Ever since the internet has become more prevalent in society, online classes have become a much more convenient form of education. I am curious if teachers have found a noticeable difference in the quality of students that appear online versus the students who physically come to classes. There is often no distinction in the comments here between these two markedly different approaches to "classrooms". I am curious if the "physical" students, in general, appear more determined to learn than the online students. Logging into a website is very different than making the conscious effort to regularly show up to a physical classroom. I am curious if online has caused a noticeable degradation in the quality of student base from an experienced teachers perspective.
12 replies (most recent on top)
I suspect that a majority of the faculty posting here are online instructors, and never have to deal with students face to face on any sort of personal level. These are also the people who are more likely to refer to the majority of their students as idiots. It's a sociological problem that both the instructor and the student can succumb to. The student doesn't have to try as hard, and the instructor only sees a list of faceless names.
To "teach" is a verb. Strange how people would rather go off topic than stick to the point. To be a "teacher" is someone who "teaches". If you don't teach others, what the heck are you doing all day? The terminology is fine , some people are just wow, missing a very simple point. If quality of students has declined, and has been declining since online classes have become more popular, perhaps is can be linked to one of the causes of your current dilemma, especially since all students seem to be grouped into one category and no distinction is made. perhaps most INSTRUCTORS, have no experience as being PROFESSORS in a real classroom, and are incapable of seeing the point of the question. And some of the ones here don't seem to think they actually "teach" at all.
It's also insulting to denigrate an entire modality of teaching. Online schooling is not the problem, treating education like a business IS. Recruiting students that have no business being in college classrooms is the reason CCI has the demographic it doea. I have taught online and hybrid courses for traditional community colleges, and the students in those courses are motivated, autonomous, and have a fantastic work ethic. They don't constantly ask for late work, they don't make excuses, and they produce quality writing. But, that's also partly because we're actually allowed to BE instructors at those schools, and drop students if they don't participate, choose our own book and set our own curriculum. In other words, we get to actually teach, to real, motivated people.
Perhaps be clearer in your use of terminology and tone next time. It's an insult to tell professionals their tasks are the same as a kindergarten teacher. Surveys should be non biased as well.
It appears that the only person who understood the point of the question was someone who didn't work at CCi.
Hey, 458. You have muddied the waters again. Now you are going to have to define idiot in a manner suitable for peer review. Good luck with that.
I teach at a medium to large (10,000+ students) private university on the West Coast. Several years ago we started a separate online university with the same brand as the traditional university. It attracts students at a much lower level than the on-the-ground school. The on-the-ground school discourages students from taking classes at the online university because the classes are much easier at the online university. However, the on-the-ground school creates it's own online classes which are much more difficult than the online university's classes. My conclusion is that people who have the cognitive ability and the financial means to go to a traditional university do so. Those who are lacking one or both go an online university.
Highest quality would be instructors being less likely to think of most of the students as "idiots", as some have unabashedly referred to them. If we knew the exact statistics, would more of the instructors consider their students "idiots" in the online program, or would more instructors consider most of the students "idiots" on the physical campus, or would the numbers be pretty much the same. It's a fairly simple question.
Um, I think you are going to have to define "quality" in order to get a substantive response. Don't plan to publish your findings, either - this place is full of wing nuts.
Instructors and teachers basically perform the same task, but I respect the need for proper vernacular, and no I haven't made up my mind, hence the survey about what could be a legitimate sociological issue affecting the industry. The concept of depersonalization.
Are you referring to k12? Those are teachers. Higher education has instructors and professors. And it seems as if you've already made up your mind.
The evidence is everywhere that the internet creates an environment where people are free to express themselves in a much less "tactful" way with no fear of consequences for their behavior. And statistically, 99% will read without making any comments at all. I am curious of the overall sociological impact this has played in the modern concept of education, and if it's possible that the online option has poisoned the industry to some degree. Thanks.