I’ve previously examined online college instruction given that it’s growing in importance and I personally know several people that teach online. And since I live in Siskiyou County in far northern California, it’s an important way for the locals to get a college education given that some of them live as much as two hours away from the nearest college campus (and on a single-lane road winding along the side of steep mountain in the most extreme case).
The Chronicle of Higher Education just put out an article about how college professors view online teaching. It’s based on an extensive survey from the Sloan National Commission on Online Learning.
Some excerpts from the Chronicle of Higher Education piece:
They worry about the quality of online courses, say teaching them takes more effort, and grouse about insufficient support. Yet large numbers of professors still put in the time to teach online. And despite the broad suspicion about quality, a majority of faculty members have recommended online courses to students.
Professors with online experience are less pessimistic. Among those who have taught or developed an online course, the majority rated the medium’s effectiveness as being as good as or better than face to face. But in a potentially controversial finding, even among professors whohave taught online, fully 48 percent feel it is either inferior or somewhat inferior.
Be sure to read the comments; many are quite insightful.
What’s your take on online college instruction? Done it? Liked it? Strengths? Weaknesses?
