I for one have never been in or part of any online courses in any level of schooling. I do however find it to be extremely useful and an effective way of learning for students who may have trouble connecting face to face with a teacher because of different situations and difficulties.
In the past my mother worked as a hutterite teacher around Portage la Prairie. I went to visit quite often and saw that their high school students 9-12 had no actual teacher present. They did the majority of their schooling online, through web cam with often quite a lot of success. They were not able to get a full time teacher and this was the way it had to be.
This is the same for high school, university and graduate studies. I think it is great that it is an option. Although I still do believe the most effective and preferred way is to learn in a class with peers and teachers in a traditional manner. For those less fortunate to have distance, illness or any other thing get in the way doing a course or even diploma online is a good option. In the future I may think about doing my masters and know that something's may be required to be done online. I think at that time when I am busy with overall work life the online course load will be the way to go and a huge benefit.
Online courses are definitely a great option. Between my undergrad and Ed degrees, I worked full-time and needed three courses. I would have loved the option to have these courses online, but unfortunately it wasn't an option and I ended up using my lunch break to take classes and taking a pay cut for missed time at work.
ReplyDeleteOnline courses give students the ability for such flexibility, as well as solve the problems for students you mentioned like not being able to get a full-time teacher, or illness.
Great post!
I know for myself I have only done a partial course online, which I wasn't able to finish, but having the option to complete courses online is an awesome tool for students who can't be in the classroom for whatever reason. I think that a discouragement about the online courses is the big bundle that you receive at the start of the course which may disengage students right off the hop, mainly because it is a lot of reading for students. I think online courses are a great idea for students who are able to learn without a teacher in front of them, like you had mentioned. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteOnline courses are a great option for those who are not able to be on campus. I have talked to many who commute for one course and they dislike how they spend more time driving then they actually do in the course. Having courses online would save these students not only time but money. Options like Blackboard allow students to interact with their teachers and others in the class. It is not the same as being in a class but it is the next best thing.
ReplyDeleteRod, I completely agree with your comment about "most effective way" being F2F interaction. I view the online access most effective when used in conjunction with F2F interaction. In secondary schools, there is the reality of student absences and missed classes, thus resulting in students asking for the assignments they did not receive. Because of this, my favourite response to utter in class was "You can find it on Moodle". I view the MB Ed Distance Learning site as a great alternative choice.
ReplyDeleteThis is the direction I lean towards as well when I consider online courses. For high school and below, it would have been a bit of a struggle and not really the most effective way to take a course, at least for me! But fast forward to university life and considering a masters, and I am drawn to the idea of them. I feel that not only are they more suited to an adult's schedule, but we are also more in tune with how we learn best, and more motivated to get it done. So it is easier to get through a course without the support system necessary to make it through high school.
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