The quality of online instruction can also vary from class to class... "online learning" to one professor might entail livestreamed lectures, elaborate Powerpoints, and interactive activities, while to another professor it could be just a simple email saying "Here's the essay prompt... the due date is Monday at midnight." Will students and parents feel that they're getting their money's worth if institutions don't lay down ground rules on what constitutes "quality" online instruction?
Very true, but I wonder if some students just don’t consider the interaction to be “engaging” unless it’s in person? Some students enjoy private chatting and messaging for questions and individual support, but others may feel a disconnection as a result of the distance no matter how it’s presented.
Also - I wonder if schools have the capacity to create online classroom standards. Much like in-person instruction, it’s one thing to outline curriculum requirements, standards of office time, aptitude measurement — but it’s something totally different to dictate technical presentation and personality online. You raise an excellent point here - I wonder how the academic affairs community will react to it?
I agree... the undergraduate experience is naturally geared towards face-to-face interaction. Now that a lot of schools are done for the year, I'm curious about what HBCU students are saying about the change in instructional format in their student evaluations.
The quality of online instruction can also vary from class to class... "online learning" to one professor might entail livestreamed lectures, elaborate Powerpoints, and interactive activities, while to another professor it could be just a simple email saying "Here's the essay prompt... the due date is Monday at midnight." Will students and parents feel that they're getting their money's worth if institutions don't lay down ground rules on what constitutes "quality" online instruction?
Very true, but I wonder if some students just don’t consider the interaction to be “engaging” unless it’s in person? Some students enjoy private chatting and messaging for questions and individual support, but others may feel a disconnection as a result of the distance no matter how it’s presented.
Also - I wonder if schools have the capacity to create online classroom standards. Much like in-person instruction, it’s one thing to outline curriculum requirements, standards of office time, aptitude measurement — but it’s something totally different to dictate technical presentation and personality online. You raise an excellent point here - I wonder how the academic affairs community will react to it?
I agree... the undergraduate experience is naturally geared towards face-to-face interaction. Now that a lot of schools are done for the year, I'm curious about what HBCU students are saying about the change in instructional format in their student evaluations.