The Teaching Box

Why would people NOT like online classes?
How is this possible?
Isn’t this the ultimate in flexibility?
All the schools offer Online Learning!
Online Education is the Best isn’t it?

Well maybe people don’t like online classes because the ones they see offered, or the one they took last semester was CRAP.

I am not an insider in Academia, so I don’t know how it responds to technology. BUT when I was taking classes for my Post secondary Teaching Certification I got a peek into the world of Academia and I made some interesting observations.

My background in manufacturing has taken me many places. I have worked in the semiconductor world, and it is the height of technology in all aspects of the business.

I think that Academia is 5 - 10 years behind in the technology world. Therefore many of the tools of technology that are used everyday in a “technology company” are only being used by the Academic “early adopters”. (I think that’s us on Today.com)

I see a “bandwagon” approach here. Online teaching is a buzzword that seems to have been grasped by Academia of late and they are running with it. All the colleges now seem to offer online classes. Because of the lag in Academic technology acceptance and use, the implementation of some of these so called Online courses can be pretty poor.

Nevertheless a poorly done course is a poorly done course whether online or f2f. (as Dr. Bob told us in our Online Teaching Class)

Until this technology gap is narrowed I think we will continue to see some poor examples presented as “online learning”. Thus the response of the students “I don’t like online classes.”

I will do my best in Online Teaching to make the course engaging and useful for the student. Online Learning is in it’s early stages, and I feel there is much for teachers as well as students to learn. I don’t think that many of the Institutions that offer online classes really know what they are, let alone how they should be taught. They are just on the Bandwagon with everyone else.

I don’t have any solutions to this dilemma, but as the next generation moves into the world of teaching we will see the gap close. Maybe some of the issues will work themselves out, and maybe they won’t. I guess we shall see.  As Educators that utilize technology it is up to us to lead.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
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