Yesterday, in a post on online courses, I mentioned that I had questioned whether quality was compromised. I suspected that I had touched some raw nerves (though I asked the question not as an attack but rather as a concerned professor of a future online course).
This morning, at 8:01AM, I received this message from the person in charge of online classes:
"I'd like to follow up -- if you don't think we can offer a quality online course then we don't want to do it."
This irritated me. It is hard for me to formulate exactly why. But I would have preferred a statement like, "We are firmly committed to online courses that retain the high quality of X University. We look forward to working with you to ensure that you are able to produce a rigorous online learning experience for our students." The response I did get seems more like, "Well if you don't like it, we'd prefer you leave." Not a healthy environment for learning, I would say.
Showing posts with label online courses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online courses. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Are online courses dumbed down?
I went to a faculty forum for online classes, attended by a provost, many deans, as well as faculty that will be teaching such classes (like me). There is a big, big push this year (actually a pull--they are enticing us with money) for tenure/tenure-track faculty to teach online summer classes.
Two senior faculty discussed their experiences and gave some thoughtful advice. It was a pretty good forum. So I'm coming along to the idea of online classes.
Except for one thing. Both profs noted that they found that they couldn't shift the writing assignments from the semester course to the 5-wk online summer course. Students just couldn't keep up, for example, with 7 papers in 5 weeks. So mid-semester they cut down the number of papers, in response to student complaints.
Doesn't that imply that summer school is easier (he said this would have been the case for any summer class)? And why in the world can't the student write 7 papers in 5 weeks if they could write them in 15 weeks? They are only taking 1 or 2 classes in summer.
Well, I REALLY touched a nerve by asking if this were the case. The faculty weren't bothered by it (and several nodded their heads at the question). But oh my did the summer/online administration get defensive! And no, they did not suggest that student culture/expectations needed to be addressed. Their main response was that, well, not all classes are appropriate for online teaching.
New York Times has a recent article on the growth of online classes, especially at public universities.
Do you all have any insights? Is your university/college pushing for online courses? In summer only (like my U) or all year round?
Two senior faculty discussed their experiences and gave some thoughtful advice. It was a pretty good forum. So I'm coming along to the idea of online classes.
Except for one thing. Both profs noted that they found that they couldn't shift the writing assignments from the semester course to the 5-wk online summer course. Students just couldn't keep up, for example, with 7 papers in 5 weeks. So mid-semester they cut down the number of papers, in response to student complaints.
Doesn't that imply that summer school is easier (he said this would have been the case for any summer class)? And why in the world can't the student write 7 papers in 5 weeks if they could write them in 15 weeks? They are only taking 1 or 2 classes in summer.
Well, I REALLY touched a nerve by asking if this were the case. The faculty weren't bothered by it (and several nodded their heads at the question). But oh my did the summer/online administration get defensive! And no, they did not suggest that student culture/expectations needed to be addressed. Their main response was that, well, not all classes are appropriate for online teaching.
New York Times has a recent article on the growth of online classes, especially at public universities.
Do you all have any insights? Is your university/college pushing for online courses? In summer only (like my U) or all year round?
Friday, October 22, 2010
I get a move on!
I've moved forward on a couple things that I've been procrastinating on. And I feel better.
I think I'm going to agree to do the summer online course that I discussed in an earlier post. The money is hard to pass up. Plus, I'll get some good training on new teaching technology, which should really help out with courses in general. There is a lot I'd like to learn about podcasts and video and running online discussions, etc. I haven't been able to find the time to seek out the training. So the pay will be a really good incentive to finally do it. I'll be interested to see if I hate online teaching or like it. Could go either way.
I also finally responded to a journal editor about a paper I submitted. I got a "revise and resubmit" on it, but the editor stressed that it needs substantial revision. I wasn't surprised about that part. And one of the reviewers wrote about 5 pages single space of comments--they were critical but encouraging and very, very thoughtful. The other review, however, was a bit dismissive, plus unfamiliar with the methodology I was employing, plus displaying some political prejudice.
