We are constantly being asked to compare distance education to traditional education. But by striving to make distance education “as good as” face-to-face education what are we overlooking or sacrificing? Dr. Jeannette McDonald explored these issues by first reviewing background information from the literature about new teaching theories, methods and technology. She also looked at the impact of online learning and whether it can support, or even expand, the new teaching theories and strategies, based on research. Dr. McDonald then accumulated a general overview of the quality in distance education principles and guidelines currently in use. Questions that she addresses are: Is the institutions evaluating their learning objective? Are teachers teaching what the learners need to learn? Are the learner’s outcomes appropriate and relevant to the student’s purposes and needs (McDonald, 2002)? If the students’ needs are not being met, this could cause the student to drop out. The writer poses the question of what can institutions do to keep online students from dropping out?
Reference
McDonald, J. (2002). Is “As Good As Face-To-Face” As Good As It Gets? JALN, 6(2).
3 comments:
Online instruction is just as effective as traditional instruction. The comparison is complex because of the unique dynamics of each. Colleges and universities need to ensure that the method of deciding if one is as good as the other is a tool catered to online setting.
Great post! I have been enrolled in online classes since my undergrad courses. In my experience, the instruction online is non-existent. It is primarily students teaching themselves through the assigned activities. None of the instructors really taught anything themselves. The syllabi are created by department chairs, and the professors really just grade the work and assign due dates. The first time that I felt like an online professor was actually doing some work, other than grading and writing the occasional posts online, was last semester in my methods of inquiry class. This guy scheduled a good number of online class meetings where we met in the live classrooms. He then displayed his own Power Point Presentations, and he actually explained a lot of things to my class. He taught us. But, it only felt like he was teaching because he actually went over not only what he was expecting from the assignments and how to them, but he also explained other concepts and useful material. Being able to hear his voice and watch the Power Point slides was very helpful. That teacher was an anomaly in the online education world as I have known it. I think that face-to-face is best for a number of reasons, but I'm only going to discuss a few. First, when you're face-to- face with someone, you are able to really build a rapport with that person. It's personal interaction. Second, instructors in front of classrooms actually have to say something while they're up there. They have to instruct. Third, when you have face-to-face instruction, there is a classroom environment atmosphere which lends itself to learning. Consider this- there are currently no ABA approved online law schools. That's because the officials do not believe that you can acquire the type of instruction that you would need in law in an online setting where a professor simply post a syllabus of requirements and assigns due dates and posting. Law school students must have personal interaction and engagement to really get the full learning experience. Could you imagine having to post your argument as as defense attorney instead of presenting it orally with the fire and brimstone personality of some television lawyer? It's just not the same. Having peers around to collaborate with in person is much more fun than posting messages on a board. Getting to know a professor and forming a bond with that professor is hard to do online. In face-to-face settings, students get to form connections with their professors, and that sometimes makes the material easier to bear.
The reason online schools will continue to grow and thrive is because more adults would rather stay home and do their academic work when they decide to rather than drive across town to spend three hours in class on a Tuesday night after working an eight-hour shift in addition to still having to do the assigned homework. Online learners accept the fact that they are really teaching themselves because they would rather do that than have to be stuck in a classroom.
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