How do online courses differ from a correspondence school?
When you take a course from a correspondence school, you typically receive printed course materials in the mail on a regular basis. These materials generally consist of reading assignments, practice exercises, etc., and you are expected to complete them at your convenience. Once you are finished, you send your completed work back to an instructor for review. This dialog between student and instructor can be rewarding and it allows you to complete a course of study at your own pace, but it lacks the community of fellow students and faculty that you would find in a traditional classroom at a college or university.
In contrast, our online, web-based instruction techniques offer the benefits of both worlds. Online courses at Concordia are first and foremost discussion based learning experiences. As a student in one of our online courses, you have the convenience of being able to study when your schedule permits, and you are one of a group of students who are constantly in contact with each another (and with your instructor) via the online classroom. You will be required to complete weekly assignments on time, meet milestones and deadlines, and keep pace with your classmates, just as you would in a traditional on-ground course, but you can do this at night, and in your pajamas if you like!
The discussion groups for each class are there for you to work through problems with your classmates. The instructor helps guide the discussion by introducing relevant topics and maintaining a focused dialog. Building a 'community of learners' is a goal in each of our online courses at Concordia.
The discussion groups for each class are there for you to work through problems with your classmates. The instructor helps guide the discussion by introducing relevant topics and maintaining a focused dialog. Building a 'community of learners' is a goal in each of our online courses at Concordia.
E-mail is also used for private correspondence with instructors and fellow students.
The opportunity to communicate with other students is perhaps the most valuable aspect of any education. With today’s online education technology, there is no reason to forfeit community just because you are unable to attend a traditional classroom-style school.
How do online courses compare to traditional courses in terms of grades and student comprehension?
Although there are no conclusive studies as yet comparing the two methods, preliminary evidence has suggested there is “no significant difference” between the two.
Recent research on distance learning programs that use web technologies has had positive findings. Several studies indicate that students taking distance learning courses have similar attitudes, grades and test scores as those students in traditional classrooms. For example, a three-year study of more than 2006 students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology suggests that students perceive they are learning at least as much as they would in a traditional class. Fifty-eight percent said Net learning increased the quality of their education. The same study showed no significant difference in grades.
How does online learning compare to traditional learning?
Many of the same proven instructional strategies that provide a rich context for learning in a traditional classroom have online counterparts. While the form of interaction and engagement may be different, the same principles apply. In addition, many would argue that a technology mediated learning environment can provide a more rich level of learner-to-learner interaction and learner-to-instructor interaction.
Traditional Class | Online Class |
In a classroom at a campus | Anywhere there is a computer |
Reading, writing, small groups, discussion, videos, research | Reading, writing, small groups, discussion, videos, research |
Professor directs instruction | Professor directs instruction |
Regular interaction with instructor and other students | Regular interaction with instructor and other students |
Classroom vs. Your Room
In a traditional course, multiple students gather to learn in a specific time and place. Online courses allow students the flexibility to choose the time and place to learn that is most convenient for them. Each learning environment attracts different learning styles, and, given a choice, students tend to thrive in or to gravitate toward either an online or a traditional learning environment.
In a typical traditional course, the style of instruction at traditional universities is most often teacher-driven, in that the knowledgeable instructor lectures on the subject of his or her expertise.
Successful lectures in a traditional classroom depend upon the presentation style of the instructor. Yet, a study from Indiana University found that students tend to rate professors highly based on what the students have learned, rather than the personality of the instructor. Still, a personality students enjoyed in the instructor was important to students.
Further, studies like one published in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication in 2005 have found that mismatches between the teaching style of the professor and the learning style of the student can impact student learning. Teacher-driven instruction tends to favor auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. A study by University of West Georgia found that auditory learners, who learn best by listening, and kinesthetic learners, who learn best by hands-on engagement with the material, fared best in traditional courses. The same study found that visual learners, who learn best by processing information by what they can see, performed well in online courses.
In contrast, the style of instruction in online programs is student-driven. Depending on the course, students may experience varying levels of control over the pace of receiving learning the material and when they attend the class. Online courses rely on Internet technology trends including Web pages, software programs such as Blackboard, message boards, chat rooms, webinars, webcasts, Internet research via search engines and social media. Face-to-face interaction with classmates or the instructor is absent.
Given technology and student learning styles, instructors have had to adapt both their teaching styles and the way they present information to online students. Research such as that published in the Journal of Educational Computing Research in 2007 concluded that online courses need to put more effort into adapting to diverse learning styles. The study found that students in online course environments tend to share certain characteristics, including strong preferences for organization and independence, as compared with traditional students.
Article Source:http://www.cu-portland.edu/
In a traditional course, multiple students gather to learn in a specific time and place. Online courses allow students the flexibility to choose the time and place to learn that is most convenient for them. Each learning environment attracts different learning styles, and, given a choice, students tend to thrive in or to gravitate toward either an online or a traditional learning environment.
In a typical traditional course, the style of instruction at traditional universities is most often teacher-driven, in that the knowledgeable instructor lectures on the subject of his or her expertise.
Successful lectures in a traditional classroom depend upon the presentation style of the instructor. Yet, a study from Indiana University found that students tend to rate professors highly based on what the students have learned, rather than the personality of the instructor. Still, a personality students enjoyed in the instructor was important to students.
Further, studies like one published in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication in 2005 have found that mismatches between the teaching style of the professor and the learning style of the student can impact student learning. Teacher-driven instruction tends to favor auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. A study by University of West Georgia found that auditory learners, who learn best by listening, and kinesthetic learners, who learn best by hands-on engagement with the material, fared best in traditional courses. The same study found that visual learners, who learn best by processing information by what they can see, performed well in online courses.
In contrast, the style of instruction in online programs is student-driven. Depending on the course, students may experience varying levels of control over the pace of receiving learning the material and when they attend the class. Online courses rely on Internet technology trends including Web pages, software programs such as Blackboard, message boards, chat rooms, webinars, webcasts, Internet research via search engines and social media. Face-to-face interaction with classmates or the instructor is absent.
Given technology and student learning styles, instructors have had to adapt both their teaching styles and the way they present information to online students. Research such as that published in the Journal of Educational Computing Research in 2007 concluded that online courses need to put more effort into adapting to diverse learning styles. The study found that students in online course environments tend to share certain characteristics, including strong preferences for organization and independence, as compared with traditional students.
Article Source:http://www.cu-portland.edu/
