There is a common perception that both taking courses and teaching courses online is easier than doing so in a traditional classroom. While both modalities differ — and definitely have some aspects that are easier than others – I would argue that neither is inherently easier. One big difference is the amount of time required in an online setting and I would argue that significantly more time is necessary in the online modality to achieve similar learning outcomes.
Without a doubt, students must be more self-motivated in the online classroom. In a traditional classroom, students can be motivated by the instructor or their peers – and the same is true in the online classroom – but it is much more difficult to do so online without the face-to-face interaction. This can prove to be challenging for both students and instructors. It requires significantly more time investment for an instructor to motivate students within the online classroom.
It is also important to note that assignments take longer, both to complete and to grade, in the online classroom. Many traditional instructors think that they can simply transfer the course from the traditional classroom to the online classroom and that truly is not the case. Often, assignments and activities that work well in a traditional classroom do not work or provide the same learning in the online classroom.
For example, in one of the writing courses I teach in a traditional classroom, one assignment is to write a paper that compares and contrasts. In order to explain this assignment and help students learn words that would be appropriate for transitions and as descriptors within this assignment, I bring in small bags of Skittles and M & Ms and have students work in groups to compare and contrast the two candies. This activity does not transfer well to the online classroom.
Most elements of a traditional classroom also require more time to complete in the online classroom. One example is discussions – within a traditional classroom we can easily select a topic and discuss it for a typical 45-50 minute class period. In an online class, most discussions last an entire week as student’s weigh-in and provide their opinions on their own, asynchronous timeline.
The amount of reading and writing in an online classroom is also significantly more intense than in a traditional classroom. Most traditional classrooms require reading, but students also learn by engaging in activities and listening to the instructor lecture. In the online classroom, nearly all student learning is through reading and comprehension – of the text, of the instructor lecture, of the discussion. What would be a 30-minute discussion in the classroom can easily take a student several hours to read and respond to in the online modality.
It is important for instructors to remember that to convert a traditional course to the online classroom, many assignments and activities will need to be significantly revised, while other aspects will need to be eliminated – and along that same token, the time invested within the online classroom will most likely be significantly higher.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
