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So my college did a survey of students this semester to ask how much they liked the covid19 shift to online classes.
The results were
48% said they preferred in-person classes
10% said they preferred online classes
41% said they preferred a combination of in-person and online components.
Generally this meant the instructor gave live instruction and the students did online assignments.
A blow to those who think youtube is going to replace teachers.
My college did a similar survey -- but the problem is, they didn't distinguish between ASYNCHRONOUS online classes (no specific days/times -- just lots of assignments to be completed during a particular period of time, e.g. a week) and SYNCHRONOUS online classes, usually taught via Zoom (at least at my college).
I taught 2 online synchronous classes this past semester and I would say the classes worked at least 95% as well as when I've taught them in person (it helped that they were small classes so I could see everyone even on my laptop's monitor). On the other hand, I teach ASYNCHRONOUS online classes in the summer -- my college mostly switched to online summer classes a long time ago and the classes needed to NOT be taught at specific times because most of our students go home and work various schedules. (Now I know that's called "asynchronous"; in pre-COVID days, I just called it "online.")
The asynchronous summer classes are easier for me (I save all that in-class time!) but harder for 90% of my students; despite constant reminders of work due, some students simply "forget" they're in a class. Conversely, the synchronous classes are very, very similar to my in-person classes -- i.e., I'm able to do virtually everything I did in the classroom last year. (Note, Zoom really helps with this since I can share my screen AND computer audio. I helped organize an online conference this past semester that was run on Adobe Connect and it was HORRENDOUS -- that program simply could not easily do what we needed it to. So the platform really makes a HUGE difference.)
Anyway, I wish people would make it clear which type of online class they're talking about because they are so different. Many of us asked our college to distinguish between synchronous and asynchonous in the surveys; students in ASYNCHRONOUS classes didn't seem too happy but we only knew they were asynchronous if the student happened to write a comment that made that clear. THEIR very low ratings made the whole "online" rating lower than in-person when I'm not sure that would have been the case had the 2 types of online been broken down.
It seems to me that now with nearly 25 years of internet technology development that it would be naive not to explore what "net education" could offer. Young kids today have plenty of training from their classroom days that would enable them with the tools necessary for utilizing online higher education.
At one time we had huge desk with the computer and all of it's peripherals scattered about where today these are aggregated into a few space saving components which are more user friendly and efficient. Software has evolved similarly. But the key to all of this is the availability of "broad band" now becoming more and more available.
It's only been since the time of Corona and school closings that there has been the opportunity to attempt this type of administration and evaluate it. (for those not at the college level)
With all of that said we still have to remember that every person learns differently. Yes there will be enough similarities with various groups where some learn better in the class room and others online.
But that is to be learned when we consider the side effects Corona has had on our way of life during in those times.
Online classes are good option when instead of just going through youtube lectures you can enroll yourself in acccredited online school because there the curriculum and learning management system is more systematic and organized. You are not merely learning just anything. There are so many options you can see now like Penn Foster, International Schooling and Connections academy then why can't we just try them and book their demos at once.
So my college did a survey of students this semester to ask how much they liked the covid19 shift to online classes.
The results were
48% said they preferred in-person classes
10% said they preferred online classes
41% said they preferred a combination of in-person and online components.
Generally this meant the instructor gave live instruction and the students did online assignments.
A blow to those who think youtube is going to replace teachers.
I have taken many online courses in STEM for graduate school or upper division. I have found that not all teachers excel in this platform. There are instructors who do much better in person while simultaneously having misunderstandings that get blown out-of-proportion with those online. The other pattern is that it is sometimes hard to get into contact with an online instructor. Some respond within a few hours while others may not respond for about 4 days (or not at all).
In-person is better for some courses like the really hard ones: computational fluid dynamics, biochemistry, machine learning, etc.
If the instructor is good with well-prepared material, quick responses, Zoom meetings, etc., then the online courses that get really hard like those above can be done. But often it's not realistic for many students if they are not used to that rigor suddenly going online.
My college did a similar survey -- but the problem is, they didn't distinguish between ASYNCHRONOUS online classes (no specific days/times -- just lots of assignments to be completed during a particular period of time, e.g. a week) and SYNCHRONOUS online classes, usually taught via Zoom (at least at my college).
I taught 2 online synchronous classes this past semester and I would say the classes worked at least 95% as well as when I've taught them in person (it helped that they were small classes so I could see everyone even on my laptop's monitor). On the other hand, I teach ASYNCHRONOUS online classes in the summer -- my college mostly switched to online summer classes a long time ago and the classes needed to NOT be taught at specific times because most of our students go home and work various schedules. (Now I know that's called "asynchronous"; in pre-COVID days, I just called it "online.")
The asynchronous summer classes are easier for me (I save all that in-class time!) but harder for 90% of my students; despite constant reminders of work due, some students simply "forget" they're in a class. Conversely, the synchronous classes are very, very similar to my in-person classes -- i.e., I'm able to do virtually everything I did in the classroom last year. (Note, Zoom really helps with this since I can share my screen AND computer audio. I helped organize an online conference this past semester that was run on Adobe Connect and it was HORRENDOUS -- that program simply could not easily do what we needed it to. So the platform really makes a HUGE difference.)
