I think the biggest challenge with online teaching comes from the monster that the online learning environment is. It's too unpredictable. Too many factors can affect the quality of the class:
- What kind of computer is everyone using? What is the processor speed?
- What kind of internet connection is everyone on? Are there other computers on their network (which slows the bandwidth)?
- What internet browser is everyone using? Does it need a plug-in?
- What settings on these browsers specifically support the online learning platform that is being used?
- What tools need to be shared, and how does each specific learning platform support the sharing of these tools?
- Is my laptop charged?
- Is there enough light in the room so people can see me on video?
- Is my microphone off?
- Is my microphone on??
- There are technical difficulties. What do we do?
All of this is just a sample of the challenges that the online learning environment brings to the table, and this is even before we talk about the teaching and learning!
So my question is, is it possible for all of these challenges to intersect with our good teaching to provide even better teaching experiences? If we have a student online, and their laptop dies, and then they come back to the course - is there a way to overcome that as a teacher so that the student feels like they haven't missed a beat in regards to the learning experience? We can plan for all of the unpredictability of the online learning environment, but is there a higher level of flexibility and adaptability we should be pursuing so that the "monster" brings out the best in all of us?
You hit the nail on the head, Marcus. Good teaching is good teaching, and thus the design of the learning environment should afford good learning opportunities. The added layer of technical issues pertinent to online teaching make the complications different from a f2f classroom. Also important to ask are questions which take into account the bigger picture... Who is learning online? Who can afford to learn online? etc.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Marcus - in addition to a thoughtful and creative design of a research-based learning environment, the teacher also needs to maximize the availability. In the blended classes I am teach at AIM, I frequently have students say something like, "I couldn't post my Flipgrid response last night because my computer was frozen." Or they forgot their charger. Or they forgot the password. Or their internet was out. Or something. My school is pretty homogenous in that most students come from higher income brackets. If the student body was more diverse, then Warschauer and Matuchniak point to an even larger difference in ability to successfully and consistently access online material - and then my well-designed class suffers from inequality of access. According to their study, only half of parents who attain at most a high school diploma have internet access at home (p. 184) so their students will not even have access to my good teaching. Just to add to the unpredictability.
ReplyDeleteWhen we teach, don't we always ask questions about our design? I find the classroom has a persistent element of unpredictability with AND without technology. Technology brings a new source. Can we bring our students into the problem solving when we encounter the unexpected? A collaborative of troubleshooting brings learning for student and teacher alike.
ReplyDeleteMarcus, you bring up excellent concerns. On the one hand to make sure all students have access, it seems as if strict requirements will have to be listed before the start of the course, which could be exclusionary. It also seems reminder e-mils would need to be sent out to remind students of things, such as having a fully charged laptop or being plugged-in, which seems to insult the maturity of learners. There are many other like concerns and I too wonder, how they can be overcome so that all students have a smoothe online learning experience. Should institutions distribute loaner technology and/or software so that all students are on the same page? Is that even possible? Yet, as Lee Ann points out even in f2f classrooms the element of surprise is always lurking and I think, that especially in online classes, resolutions to this problems as Lee Ann also pointed out must starts with the students; partly, because they are in their physical space and we cannot adapt for needs we don't know of, yet also because an appreciable portion of online learning is self-directed, the platform provides space to exercise intrinsic motivation and self-advocacy. This may or may not be a good thing.
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