Does online more difficult than traditional teaching?
I am strongly inclined to support the claim that teaching in an online environment is much more demanding than teaching in a traditional classroom environment, the primary reason being that,as Instructors, we have to perform our duties from a distance.
Kathy,
This has been my challenge as well. We rely so much on "reading" our students when we are teaching face-to-face that it can be challenging to establish a learning community when that is missing. This is why ongoing communication is critical for online teaching and learning success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found that building a sense of community can be challenging in an online course. In a face-to-face course, personal interactions with classmates and the instructor create a natural "bonding" process, whereas the online environment tends to lead to a feeling of disconnection.
Kenneth,
This is one of the primary items that many agree is an increased challenge when teaching online. There are some newer platforms that provide opportunity for instructors to provide asynchronous grading feedback by audiovisual communication and the student may respond in like manner. This seems to be a step in the right direction.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
The biggest challenge is simply not having the face-to-face interaction. Not only must we consider the learning aspect of engaging the learners but we must also consider the level of technical ability to navigate through the platform.
There was a good point made earlier referencing being in class helps the instructor to “see†who made not get it. I would tend to agree, as using the threaded discussion board is one means by which reluctant or shy students might feel comfortable contributing to online discussions, while within a traditional environment the learner is more likely to participate if you are there with the learner. Teaching online is not more difficult, however, the adjustment is what creates the demanding environment.
Jingxi,
I also teach in both environments and your comments ring true for me. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I teach both online and onground. Teaching online give me the flexibility of when to do my work during the day. But my need to be there almost everyday to answer emails, sending out annoucements, answering discussions, giving live chats, etc. I want to give the students the impression that I am actively monitoring the class, so yes, that means I am working all the tme. I can not say that i will take a 3 day break.
Another challenge of teaching online is building a relationship with the students. Each class, there will be a few students that I feel we know each other, they appreciate my teaching. But to some, you are just there to grade the assignments and give them a grade. I am not even sure they read my comments.
I always can build very positive personal relationships with my onground students. That is one of the reasons I continue teaching onground.
jingxi
Sara,
Your thoughts as stated speak for many online instructors. The feeling of "constantly working" is very common in today's online instructional environment. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have found that each setting has its own challenges. I must admit, teaching online has provided me the flexibility I need for my personal life. Additionally, it has provided me an opportunity to work with people in a geographically diverse environment. I am always learning something new and two classes are never the same. Admittedly, I sometimes feel as though I am constantly working. Online students appreciate/expect a quick response time for feedback on assignments, as well as emails.
Just a few of my thoughts....
Christopher,
You have a truly excellent outlook on teaching in the online classroom. There is always something new to learn. Sometimes it's hard to know whether I, as the instructor, one more than my students. Each class section brings unexpected opportunities if we are open to recognizing them. Excellent post. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I don't know if I would say that online instruction is more demanding. I would say that the demands of online teaching are different and posses a different set of challenges from that of a traditional classroom setting. I have taught in both modalities and each have their own uniqueness which can cause you difficulty if your inexperienced. Often times the worst class you'll ever have is the first one. You learn not from your successes but your do learn from your "failures". Experience is the best teacher to prepare you for the online environment. Not all class or students are the same. Just when I think I know it all I learn something new.. something that I hadn't seen before. I'm growing better as an online instructor every day..... but I doubt I seen it all. More is sure to come.
Nicole,
Agreed - The 'rapid recovery/reteaching' of the face-to-face is something many educatiors miss when they go online.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Nicole,
Agreed - The 'rapid recovery/reteaching' of the face-to-face is something many educatiors miss when they go online.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I believe that online is teaching is more difficult than traditional teaching because I find it very hard to see if a student is actually understanding the information you are tellimg them about. In traditional teaching when you are in front of your classroom discussing something you can see by the reaction on a students face if they are understanding what youa re saying.
Deborah,
Almost all teachers (and students) find the online classroom to require more effort for the same level of performance. Most attribute this to the limited communication channel of text, which seems to diminish the quantity and quality of interaction unless compensated by additional effort.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Online teaching is not more difficult than the traditional classroom. There is little student interaction in the online environment when it compares to the traditional classroom setting.
Breezy,
There are many online instructors to share the same perspective. The efforts to maintain the relationship via mostly text-based, asynchronous communication requires more deliberate effort on the part of the instructor. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I think that it is somewhat difficult to teach an online class. Because you do not see the students on an everyday basis. As an instructor you have to make sure that you communicate clearly with the students via emails, announcements, or etc. just to make sure that they are getting the correct information. When teaching an online class it can be difficult to move onto the next subject if some students have not yet grasped the information.
Tom,
Again, well said.
What are the top two or three most demanding online tasks in your experience?
Thanks,
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I agree that teaching online can be more demanding than the classroom. For me, it is not the distance or lack of face-to-face interaction. It is what I have to do to overcome that issue. It means I have to go out of my way to search for ways to keep the student engaged, to sense their frustrations, to share their joys of learning...and yet I can't see them or interact with them directly because of that virtual distance. Therefore, in the online environment, I may have to tax myself and my creativity to do whatever is necessary to help the learner achieve his/her objectives and goals. Therefore, the situation becomes more demanding to me than the classroom environment.
