Comments on: Online Courses http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/2009/09/online-courses/ Economics, Politics, Entertainment and Life in Academia Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:37:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: ProfSwitzer http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/2009/09/online-courses/comment-page-1/#comment-4225 ProfSwitzer Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:19:57 +0000 http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/?p=1073#comment-4225 Probably his Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy course, which I know got really rave reviews from his students. I'm working through the process of writing my lectures, converting to PowerPoint, and then actually talking through them and converting to videos. That way, students can watch but actually have to take notes. It should be better than a lecture, since students can pause, rewind and play again if they have any trouble understanding a concept. Prychitko is a class act, for sure. Probably his Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy course, which I know got really rave reviews from his students. I’m working through the process of writing my lectures, converting to PowerPoint, and then actually talking through them and converting to videos. That way, students can watch but actually have to take notes. It should be better than a lecture, since students can pause, rewind and play again if they have any trouble understanding a concept. Prychitko is a class act, for sure.

]]> By: Lindsay http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/2009/09/online-courses/comment-page-1/#comment-4223 Lindsay Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:51:05 +0000 http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/?p=1073#comment-4223 I took two online courses while at NMU. One was Human Geography, simply for the liberal studies credit. The unfortunate thing about that class was that nothing was due until the end of the semester... so of course I put it all off until the last two weeks. I don't remember a darn thing from it. I just got it done. The other online course I took was a class of David Prychitko. I don't remember which one it was, but I really liked that one. I had had him as an in-class professor in a previous semester and liked his teaching style. The nice thing about the online course was that there wasn't a text... he wrote lectures for us to read. He wrote in the same style in which he spoke, and I was able to connect to the material and understand well. There were helpful forums that people actually used and then we all actually met for exams. I took two online courses while at NMU. One was Human Geography, simply for the liberal studies credit. The unfortunate thing about that class was that nothing was due until the end of the semester… so of course I put it all off until the last two weeks. I don’t remember a darn thing from it. I just got it done.

The other online course I took was a class of David Prychitko. I don’t remember which one it was, but I really liked that one. I had had him as an in-class professor in a previous semester and liked his teaching style. The nice thing about the online course was that there wasn’t a text… he wrote lectures for us to read. He wrote in the same style in which he spoke, and I was able to connect to the material and understand well. There were helpful forums that people actually used and then we all actually met for exams.

]]> By: drk http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/2009/09/online-courses/comment-page-1/#comment-4027 drk Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:48:32 +0000 http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/?p=1073#comment-4027 I was disappointed that there were no online classes available to me when I returned to school to finish my degree. After returning to the classroom I was happy that I had to take traditional classes. The interaction, the ability to ask questions as they come up and the availability of a professor after class helped me learn the material much better than if I had been left to my own devices. Simply being able to ask a prof clarify either during a lecture or shortly after class saved me so much time in my studying. On a kind of, sort of related note, I thought that this was interesting... http://gradstudentmadness.blogspot.com/2009/09/now-that-its-fairly-easy-to-take.html I was disappointed that there were no online classes available to me when I returned to school to finish my degree. After returning to the classroom I was happy that I had to take traditional classes. The interaction, the ability to ask questions as they come up and the availability of a professor after class helped me learn the material much better than if I had been left to my own devices. Simply being able to ask a prof clarify either during a lecture or shortly after class saved me so much time in my studying.

On a kind of, sort of related note, I thought that this was interesting…

http://gradstudentmadness.blogspot.com/2009/09/now-that-its-fairly-easy-to-take.html

]]> By: David http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/2009/09/online-courses/comment-page-1/#comment-4015 David Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:42:05 +0000 http://www.profswitzer.com/blog/?p=1073#comment-4015 I will not take any online courses if I can help it. I find that I need more interaction with the teacher and class if I really want to learn. There are, of course, classes that do not require much thinking or real learning to do well. As the principles courses are all conceptual, I personally, would stay as far away as possible. There are several courses that are common knowledge classes and all a student needs to know how to do is state back what the teacher wants to hear. But again, there is no real learning here. These are just classes to make the student think a certain way or to turn mush into ‘substance’. This is not the kind of class that you teach. For on line courses to work, how will you engage the students? It cannot be just a post a couple times a week. Can you have video embedded? This would help explain some of the very tough information and would possibly allow the students to post questions in the same manner. It is not practical to assume that all students can write a question and clarify the problem if they do not understand the topic. And, if they understood, why do they need to ask a question? Of course the appeal of on line courses is the flexibility for people. The video back in forth would help keep the feeling of a classroom without the time commitment. Maybe you already have a system like this in place, but I have seen one yet. For me this would at least peak my interest for taking the class, but I am sure I would still lean against it. I will not take any online courses if I can help it. I find that I need more interaction with the teacher and class if I really want to learn. There are, of course, classes that do not require much thinking or real learning to do well. As the principles courses are all conceptual, I personally, would stay as far away as possible. There are several courses that are common knowledge classes and all a student needs to know how to do is state back what the teacher wants to hear. But again, there is no real learning here. These are just classes to make the student think a certain way or to turn mush into ‘substance’. This is not the kind of class that you teach.
For on line courses to work, how will you engage the students? It cannot be just a post a couple times a week. Can you have video embedded? This would help explain some of the very tough information and would possibly allow the students to post questions in the same manner. It is not practical to assume that all students can write a question and clarify the problem if they do not understand the topic. And, if they understood, why do they need to ask a question? Of course the appeal of on line courses is the flexibility for people. The video back in forth would help keep the feeling of a classroom without the time commitment. Maybe you already have a system like this in place, but I have seen one yet.
For me this would at least peak my interest for taking the class, but I am sure I would still lean against it.

]]>