Anyway, I wish people would make it clear which type of online class they're talking about because they are so different. Many of us asked our college to distinguish between synchronous and asynchonous in the surveys; students in ASYNCHRONOUS classes didn't seem too happy but we only knew they were asynchronous if the student happened to write a comment that made that clear. THEIR very low ratings made the whole "online" rating lower than in-person when I'm not sure that would have been the case had the 2 types of online been broken down.
We did a follow up where we asked about synchronicity (heh). Basically the numbers were the same. We asked "how will you most likely fill your schedule in the fall given these choices?" It was along the lines of:
50% all in-person
10% all online synchronous
10% all online asynchronous
30% combination of all of the above
I think I was most surprised that synchronous (Zoom class) had its fans. I had looked at that as temporary classroom replacement, and figured it would go away once we got classrooms back. But it seems some students like rolling out of bed and participating over video. Some of my students Zoom in with their phones or tablets from work and are actually listening and participating while I hear whatever job rat-a-tat going on in the background when they turn on their audio to make a comment.
We also followed up and asked which format they think they learned most from. What was interesting is that they said they felt they learned the most in-person., and the least in online asynchronous far and away. Even some of the fans said that. Online synchronous was in between. If the student themselves admit they learn less in the online formats, I bet an assessment analysis would be even more revealing that they are NOT learning as much that way (as a group).
Last edited by redguard57; 05-12-2021 at 02:58 PM..
We did a follow up where we asked about synchronicity (heh). Basically the numbers were the same. We asked "how will you most likely fill your schedule in the fall given these choices?" It was along the lines of:
50% all in-person
10% all online synchronous
10% all online asynchronous
30% combination of all of the above
I think I was most surprised that synchronous (Zoom class) had its fans. I had looked at that as temporary classroom replacement, and figured it would go away once we got classrooms back. But it seems some students like rolling out of bed and participating over video. Some of my students Zoom in with their phones or tablets from work and are actually listening and participating while I hear whatever job rat-a-tat going on in the background when they turn on their audio to make a comment.
We also followed up and asked which format they think they learned most from. What was interesting is that they said they felt they learned the most in-person., and the least in online asynchronous far and away. Even some of the fans said that. Online synchronous was in between. If the student themselves admit they learn less in the online formats, I bet an assessment analysis would be even more revealing that they are NOT learning as much that way (as a group).
I wonder if the question had been phrased as "how would you prefer" vs "most likely" how the answers would be different?
I've taken a lot of grad courses over the years (my employer pushes continuous learning and pays for it) and agree that asynchronous is my least favorite by far. It takes a really dedicated and mature learner to keep up in that mode. Esp when the audio or video quality is really poor. Most students would have a hard time with it.
So my college did a survey of students this semester to ask how much they liked the covid19 shift to online classes.
The results were
48% said they preferred in-person classes
10% said they preferred online classes
41% said they preferred a combination of in-person and online components.
Generally this meant the instructor gave live instruction and the students did online assignments.
A blow to those who think youtube is going to replace teachers.
A famous economist once said, "Nothing is either good or bad save the alternatives make it look that way." It seems that applies to in-person and on-line education as well.
I suspect I would vote for in-person classes, with online material available to view as a supplement if needed.
I wonder if the question had been phrased as "how would you prefer" vs "most likely" how the answers would be different?
I've taken a lot of grad courses over the years (my employer pushes continuous learning and pays for it) and agree that asynchronous is my least favorite by far. It takes a really dedicated and mature learner to keep up in that mode. Esp when the audio or video quality is really poor. Most students would have a hard time with it.
The thing with grad classes is that those are adults who are there for a purpose, and have spent half a lifetime doing projects not that dissimilar than school - having a lot of information to process and then produce some kind of deliverable.
What has revealed itself is something I always felt was true, but now proven VERY much true - is that the act of going to class is a psychological motivator. That appears to be true even when the class is delivered over video conference. It's more about their interactions with each other than interactions with the instructor.
I had one girl tell me that once she discovered there were cute guys in the class when they turned their cameras on, that made her want to go every time. So for the carrot of getting to engage with the guys in breakout rooms for 10 minutes, she is getting 45 minutes of instruction. And if she doesn't listen for those 45 minutes she will not sound smart in the breakout room and won't impress those guys. Whereas in asynchronous she has a much higher chance of dropping the class 30% of the way through because nothing motivated her. It struck me as very similar to the fitness industry, really. The people that do support groups and whatever; they lose weight faster.
It's not that there is anything wrong with the online asynchronous format. Utilized well, students can learn more that way than in-person. The problem is that not that they're not learning, it's that they lose motivation much more quickly and are far more prone to give up. So they're not learning as much because they give up far more easily in that format.
As a supervisor I've noticed this with instructors as well. A lot of people got into teaching because the feed off the energy, and just didn't perform as well when the job became more like, "post X, grade Y, make announcement, Post W, grade Z," rinse and repeat. They just lost all motivation and some practically didn't do their jobs anymore, falling off the radar as bad as some students. There were some instructors, however, that thrived quite well with the online format better than I expected, interestingly some people who were middling at best in-person instructors.
Last edited by redguard57; 05-13-2021 at 04:34 PM..
If online classes are a thing, shouldn't that decrease the cost of UNI? The fact that prices stay the same and sometimes even continue to increase says so much...
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