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Face to face and online learning
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- 2. + Face-to-Face Advantages Faceto face learning is immediate. Instructors immediacy decreases distance between students and faculty Dialogue and collaboration occurs in real time with all the nuanced expressions of human interaction There is a visceral connection to another person You can sometimes gauge the emotional, psychological state of the student You can easily change direction if events or circumstances require it
- 3. + Online Advantages Onlinecontent, discussions, directions, etc. are persistent Learning by the student is flexible With a well designed introduction from each student you can constant go back and connect with individuals. Can easily give feedback. Online provides a wide platform for rich media (video, audio, simulations) and unlimited web content Online courses generally require more responsibility from the student
- 4. + Face-to-Face Challenges Itcan be difficult to remember pertinent information about students Much of the content of discussions is lost in time Tied to a strict time schedule of several hours during the week Can only access limited resources in class The ebb and flow of the class can be dependent on the tenor of student engagement
- 5. + Online Challenges Dialoguewith students is difficult to create and maintain Lack of immediacy (facial expression, names, comfort level, student observation) Content and class activity is usually prescribed without any room for spontaneity. Course can become static. Discussion boards, unless strictly directed, can become somewhat chaotic
- 6. + What About BlendedLearning Immediacy Dialogue Persistence Spontaneity Flexibility Increased Student Responsibility Room for rich media and collaboration Ability to give constant and consistent feedback Bended learning can combine the best of face-to- face instruction and online instruction
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Editor's Notes
- #2 Face to face teaching and learning remains the norm in education and for many good reasons. Recently however online education has become much more mainstream also for many good reasons. Each approach has its strengths and its weaknesses
- #3 One of the strongest advantages of face to face learning is it immediacy. You are able to see and speak with students at the moment where human contact and the exchange of ideas is strongest. Dialogue in the Socratic tradition has been the foundation of education for thousands of years and its power with all of the nuances of human expression is most expressive in a face to face encounter. Of course large lecture formats prohibit a lot of dialogue, but many professors are moving away from the strict lecture format. Getting to know your students can be a key to both student and teacher success, and knowing students on a personal basis can help the student in need and provide extra passion for the student striving to do more. Face to face is certainly the best way to make connections and gauge the tenor of students Frequently, education is dependent upon the news of the day or a significant current event. With a face to face class the instructor can easily switch gears to address pertinent information.
- #4 The advent of serious online curriculum has brought to the forefront some impressive advantages to the online educational model Foremost among these is the fact that all of the information in the course, the content, class discussions, assignments, etc. is persistent, meaning that it is written down and students can easily find and review all that goes on in the course. One great advantage for students and faculty is that if well formed introduction is required by each student and the instructor, individuals can better get to know the class by being able to constantly go back to the introductions to place those individuals. For may individuals studying online flexibility is paramount. While most online courses have strict schedules, a student is not required to be at certain place, at a certain time and complete their work according to their own schedule. A great advantage to online learning is that through the mechanisms of and LMS or other software an instructor can give immediate, and personalized feedback for assignments and activities. No more waiting three weeks for the grade on a final paper or exam to know if you passed a course. This certainly can be boon to students. Seemingly unlimited resources can be posted in an online course videos, simulations, countless texts and resources, outside experts in the field all are easily combined in an online course to enhance learning Online learning instructors often find themselves more in the role of mentor, guide and moderator. The material and activities are present to student up front and it is their responsibility to either make the course happen for themselves or not. While participation and attendance is similar to a face to face class the responsibility for learning seems to be more placed on the student.
- #5 Especially in large classes it can be very difficult to place a face with a name or even have a clue about the students background. While discussions can be fluid and extremely engaging they are over when the class is over, and unless a student took meticulous notes of a discussion, which is typically no the case, a lot of the nuance and even principle points of the discussion can be lost If you are ill or out of sorts psychologically the day of the class then you will miss a significant portion of the day’s lesson. While most institutions have provided an array of multi-media devices for projection and presentation in the classroom, face to face classes are limited in presenting rich media simply because of time restraints. If the class in general is in low mood, resistant to content, or simply not prepared for class the entire atmosphere for learning can be deadening.
- #6 By far the challenge of dialogue with students is one of the biggest challenges in online learning. Even well developed guided discussions can easily go astray without the immediate correction that a face to face dialogue offers. This lack of immediacy can be a barrier to connections with students and instructors must spend an enormous amount of time online if they wish to remain present to the class Since most online content is totally developed ahead of time it can be frustrating for instructors, especially courses that are developed without the input of the instructor. Thousands of adjuncts are teaching courses in which they either had no input nor can they easily change the content once the course has begun. This can lead to online courses that are static in nature and sometimes are about as good as reading the book. As mentioned discussions online can be great in that they are persistent and extend the discussion over time, but they can frequently end up very confusing, trying to keep track of who said what to whom.
- #7 Online learning by its very nature cannot be blended learning, because there is no face to face element. Face to face learning, still the most substantial form of instruction, however, can always be blended, combining the best of online education with the best of in class instruction.
- #8 It’s my conviction that because of the combined advantages all face to face learning should be blended learning