Over the past few years, I have been more and more involved in teaching college writing through online learning systems. I've learned a lot, and have more yet to learn, about the best strategies for educating students through an online environment. While there has been much debate about the quality of learning through an online classroom versus a traditional one, there is no debate that online learning is here to stay. Even traditional universities and colleges are launching online and blended programs. The ability to attend class from whereever and whenever a student's situation allows is more than just a convenience. For some, it is the ONLY way they would be able to do so. This fact alone makes online learning a valuable tool.
But, back to the quality issue. Do students who take online courses have to settle for a lower quality education, or does the platform in which the student partipates have little or no effect on the quality of their experience? The answer, unfortunately, is that it depends. The dedication of the student, the quality of the course design, the ease of use of the learning management system (LMS), are all factors. However, with the exception of the LMS, these factors also exist in the traditional classroom. This is also true of the most important factor of all: the quality of the instructor. It is primarily this last factor that this blog will address, though I will also discuss the other issues as well, since they all connect in various ways. And, given that I am by no means the sole expert in this area, I hope others will share their tips and thoughts as well. Hopefully, we can all share ideas that will further help retain and educate our students.
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