In study conducted by Barbara Stern of James Madison University examined the similarities and differences for one course, Foundations of American Education, when offered in traditional face-to-face and online formats. The data analysis used both qualitative and quantitative measures. Several conclusions were reached: (a) for the course to be effective, the time that must be allotted for online teaching will remain an issue that instructors may struggle with as the workload is significantly higher; (b) for students, a familiarity with their own learning styles and the desire and motivation to shoulder responsibility for online learning will be major factors in their success; (c) while the instructor can, and should, design and monitor the course to ensure that all students are kept on track and participating, student time management and organizational skills will remain of paramount importance; and (d) students with more proficient reading and writing skills will perform better in online classes (Stern, 2004). The writer suggests that further research needs to be done to include focusing on whether or not certain types of courses are more appropriate for online instruction and developing a repertoire of instructional strategies to accommodate a range of learning styles.
Reference
Stern, B. S. (2004). A comparison of online and face-to-face instruction in an undergraduate foundations of American education course. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education,4(2). Retrieved July 17, 2008 from www.citejournal.org/vol4/iss2.
Reference
Stern, B. S. (2004). A comparison of online and face-to-face instruction in an undergraduate foundations of American education course. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education,4(2). Retrieved July 17, 2008 from www.citejournal.org/vol4/iss2.
2 comments:
Hi Kristin,
I enjoyed reading your blog about the question of online v. traditional learning. For the longest time, I felt that proper learning could only take place in the classroom with your professor there to look over your shoulder or listen to your explanation. As time went on, I had the honor of inheriting one of the hardest and most demanding jobs in the world...being a parent.(smile) I say that with a smile because I have conversated with parents who are on this journey and they agree that their most arduous tasks involve balancing work, family, and personal demands. To that end, I have to raise my hands to the heavens that thank the Lord for online courses. I can be in the middle of a heated chat, cooking dinner, and supervising my two children and everyone is happy. Not to mention, I do not miss driving around trying to find a place to park only to return and find a parking ticket. Thanks to online courses, my days of paying tickets are over. I do not need a baby sitter and best of all, we get a degree in the end. I still encounter people who have not bought into the idea of online courses, but I think they need to prepare.
Great post!
Patricia
In asking which is more beneficial to students would be hard to determine because we all have our own explainations on this matter. Those who prefer traditional would indeed choose this method being better. Those who know the benefits of online classes would say the same. Since I have experienced both, I prefer online classes, especially because I am a working mother, wife, and grandmother, going to classes is inconvienent for me. Online classes allows me the benefit of attending class and still be able to cook dinner, clean house, watch grandchildren (from time to time) and still make time for my classwork. Online classes are more challenging, but I have learned that I truly retained more taking online classes than I did taking traditional classes. Either way, this is a great debate that will be debated until traditional classes are a thing of the past, because we all know that online classroom learning is here to stay.
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