Comments on: Is Online College Instruction More Effective than In-Class Instruction?

By: Online List for College Teaching Adjunct Positions | The Writing College Textbook Supplements Blog

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:36:04 +0000

[...] have a look at my recent examination of the efficacy of online college instruction versus in-class instruction. Adjunct College Faculty, College Teaching, Online College Instruction, Part-Time College [...]

By: John Soares

John Soares — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:08:13 +0000

Excellent observations Margaret. I was initially skeptical of online courses, but I’m now seeing they have many advantages over the traditional classroom setting.

Three that just popped into my head:

1. Students save time by not having to travel to the campus and get to the classroom, plus they don’t have to spend time dressing and getting ready to be in public.

2. Students save money on transportation costs.

3. Less carbon dioxide and pollutants in the atmosphere from travel.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:51:59 +0000

John:

I think another important aspect of the online class format is that while they are online, the students are paying attention to the class content, and that they will attend online when they are ready to pay attention. Compare this to a night-owl student who isn’t alert before noon, but was forced to schedule the class at 8 am, because that was the only open session available. I preferred scheduling evening classes to early mornings, and I was a student when online classes were not yet an option.

In addition, fast learners, who are bored by repetition they don’t need, can work at the fast pace comfortable for them without waiting for their colleagues to catch up. Those who want to back up and review more thoroughly before submitting their own homework answers move at the slower pace comfortable for them.

My daughters, who grew up with computers, prefer the online format. My youngest, at Georgia Tech, does much of her class homework online in conjunction with attending traditional lecture classes.

By: John Soares

John Soares — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:19:45 +0000

Stephanie, thanks for sharing your experience as an online instructor.

I think you have pointed out one of the main advantages of online courses: they provide a very good way for students to participate without dealing with many of the barriers to participation that exist in the classroom.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:58:45 +0000

I have taught both in the classroom and online for two community colleges over the years and have been wonderfully surprised how effective the online format has been.

I was very skeptical at first because I didn’t want to comprise my content’s quality by switching to an online version. After much trial and error I figured out how to best convert the courses to the website.

Very often my students commented on how much they loved the convenience of the online format and how surprised they were to have participated as much as they did. They would explain how in a traditional classroom they were shy and spoke up as little as possible. Online gave them the opportunity to express themselves and be thoughtful in their answers. As one student said, “I feel equal to all the other students and my shyness didn’t inhibit my ability to learn.”

Thanks for the post and study link, John!