Online Teaching & Learning: What do you know?

Online classes are like slow cookers: Set and forget.

Wrong. When teaching in person, you don't expect students to proceed without regular guidance. The same need for continuous faculty involvement holds true online.

Advance technical skills to teach online.

Incorrect. It's true you do need some basic technology skills, such as how to navigate a browser or log into Canvas, but in general, many of the tools and programs you'll be working with have familiar aspects. Furthermore, the CDIL office offers various tutorials and links to help documentation in case you have questions or run into problems. And, lastly, your instructional designer and other colleagues are great resources to turn to when you run into trouble with the assignments or activities your course requires.

I can't get to know students when it is online.

Incorrect. Most online instructors understand the importance of being in regular contact with their students and offer multiple ways to do so. From email to Q & A forums, from virtual office hours to regular announcements, instructors offer several options for communicating with them. No need to worry, your students are just a tippy-tap away.

Cheating is more common in online classes

Incorrect. There's no clear indication that cheating happens more often in online courses than it does in face-to-face courses. In fact, instructors utilize various means to protect the integrity of their courses. There are services instructors use, such as Proctorio and Turnitin, to guard against cheating and plagiarism. Some instructors utilize open note and open book tests, while others might forgo exams in favor of projects or portfolios. Whatever the case, instructors and course designers make it a top priority to protect the integrity of student learning.

Online students are lazy/disengaged/(insert negative adjective here).

Incorrect. Online learning requires high-level executive-function skills that some students may not possess. Compared to face-to-face courses, the different delivery modality means that online students must be able to manage their time well, motivate themselves, direct and regulate their own learning, and seek appropriate help when needed. But often they simply can't do all of that on their own. Good online teaching requires instructor to make an extra effort to help those students persist, learn deeply, and experience transformation as a result of your online classes. That takes some awareness of the challenges of online education. It takes careful thought. Planning. Caring. But it can be done. And it seems well worth doing.

Online learning will reduce the need for faculty.

Nothing could be further from the truth. From surveys and interviews, we have come to know that the number one reason for student success, in a classroom or online, is a caring instructor. Thus, there is the need for more, not fewer, qualified instructors. Faculty are also in demand to build new courses, revise old ones, and create the learning assessments for which there is growing need. Not surprisingly, a recent Inside HigherEd/Babson survey reveals that faculty at institutions with more extensive online offerings are more positive about online learning than those who have little or no such involvement.

Students CAN learn as much in an online course

Correct. Good online courses can accomplish the same student learning outcomes as traditional face-to-face courses with high levels of engagement, students' ability to interact with the most challenging materials multiple times, and a focus on learning (rather than driving to a campus, coming to a classroom, etc.). A report provided by the U.S. Department of Education found evidence that online students can indeed achieve the same learning outcomes found in face-to-face courses. According to the report, "Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction." (View the report (Links to an external site.))

Students CANNOT work entirely at their own pace.

Correct. Many online courses are part of degree programs and have set time periods, from 6-14 weeks on average. They start and end according to a set schedule and have regular deadlines as students progress through the course together. In courses with synchronous sessions, they will have to show up at specific times or places to participate. Students do have more choices about when they want to access content or complete activities, though.

Online courses are EASIER for students.

Incorrect. While online courses are more convenient for students, in fact, they can have more work and require more discipline than face-to-face courses. In addition to familiar activities like tests and papers, online courses also have interactive assignments such as discussion board postings, collaborative projects, and game-based activities. Whereas face-to-face courses might meet just two times a week and require minimal participation, online courses often require students to complete activities almost daily - and all students will be required to contribute.