Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Some of the most lively discussions I've had in college happened in an online master's program. Unlike in a face-to-face course, we had almost an unlimited amount of time to debate something. We also had more time to think out our arguments and back them up with sources. I'm doing my PhD program face to face. The professors often have to move the class forward in order to cover all of the scheduled material. I've also taught undergraduate courses where half of the students didn't care to participate. Having talked to other professors and instructors, it seems to be common for many undergraduate students in large classes to never say anything unless called upon. As far as focusing, online courses are not meant for those who lack self-motivation and time management.
It's kind of ironic how some say you can't have in-depth discussions online or duplicate the face-to-face experience online, but have made thousands of posts on an online forum. Well, some people are passionate enough about what they're studying to have in-depth discussions in online courses.
Some of the most lively discussions I've had in college happened in an online master's program. Unlike in a face-to-face course, we had almost an unlimited amount of time to debate something. We also had more time to think out our arguments and back them up with sources. I'm doing my PhD program face to face. The professors often have to move the class forward in order to cover all of the scheduled material. I've also taught undergraduate courses where half of the students didn't care to participate. Having talked to other professors and instructors, it seems to be common for many undergraduate students in large classes to never say anything unless called upon. As far as focusing, online courses are not meant for those who lack self-motivation and time management.
It's kind of ironic how some say you can't have in-depth discussions online or duplicate the face-to-face experience online, but have made thousands of posts on an online forum. Well, some people are passionate enough about what they're studying to have in-depth discussions in online courses.
Oh, I absolutely CAN and DO have online discussions of great depth. I always assumed that online components of coursework would be a natural fit for me, given my level of comfort with written discussion.
But if I'm in a class where, for the online component, students are required to, for instance, get participation credit by reading a posted journal article, coming up with a single discussion question, and responding to, say, two classmates' questions, I find that the vast majority will do that and no more. They are not motivated to discuss anything any further, because they've already gotten the points for doing the minimum amount of work required. For most, the benefits reaped by participating in enlightening discussion are not the priorities, getting the points and getting done as quickly as possible are. I've not noticed anyone really committing to a particular argument, myself; they mostly just do what they need to do to get the points and don't log in beyond that.
I'm also the person who participates heavily in class discussion during face-to-face classes. Many do, some don't. Those who don't participate often seem to take a certain attitude toward those who do. I was actually quite surprised to be in graduate level coursework where there were a number of students for whom participation in class discussion was akin to pulling teeth. I had assumed that staring blankly at the professor when he or she asks a question an never offering forth any discussion or commentary would be something most would leave behind at the community college level, at most. I don't really get why you'd take on a master's program in a content area you're not sufficiently interested in to even warrant having an academic discussion about it with experts in the field. But that's just me.
I think it depends on the types of students that fill up a graduate program whether online or face-to-face. Even though the military students in my security studies program were very engaged, I came across military students in a criminal justice master's program who were only there because the government was paying for their education and giving them money for housing. Some types of programs also attract a lot of private sector employees whose employers are paying for their education, and they're only getting a degree to boost their resume or qualify for a raise or promotion. I'm not saying that all people in these two groups are like this, but they do exist.
For my undergrad and grad studies, I did online coursework because I had a full-time job. Any questions I had, I was able to message my professor and (s)he got back to me almost immediately, like no more than 15-20 minutes later. I also finished the semester early doing online coursework.
I love online classes. I worked full time active duty air force and had no time for silly face to face classes.
Real life does not stop just because you have to go back to school and I'm very appreciative for the strides that regionally accredited online education classes have made
Oh, I absolutely CAN and DO have online discussions of great depth. I always assumed that online components of coursework would be a natural fit for me, given my level of comfort with written discussion.
But if I'm in a class where, for the online component, students are required to, for instance, get participation credit by reading a posted journal article, coming up with a single discussion question, and responding to, say, two classmates' questions, I find that the vast majority will do that and no more. They are not motivated to discuss anything any further, because they've already gotten the points for doing the minimum amount of work required. For most, the benefits reaped by participating in enlightening discussion are not the priorities, getting the points and getting done as quickly as possible are. I've not noticed anyone really committing to a particular argument, myself; they mostly just do what they need to do to get the points and don't log in beyond that.
I'm also the person who participates heavily in class discussion during face-to-face classes. Many do, some don't. Those who don't participate often seem to take a certain attitude toward those who do. I was actually quite surprised to be in graduate level coursework where there were a number of students for whom participation in class discussion was akin to pulling teeth. I had assumed that staring blankly at the professor when he or she asks a question an never offering forth any discussion or commentary would be something most would leave behind at the community college level, at most. I don't really get why you'd take on a master's program in a content area you're not sufficiently interested in to even warrant having an academic discussion about it with experts in the field. But that's just me.
How many in-person classes undergrad classes were you in where more than 15% of the class participated meaningfully in a discussion?
Only in graduate school did I experience the whole group contributing somewhat equally. In undergrad, discussions were always dominated by a handful of the most engaged students.
I think online classes more or less reflect that same experience even when the instructor requires participation.
Last edited by redguard57; 08-29-2018 at 10:43 AM..
I have three online degrees and I had more friends and interaction in those than in my brick and mortar education. Maybe it's just easier to chat and be outgoing online?
I much prefer online, where education is on my schedule.
I prefer face-to-face classes over online classes. Some college professors have an extensive amount of knowledge and experience working in the field they teach. I love the fact that I get some "nuggets" from their lectures that I would not get if I just read the textbook or participated on blackboard or noodle. For example, I had a business professor that was a plant manager and an accountant. He could give workplace examples of topics that we were discussing in class. It is that type of information I would not get from having the same class online.
How many in-person classes undergrad classes were you in where more than 15% of the class participated meaningfully in a discussion?
Only in graduate school did I experience the whole group contributing somewhat equally. In undergrad, discussions were always dominated by a handful of the most engaged students.
I think online classes more or less reflect that same experience even when the instructor requires participation.
I wasn't in any undergrad classes with an online component. I did undergrad in 1995-1999, when having one dorm of ten on campus "wired for internet(!)" was a selling point. We had one instructor who required papers to be turned in via e-mail, and this was a brave new world. It was that cusp. I started college analog, and graduated digital. That said, though, due to the nature of my undergrad institution, there was a HIGH degree of class participation. Highly selective, very small class size, typical private liberal arts college culling from the top, say, 15% of high school graduating classes for admissions. Bunch of overachievers...and, even if you were on the low-achieving end of the high achievers, you couldn't really get away with hiding in the back not participating, because there were maybe 12 students to a class, tops, most of the time. Not necessarily representative of the average undergrad class at Whatsamatta U.
By contrast, my graduate education began in 2015. Different ballgame. Graduate coursework, at least in my discipline, which is heavily didactic by nature, is a milieu where people are far more likely to be equally invested. Although, to be honest, I've been unimpressed with some of my cohort in that regard...there is a level of half-assing it, even at the graduate level. It does eventually bite them, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
