One of the greatest things about education is the clarity if
offers to those who purse it. At a minimum, it will increase the knowledge
level of the student, however, at its best, it will shape and change beliefs.
Five weeks ago, I was asked to evaluate online education for
its strengths and weaknesses. One of the most poignant questions, for me, was
whether I thought being an online instructor was easier or harder than being a
teacher in a traditional brick and mortar environment. At the time, I must
confess, I thought to myself that being an online instructor was infinitely
easier than face to face teaching in a classroom. In fact, throughout the last
four years, I have been extolling how easy it would be to make a buck being an
online professor, telling friends and family, “ All you need do is create a
course, meet once a week for chats, answer a few emails and collect $2,500 at
the end of the semester.” I honestly thought this to be true based on my
experiences with online learning, but three days ago, all that changed.
I was discussing things with my wife, alright, not
discussing, but complaining. I was complaining about how I thought my
classmates were turning out less than quality material. I wondered aloud why
they, teachers by trade, weren’t challenging themselves when developing a
course. Why they used links to the work of others rather than creating the
material themselves. My wife, in an attempt to placate me, suggested the reason
that I was resentful was that I was a true believer in online education and the
possibilities it offered and was therefore resentful of peers not fully taking
advantage of those possibilities.
Then it hit me.
For four years I had been excited about online education
because I believed that it created 24/7 students, but I had only been half
right. Not only does online education create 24/7 students, it creates 24/7
teachers. The true marvel of learning/teaching online lies in the fact that it
truly creates the 1 to 1 teacher to student ratio that educators have sought
for years.
When saying this, understand that I am not referring to the
Massively Enormous Monstrosity Courses that are offered by sites like Coursera.
They have their place and are a pleasant diversion when someone want to learn
for fun. No, I’m referring to courses such as this where a limited number of
students sign up and are held accountable for their performance. If a student
fails a Coursera class due to lack of effort, they just move on. The
consequences for failing a course such as this are far greater and forces the
student to keep up with the work or suffer the consequences.
It is the synergy of the engaged student and the engaged
instructor that creates the previously mentioned 1 to 1 ration. During the time
that the course is being conducted, instructor and learner are in contact 24/7.
Email programs are tied to cellphones, which are never very far away. At any time,
day or night, the learner may contact the instructor with a question. Now,
rather than raising their hand, they simply send a text or an email. The
instructor, wherever they are, reads the communication, and if they are
committed to being the best teacher they can be, responds almost immediately
and the 1 to 1 ratio is affirmed.
The reason I’ve chosen this example for this particular blog
post is because this was truly the most rewarding thing that I will take from
this project, and in fact, this course. I’ve used Moodle before so there were
no difficulties there, although I must admit that I wish there were more than
four or five template offerings. I enjoy creating online content for courses
and can’t wait to offer my own. However, it is not very often that I can say
that a course has changed my way of thinking, that it has affected what I
believe, and this one has and, as I am now ready to submit my portfolio, at
exactly the right time.
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