Online Education has definitely established its place in the world of education, especially at the university level and for homeschoolers.
What makes online classroom so attractive as a course format for students and teachers?
Increased Accessibility- With online classes, learning can happen anywhere, even in the most remote and disadvantages places in the world. For any students who are deprived a chance of higher level education is now available to them. You only need a standard internet connection and a computer to be part of the online education. Teachers must design the coursework so it can be accessible to every type of student. For example, videos with captions, audio only or text to audio. Students can easily access course materials (videos, lectures, exams, quizzes) anywhere, anytime given the right technological tools,
Flexibility - Teachers can establish their own schedule of which they can balance instruction time and other professional duties (grading, seminars, research, mentoring students), as well as their personal obligations. Students also benefit from flexibility by reviewing and doing the coursework on their own schedule and at their own pace. The ability to review material is an advantageous aspect of online education for English language learners; for students with disabilities and for students who have limited free time.
Assessment - Online exercises and assessments can provide a way for teacher to track individual student learning and progress. This information can help teachers revise and improve the design of their course. Students have real time feedback about their understanding and what they need to practice and to review in order to master a specific skill or a concept.
One of the aspect that online learning has shown to be helpful for a mainstream classroom is that the instructor can individualize/adjust or customize his/her course for each student. In a f2f classroom the pace tends to be the same and some students may easily fall behind if they miss important concepts. In online classroom, the instructor can adjust the amount of work including homework, projects, interactive quizzes and exams that matches the learning potential and maturity of the student, instead of one size fits all learning style.
Weaknesses of online courses
Online classroom is not for every students. It works better for self-regulated and independent minded students and sometimes for ADHD students depending on the course. Another problem is that online may not replicate stimulating class discussions and social community that can be fostered in f2f classroom. Students may miss the the resources normally available on-campus such as tutoring and the resource learning center. The later can be eliminated by introducing mandatory weekly forums and peer responses on online courses. Forums and online community activities, work well for students who are shy and who rarely participate in a f2f class.
Another weakness is the instructor needs to be knowledgeable with technology tools of the LMS, meaning that he/she has to invest additional time in training (increasing of his or her work load). Students with disabilities may have difficulties in using online tools and may need technological support. Technical problems in online classes can be a problem for instructors and students (student computer can crash, servers problems may cut off connection with students in class, and problems with the LMS) Access can be a limiting factor too since some students may not have adequate internet connection nor a computer.
In conclusion the best of both worlds would be a blended classroom.
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