I was having a lot of trouble figuring out how to respond to that reviewer, and the editor had given absolutely NO guidance. Editors have always written their own summaries detailing which comments to focus on--and thus which I could more safely ignore. This is standard in my field. But this is a guest editor of a (top) interdisciplinary journal. Regardless of why he didn't provide his own response to the reviews, I've now written him asking for some guidance. I don't really like being assertive like this, but I feel a lot better now that I sent this off. I was polite. And the worst that can happen is that he gives me a response that helps me decide to not bother with him anymore and go elsewhere. Hmphf.
I also spent a lot of time not having my calls answered today. No one answered the phone at my kids' school, which is disturbing And then I spent 15 minutes on hold plus many more calls to my daughter's doctor. Finally, I wrote the dr. an email over the healthcare provider email site, asking some questions and then saying, by the way, no one is answering, please have someone call me so I can schedule an apptmt. Two different people called me back within 10 minutes! Now I know.
I think I'm going to agree to do the summer online course that I discussed in an earlier post. The money is hard to pass up. Plus, I'll get some good training on new teaching technology, which should really help out with courses in general. There is a lot I'd like to learn about podcasts and video and running online discussions, etc. I haven't been able to find the time to seek out the training. So the pay will be a really good incentive to finally do it. I'll be interested to see if I hate online teaching or like it. Could go either way.
I also finally responded to a journal editor about a paper I submitted. I got a "revise and resubmit" on it, but the editor stressed that it needs substantial revision. I wasn't surprised about that part. And one of the reviewers wrote about 5 pages single space of comments--they were critical but encouraging and very, very thoughtful. The other review, however, was a bit dismissive, plus unfamiliar with the methodology I was employing, plus displaying some political prejudice.
I was having a lot of trouble figuring out how to respond to that reviewer, and the editor had given absolutely NO guidance. Editors have always written their own summaries detailing which comments to focus on--and thus which I could more safely ignore. This is standard in my field. But this is a guest editor of a (top) interdisciplinary journal. Regardless of why he didn't provide his own response to the reviews, I've now written him asking for some guidance. I don't really like being assertive like this, but I feel a lot better now that I sent this off. I was polite. And the worst that can happen is that he gives me a response that helps me decide to not bother with him anymore and go elsewhere. Hmphf.
I also spent a lot of time not having my calls answered today. No one answered the phone at my kids' school, which is disturbing And then I spent 15 minutes on hold plus many more calls to my daughter's doctor. Finally, I wrote the dr. an email over the healthcare provider email site, asking some questions and then saying, by the way, no one is answering, please have someone call me so I can schedule an apptmt. Two different people called me back within 10 minutes! Now I know.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Students with faces are better
My university is trying hard to get tenured and tenure-track professors to teach online courses over the summer. They are offering $5k to plan the course over spring semester, plus the usual pay for teaching the summer course, plus a grader (paid 3.5times more per student than graders normally are). There are about 20-25 students.
It is tempting, the extra $5k. But I just don't know how I feel about contributing to the online course trend. I don't want to be a Luddite. If that is the direction universities are headed, then I should take the $5k while it is still being offered. That said, I don't think this is a good way to learn. And frankly, I would much prefer interacting with students face to face rather than via email. I nearly always really like a student in person--not so much in abstract. I don't know if I would want to teach if this became my only option. And I don't know that students will learn as well--especially the best students.
So I'm wondering, do I really want to contribute to this trend? Is this what university teaching will become? Or is it just another option, not threatening to replace face-time teaching? What is lost and what is gained for the professor and student?
It is tempting, the extra $5k. But I just don't know how I feel about contributing to the online course trend. I don't want to be a Luddite. If that is the direction universities are headed, then I should take the $5k while it is still being offered. That said, I don't think this is a good way to learn. And frankly, I would much prefer interacting with students face to face rather than via email. I nearly always really like a student in person--not so much in abstract. I don't know if I would want to teach if this became my only option. And I don't know that students will learn as well--especially the best students.
So I'm wondering, do I really want to contribute to this trend? Is this what university teaching will become? Or is it just another option, not threatening to replace face-time teaching? What is lost and what is gained for the professor and student?
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