly harming the educational process. We must remember adult learners need flexibility, but they must also meet the requirements of the class. Meeting deadlines is a 'real world' component of many industries and is an important objective of the educational process for those content areas. I'll paste an earlier posting of mine, from another thread, that may be helpful here:
Our calling as teachers is to help all students succeed. Life happens to us all. Adult learners are often dealing with these things along with school.
To 'actually know' whether they are excuses, or not, may not be the most important question when deciding how to properly enforce academic policy. Sometimes it is best (educationally) to let someone fail a class and retake it when they have the time and focus to really learn the material. Points acquired to pass the class are secondary indicators that the class objectives were successfully completed. If we as teachers 'help' the student pass the class without fully meeting the objectives, we probably didn't truely help the student. Relaxing academic standards to help someone feel better during a difficult time in life, may actually be harming them. These are some tough professional judgements that teachers must make as a normal part of the job. The key is to balance human compassion with the reality of the situation. Kind words of support, empathy and encouragement can go along way to helping students overcome their circumstances. Rewards and consquences, applied appropriately, are an important part of a quality education.
In my online teaching experience I have a really hard time in getting students to turn in their work on time. I get many excuses of computer viruses, had to work, my child was sick. Although these are valid excuses I try to stress to the class that this is like a job you have deadlines that must be met or there is a good chance you will lose your job. Trying to get them to understand the effects of poor performance in the real world work environment. Unfortunately this still does not phase them. I am expected to allow them to turn in late work with penalty and they abuse this when they get the chance.
Dawn,
Your sentiments are in agreement with the general concensus for this thread that instructional responsibilities are approximately the same for f2f and online and that fulfillment is likely to be more difficult for online. Additionally, you point out that the affective (emotional) component may have a stronger positive impact within the 'actual' classroom, especially when it comes to meeting deadlines. I believe this is a valid insight. Do you think there may be ways in which online instructors could be more effective at tapping into that component?
I disagree. I believe that the responsibilities are the same and sometimes more difficult in the online environment. It can sometimes be more difficult for students to feel involved in the online environment. Some students think that because they are in an online environment that they are entitled to special treatment that they would not otherwise get in the classroom. Many students find excuses to turn in their work or responses because they are not present in an actual classroom. In the actual classroom I think a student feels more of a need to meet assignment deadlines.
Responses within 24-48 hours have become the de facto standard for many formal educational online classes. You are absolutely correct that getting back to the student in a timely manner is of utmost importance. Additionally, in that 'timely' response there may be an opportunity to "ask the class to seek an answer" and possibly gain participants in the conversation, thereby expanding the possibility for insights on the topic. thoughts? ... class?
I agree. The responsibility to provide a response to student inquiries is firmer in an online arena. When a student has a question in class you can address it, move it to another class participant or ask the class to seek an answer which can be taken up in the next class period.
In an online arena the student isn't in face-to-face contact with you, nor "in the moment." You can't move the question to another person on the e-mail list... you need to get back to the student with a response as soon as you can.
I agree with Tim and have to disagree with the statement for this thread. Teaching an online course does equate to the same responsibilities as used in a traditional classroom setting. In both forms of teaching, student success should be the primary focus of the instructors. Communication between instructor and students may be different, but the responsibilities are the same.
I facilitate online classes using synchronous live chats each week. Although this is closer to traditional classroom communication, the main type of information sharing is electronic rather than face to face. I must communicate with students using email, discussion boards, and electronic announcements outside of the chats.
This EL102 course has given me some ideas on how to better communicate with students. I hope to be able to use these ideas in a course that starts in the next few days.
Stephen W. Volz, DBA
Excellent answer! - same responsibilities but different methods and/or skills to carry out those responsibilities.
