Rebecca:
Agreed that it is more tedious and that it can take a long time, much more than can be available for the duration fo the online course. Some regard this as a possible shortcoming of online learning. While this may not be significant factor for graduate level courses and beyond; it certainly can be an area fo concern for programs below these levels.
Satrohan
Rebecca:
I am quite surprised that based on the description of the student population you teach the student to teacher ratio is so high. Is this the norm for the region in which yuou teach?
Satrohan
I do not believe that it takes less effort. You still have to remind students to complete their work and always advise them to begin to study earlier than later. This step is very important in an online environment where technology can go wrong at anytime. I advise my students to log into their course as soon as possible to begin their work.
Along the lines of grading, it is important to encourage students by giving them timely feedback. This can help manage them.
A benefit to many online environments is that a student is able to see their grades immediately. This may encourage them to work harder and manage their time effectively.
However, it is still important to send out reminders during the week and even after the week ends of upcoming and missing assignments.
Shanel:
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.
Satrohan
I myself have not had the teaching online experience yet, however, I have been teaching English in a traditional setting and am very comfortable saying that teaching will be teaching any way you see it, in my most humble opinion, what really makes the difference is the fashion of course delivery, communication is obtained through several ways and it can be effective if carried out appropriately.
Furthermore, there are other components that would either foster or hamper effective student management, such as, approaches, learners' idyosyncrasies, and the course mode, to mention some; but at most importance, if the course format is well explained to learners and doubts about it are clarified then there should not be any misunderstanding as to course completion.
Marc Del Alto
Marc:
You have mentioned some factors that can influence an instructor's ability of effectively manage students in an online environment as well as in a tradilitonal classroom delivery environment.
I encourage you to look forward to your first online teaching experience; then compare the ease with you are able to manage students in an online evironment versus an on-the-ground setting.
Satrohan
It actually takes more effort in an online environment. I am currently an online student our deadline is Sunday midnight. Between reading 10 chapters, forum discussion posts and replies, assignments, projects and the exam; it is difficult to try an meet my deadline. Now as an online instructor, I have students who are having the same difficulty with making the deadline. I whenever possible will try working with the student to make sure they make the Sunday deadline, if extensions are granted you will find yourself revisiting previous units to post grades/comments which adds more work on the instructor especially if he/she have multiple classes.
Patricia:
I share your opinion that it takes much more effort to teach in an online environment than in a traditional classroom setting. I also agree with you in regards of the outcomes of granting extensions. we should consider that in a traditional classroom setting, there are likely to be the same deadlines. I would grantr extensions only under extenuating circumstances.
Satrohan
I do not think that it takes less effort to manage students in an e-learning environment. Some students require constant reminders to submit their work on time. It is very easy for students in the e-learning environment to put things off. A great amount of self-discipline is required from on-line students.
I would like to add that I think that managing students in an e-learning enviroment would be more time consuming than the traditional setting. An on-line instructor lacks the face-to-face contact that is found in the traditional setting. Their is a lot of room for mis-communications to occur. The instructor is going to have to take preventive measure to be understood correctly. The instructor will also have to send numerous emails, grade assignments, make phone calls, and encourage students with feedback.
Julie:
The opinion on this Subject differs among Instructors.
Some feel it takes more time; especially when it comes to constantly monitoring student's progress, providing timely feedback, participating in Asynchronous Discussion forums, and Chat sessions.
Others feel that there is really no significant difference in effort. The highest level of effort they have to expend is when they teach the course for the first time.
Satrohan
Julie:
Many Instructors with whom I have worked share the same opinion. In my experience, I have found that teaching a course in an online environment is more time consuming than teaching it in an on-the-ground setting.
Satrohan
After reading some of the emails I see there different points of view, but I believe that normally online classes demand more from the instructor. There is more written communication with the students than in class room classes. The instructor has to cover for the lack of face to face communication, plus follow the structure of the class most closely.
Fernando:
My personal experience confirms to your conclusion about the degree of effort an instructor has to expend when teaching in an online environment Vs in a traditional classroom environment. Many Instructors with whom I have consulted share the same opinion. Even Instructors who are retired Professors and Deans who have much more time on their hands attest to the fact that much more effort has to be expended when teaching in an online environment.
Satrohan
No, it is not true. Managing students online actually takes more effort because the students are not all on line at one time. The courses are asynchronous so some may complete a discussion board posting now, some may do it 11pm tonight. You still need to be aware of all activity and work turned in. You also have to remember about those that do not complete assignments and find out why or they may drop.
I think for some it is very easy to forget about the student who is online and not participating and you have no real way to reach out to them face to face.
-Chris
Chris:
I share your position on the Subject. I cannot respond to what is "not true" as I don't know to what the statement refers; nevertheless, I have evaluated teaching online in different scenarios----some controlled by variables you mentioned in your response, and I have solemnly concluded that if I were to fulfill my obligation as an online instructor, I see myself spending a significant number of hours higher than in a classroom environment when so much can be achieved in a group environment in a shorter time.
Satrohan
I would like to respond to Jean's comments, too, about on-line miscommunication potential. I have found that with learners for whom reading is not comfortable (perhaps because of reading disabilities or other problems), communicating verbally can make a lot of difference to both avoiding or correcting misinterpretations quickly AND to amount of time spent for both learner and instructor. Therefore, I have some concerns about those learners in an on-line environment because these adults are not always willing to acknowledge to the instructor (or even themselves) that they have problems and are often the last to ask for help or even accept help when offered. Thus, on-line communication can be more cumbersome for some learners.
I think it may take more time in the e-learning environment, at least initially for each course taught in that format. There's always a learning curve, and it can be overwhelming to fit so many additional on-line hours to one's schedule in monitoring students effectively. However, I am hoping that with time it will all become easier and more automatic.
Joanne:
It becomes easier after the first time unless you are making significant changes to the course content before each offering. Maintaining a lsit of fequently asked questions and answers you have provided can reduce the time taken to answer those questions if they repeat themselves. By the second time, you would have used all of the relevant features of the Course Delivery Platform. It becomes easier and easier as the number of time you teach the course increases.
Satrohan
Joanne:
Many institutions with whom we work make it mandatory for us to prepare their courses so that it caters to the learning disabled. You may want to research the subject termed W3C compliance for further information.
Your conclusions about student's hesitation to bring to light weaknesses is well taken.
Satrohan
