Reflective Blog #6

There appears to be a smorgasbord of tools available to the online educator. While this provides excitement, it also creates confusion and stress for both the educator and students. The classroom teacher often has a difficult transition from a face-to-face classroom to the online classroom. They have effective techniques to lead class discussion and create the atmosphere for the higher-level thinking activities so important to education. What they often lack is how to translate those strategies to the online environment.  With so many tools available, which ones are going to produce similar results and how are they going to learn them.

Given the change in the tech savvy students, today’s educators are forced to change their teaching style. Gone are the days of the lecture then test format.  Many educators have simply translated their lectures into text based instruction or PowerPoint presentations to teach online then present a test. Putting together an effective online class takes skill, time and knowledge the instructors either don’t have or are unwilling to learn. In my college district, many educators view the online classes as a breeze and easy money. These are the classes that spoil the experience for the student and prevents them from signing up for more online classes.

Another issue is the student understanding how to navigate an online class. If an instructor uses too many techniques the students are often confused. A well designed online class would include these different formats seamlessly so the students can easily transition and navigate the class. The online instructor has to be well organized and plan well ahead to accomplish a class that a student can easily participate in.

If I had a magic wand I would pair each instructor with an instructional designer to help the instructor translate the content to a robust exciting online class. The colleges are starting to create master classes that instructors can enter and have already set up. The instructor’s role would be to manage the class. While many instructors are hesitant to lose this control and their attitude of being the “expert” it would help the students understand navigation and create effective online classes.  We can’t expect our instructors to be content experts and courseware designers.