The opportunity to listen to Dr. Monaghan explain and bring to attention the variety of ways in which online/distributed learning is being facilitated by CSUSB faculty was encouraging. It was encouraging to know that CSUSB instructors use a many different technologies to support student learning and that they have been doing so for quite some time. If I am not mistaken CSUSB faculty began using some forms of elearning features in their courses in the early 90s and have not looked back ever since. It was also during that time that the university received a very large DOD grant to provide online educational services to our men and women in uniform.
It was good to hear from Dr. M. of the progress CSUSB has made over the years in improving the the services provided the instructors to learn, plan, design, and develop online courses in a variety of different content areas ranging from Chemistry to Art with everything in between including mathematics and nursing, and of course most obviously educational/instructional technology. He has a very strong technical staff.
As explained by Dr. M. although Blackboard is the university's primary LMS other systems are available or supported. Moodle is an alternative system at CSUSB. Instructors are not limited to a single LMS. The university settled on Blackboard after it had experimented with other online tools, e.g., WebCT, and although the Blackboard version we currently have may not be the best LMS, what we have has been sufficient for most instructors.
Blackboard does provide a useful platform for supporting a variety of instructional needs. Many instructors supplement BB tools/features with other tools. Tegrity, impatica etc. were some that were mentioned in the conversation.
It is true that many students prefer online courses because such courses allow them to access learning materials when and where they want. LMS features allow instructors to enhance the quality of their course materials in some creative ways. A good online course has the potential of enhancing student engagement and learning.
It is also true that there are students who prefer face-to-face courses over online course because they prefer to have a more personal interaction with their instructors and classmates. A student will cross the oceans to learn in a face-to-face mode from an instructor of great repute. For such a student the online version of the course is a good alternative but not their first choice. It would be similar to watching the super bowl on TV as compared to watching it live. In this and in many other similar situations it would be inappropriate to paint face-to-face classroom lectures as sermons presented by a dead preacher.
I personally think that learning will take place if instructors know their students and can provide the necessary learning experiences that will meet them where their learning needs are. There are strengths and weaknesses to each teaching modality.
It is our responsibility as instructors to choose wisely.
Dr. M. interjected the economics of online courses. It is obvious that there is a great potential for attracting students from a much wider pool of candidates with online courses. With more students comes additional revenues but it also brings in the need for additional instructors to support the students. It was interesting to hear Dr. M. discuss the pros and cons of expanding the boundaries of the university through online courses. He also addressed the concerns some instructors have that the premier universities and publishing companies will draw away students from our service area through their online courses. He provided a strong economic and logistic reason as to why that would not happen.
I was quite pleased with the way Dr. BN moderated the discussion and by the responses Dr. M gave. It was a pleasant evening with a number of good questions posed by some students. I hope the others enjoyed all of the conversation.
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I don't think face-to-face learning should be negatively characterized across the board, either. I like your idea of watching the Superbowl in person and on TV. It is a totally different experience, and for many college is not just a degree but an experience. It should be an experience for students of all ages and background, but some of us just cannot make it happen in person. Anyway a person can get a quality educational experience works for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the comparison of face to face and on-line as well. I was working and unable to be on-line right at 5:30pm and then Firefox crashed four times in ten minutes but I think there was some discussion about measurable results in comparing the two approaches. One of the issues is what kind of results to compare. In a classroom students have more control of the lecture/discussion. This may lead to learning that is not part of the schedule and because it's responsive to the students in the room it may be the most important part of what's learned in that session. I'm not sure where the parallel to that is in on-line classes.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your comments on students traveling across the ocean to listen to a particular professor. I sat in classes with Dr. Newberry where there was only one student beside myself. We both got very individualized attention. Now that I take online classes I still feel that I am getting much of the same attention for Dr. Newberry. I would never have learned how to use technology online, but now that I know technology I can use online classes to learn new things.
ReplyDeleteI had to travel from Indio to Calexio to get my teaching degree from a branch campus of San Diego State. Then I had to travel to Riverside for other classes, and now I sometimes have had to travel to San Bernadino for my Masters. I am grateful for the Palm Desert Campus, but online is a real life saver sometimes.
Sue, I think that students can change the direction of a presentation by asking those same questions on line and a good professor will in fact be responsive to the students. I know in the last class I took there was a lot of interaction between the students.
Joseph I want to thank you for some of the wonderful compliments I heard you gave out in Indion last week. I am sorry I did not get to see you and Dr. Baek this trip, but alas I only volunteer in the afterschool program right now. My 20 little techies are doing some really good things. We had a photo presentation at the distict office and they are currently creating photostories to teach others about their favorite subject.
I'm going to tell you a secret. Don't tell any of the other people in the class.
ReplyDeleteI prefer teaching face-to-face. Teaching face-to-face lets me use more of my strengths as a teacher than teaching online. Teaching face-to-face comes more naturally for me.
I agree completely with you about a student who will travel from overseas to study with a certain professor. I sometimes think of it as the difference between a live music performance and a recording.
You raise some very good points. Thanks!
I thought you had a good grasp of the information in the presentation. I'm not sure if I prefer face-to-face or eLearning yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Dr Newberry about "a student who will travel from overseas to study with a certain professor. I sometimes think of it as the difference between a live music performance and a recording"
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