During the last few months, we have asked ourselves: “Is virtual education good or bad?”. It may be tempting for most to say “of course it’s good!” but I see this as a kind of “trick question”. We should consider this question in the context of the traditional classroom. Have our experiences in traditional classrooms been fantastic? We have all had great classes in traditional settings, and perhaps others that were not so great. I would suggest that the quality and effectiveness of learning are not tied to one “type” of teaching. In the same way that we can have good (and not so good) face-to-face courses in traditional classrooms, we can also have good (and not so good) online courses. Also, re-conceptualizing and turning a traditional class into a virtual course doesn’t necessarily make it better or worse.
What does the research tell us? And what are the lessons for teaching-learning in the future? A large number of studies have examined virtual education. They explore effectiveness through a series of criteria. Such as satisfaction, retention, and performance. Some researchers highlighted that some applications of online education are better than classroom teaching and some were worse. It tells us that online learning can be effective – but that alone is not a guarantee that it will be effective. It is not predetermined that online education is better (or worse) than a traditional classroom. Perhaps the most important question to ask ourselves is: “How can online education be effective?” Developing an online course. A vital aspect of this, is the support and training provided to those who are designing online courses and openly discussing the advantages and limitations of this “classroom-type”. Effective online courses are developed through systematic instructional design with an emphasis on achieving the learning objectives of the course. The rigor of this approach to the development of the course and the creation of learning activities (which vary of course) is essential to create an effective learning environment and potentiates the learning of students and their construction of new knowledge. we have to be careful not to romanticize the traditional classroom. Not all traditional learning experiences are the same. There is a significant difference between a conference in a large auditorium with hundreds of students and a small seminar room with 15 students. The physical classroom has one advantage – the “spontaneity” of the discussion that can occur. These occasions can be wonderful learning opportunities. This lack of spontaneity has been a limitation in virtual classrooms, due to the bandwidth limitations required for (synchronous) transmissions of web conferences. So what is the future of online classes? My hope is that we continue to evolve different models of online learning. The spirit of “blended” or “integrated” online courses strive to capture the best of virtual, with the best of traditional classroom experiences. Ultimately, I think we are going to progress and develop instruction to the point where these historically based distinctions and categorical terms become blurred and less meaningful, and we are just going to focus on learning.
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