No doubt, the internet offers a unique educational
opportunity. From Google to Wikipedia,
from the New York Times to Twitter, people have unprecedented access to
knowledge and information. But the internet
can also be a barrier to education -- especially when it comes to online
classes at the university. Students
struggle with technology, they can feel isolated in absence of face to face communication
and content-heavy courses tend to drown students in text.
The online option often feels like a poor compromise: we exchange
a collaborative classroom experience for the low-cost and convenience of the
web. I have taught a handful on online
courses now through the UMass Continuing and Professional Education program. Despite my best attempt to deliver a high-quality educational experience comparable to the classroom, I always seem to fall short.
Possibly because I still use the classroom as the model to
judge the quality of the class.
Why wouldn’t I? That’s all I've
ever really known.
I am getting ready to teach American Political Thought online over the winter term (Click the link to check out my syllabus). And I am determined to think about it
differently. Over the next few weeks I
plan on investigating Khan Academy and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in
order to gain some new perspective on online education. And perhaps, discover a
new model – other than the classroom – to follow next semester.
Have you ever taken online classes in the past? Comment and share your experience. Do you have any thoughts on what could
improve online education? I’d love to
hear ‘em .
I used online education, well to get my degree. Love it and have since started working toward the goal of teaching online. Having started out the classic NERD, online learning just seemed a natural progression. I love that many schools and avenues are starting to use the social media venues for learning. I will be back for more.
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