Students are reluctant to take online courses
I receive mixed opinions from students who have taken online courses. Many do not like them for a number of reasons. For those who really like online courses and do well it seems that they are often times better on campus students as well. The students who fail online courses and have negative comments are often times the same students who do not do well on campus. The reasons vary greatly and there is no rhyme or reason. I believe that online or even hybrid learners have to realize that it is really up to them to focus on the class work and most importantly to communicate with their instructors especially if there is something they do not understand.
Robert,
Interesting ...my sense is that students expect a difference with online learning in terms of time and effort - they can be drastically surprised !!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I sometimes get a sense that some students think an online class will be easier than a traditional classroom class. Technology itself seems to be a part of this attitude.
Harry,
I agree...the idea of not being in the same place as an instructor can give a sense of "less rigor" when actually the intensity of an online course can be greater.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I often have students, at the end of the first unit of any online class I’ve taught, e-mail me commenting on how much work the class is. More than they were expecting. Most of them find it refreshing when I explain to them that it feels like a lot of work because—well, it *is* a lot of work.
I also try to explain this in terms of contact hours. If we’re taking the exact same class on-ground, we would have about *30 additional hours of contact* as opposed to the abbreviated, accelerated schedule we have online. That 30 extra hours is kind of on them. There’s a fair amount of self-direction and self-teaching that needs to take place over those five weeks. The good news is that most students “get this,†and they can handle doing this work on their own.
So, yes, I think students are expecting it to be easier—and I also agree that the “technology†aspect of that can make it seem so as well. That is, everything is easier when we can do it on our computer or on our phone, right?
Best,
Mica
mica,
Very true - in fact, I am finding increasing numbers of students choose hybrid over fully online. That is, they can still benefit from some flexibility but they still have the F2F time they like. Also, true that students and faculty are often "shocked" at how much time an online class can take in terms of time on task and self study. I do think, however, some fully online classes are not designed very well and can be very tedious for students. That would discourage them faster than too much work :)
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Hi Robert,
Overall I agree with you. Students must have a high level of discipline to succeed in an online environment. I too have found that successful students perform often better than on-ground students because they really invest themself in the learning environment.
I find most of the students who do poorly do not take the time to utilize the available resources. For example Live Chats, additional website resources etc.
Hi,
I find the time required to conduct an on-line class successfully to be more than an on-ground course as it is daily interaction and checking in rather than a once or twice classroom meeting. I find grading also takes longer as constuctive evaluations must be carefully written out rather than shared face to face.
Sandra,
I agree and this, of course, is the same even for on ground classes; as students invest in the journey, they learn more :)
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Sandra,
Very true. We take a lot for granted when we see students F2F but, actually, we should invest as much time in constructive feedback regardless of delivery,
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I agree. I am new to academia. After 30 years as a health care professional I began teaching online practice managment classes. I found that students new to the online environment did not know what to expect. I myself was surprised at the difficulty in conveying my thoughts and achieving the objectives of the course. The text formed the foundation for the courses but my interaction with the students through discussions, chats and live labs was where I thought I could provide "real world" information and put the didactic information into context. Having a meaningful exchange with a student was more difficutl than anticipated. I think my early attempts were not satisfying to me or the students, which just reinforced their hesitancy to take more online classes.
Ralph Fornari
Upon reflection I think that is true. Our current curriculum does not allow for true face to face, but soon we will be offering "skype like" sessions where we can at least converse computer screen to computer screen. Students have told me that they would enjoy and think they would do better if there was some real classroom time.
Ralph Fornari
Ralph,
This is a great idea...I first used Skype several years ago now and for one student who wanted to take my course but had to move away just 2 weeks into it. As it was a F2F class she "attended" via Skype. I spoke with the other students and asked if they minded and when they all said they were fine with it, we continued and it worked really well.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Ralph,
Yes, it takes time and many times through before you find your own preferences and styles both as a learner and an instructor for online. This is the same really, for F2F as well...teaching and learning is ongoing and takes commitment.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Robert,
I find that students sometimes choose online courses thinking it will be easier since the schedule is 'on them'. What they don't realize is the schedule is 'on them'. We all need a certain amount of accountability, and the students who don't do well aren't self-directed enough to stay on task. I agree wtih you that those who do well in one typically do well in the other -- since it is part of their character. That said, there are skill sets that help some do betting in one setting rather than the other.
Melissa
Melissa,
Good points. Some students have a preference for one over the other but all students can benefit from various aspects of each too.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I have had several students that mentioned they didn't like them as well. It used to be that the course I teach was one of the last ones they took before getting their AAS, now it is usually one of the first online classes they take in their certificate program so many have never taken an online course.
Time management is definitely an issue and students have mentioned that they put off mine to do their "real classes" first. It's also relatively short (5 weeks) so once they realize that it is up to them and it is a real class & will affect their GPA just the same as an on campus one they've already lost at least a letter grade or two and will be lucky to maybe finish with a C.
Cindi ,
Yes, it seems that students would prefer real time connections either face to face or online and do not enjoy the endless busy work they feel online courses to be. This is a challenge to our instructional designs and I know that we will have to come up with the next wave of online teaching and learning soon.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I have observed this as well.
The main fear is two pronged 1) the technology in the classroom and 2) the course length is generally shorter than a traditional 16 week course; both combined contribute to reluctance and even fear of the online environment.
In our school we have workshops for students interested in taking online classes to simply learn more about it, the platform, expectations, support, etc. This helps build that communication (particularly regarding expectations) with the students early on. Also, each faculty is required to review the online platform with the students early on in the course. There are also ongoing tech trainings for students that wish to learn more about the functionality of the LMS. Having these systems in place help support these alternative types of learning modalities.
Fiorella,
These are good points and I agree, technology orientations are a vital part so that students know how the course will run, where to find resources and also ALL expectations. A good experience also goes a long way in encouraging students back to online, so instructors keeping in contact with the students and responding in a timely way will be vital.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
