Surviving Online Education

The obvious reason a school might offer online courses is to reduce the number of students in classrooms.  This allows utilities to be reduced with a large savings.  It also allows a reduction in the school’s carbon footprint by reducing heating and cooling needs, and lighting.  It can also allow delaying or cancelling new building construction.  And one teacher can teach classes that might not physically fit in a classroom.

The student saves both time and money not having to travel to the school.  If the student lives in a dormitory this might not be worth as much.  However, online courses are often touted as courses one can attend when time is available, allowing students to schedule classes more freely.

Some schools try to accommodate as many students as they can.  This often leads to having the teacher post material and assignments online, to be handled by the students when they are able to get to them.  This is contrary to having the teacher physically present during a Zoom session.

The reason for the flexibility is to allow students who work shifts the ability to finish the course.  It helps populate the course, but hinders the student from asking questions.  Even if there is a forum for posting a question and getting an answer a day later there is a problem.  Moving on past a point of confusion is not conducive to proper learning, the question must be asked and answered when the understanding of the material requires it, not a day later.

So, solving one group of students problem happens at the expense of other students’ learning. 

There are online learning resources, many of which are free.  Think of the following situation.  A problem in mathematics causes confusion.  A video is readily available.  It is viewed, and the realization is the confusion persists.  Rewinding over and over is a problem, since it is difficult to stop at exactly the right place, especially when that place is unknown.

If a printed supplement is available, it is possible to look back.  Then comes reading slowly.  Ah, try to undo that with a video.  Stop and reread sentence by sentence until the material is grasped.  Try repeating one sentence or phrase with a video.  Then, with the theory marked, try an example, referring back if needed.  Can we say the print has advantages?

Videos do serve a purpose.  If your print resource lacks what you need, you can use a video that is immediately available, even at 2 a.m.

Another problem with videos is some are too lengthy.  I have seen videos exceed ten minutes to explain simple mathematics.  If it is one fine point that needs to be reviewed, watching a ten-minute video is not the answer.

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