Last updated 1/9/06

Taking Online Classes: What You Should Know
David Bowen / Science and Technology Faculty & DIS WebMaster
d.r.bowen@wayne.edu / 313-577-8518 (W) / 248-549-8518 (H) / http://www.is.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen
(this page is online at http://www.cll.wayne.edu/web101)

  1. Online classes ...
    1. are here - being taught regularly at ISP, two to four per semester (four this semester, four next semester)
      1. ISP usually teaches as many online courses as the rest of the University combined
      2. ISP has started listing of ISP online courses; hopefully we will keep it up to date
      3. http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp then click on link to "COURSES" then click on link to "Online Courses for Fall 2001"
    2. are a new option, not a replacement or a requirement
      1. Personally, I feel that we owe it to students to help ISP and our students to prepare for what is coming, or what is already here
    3. may or may not have required class meetings (most have some required meetings at this point)
      1. Some students have assumed that ALL online classes have NO required course meetings.
      2. Most students in a course of mine that met every other week and worked online in between, said that they should have been warned that this was an online course. These people were not having technical problems. (See Active/Passive table below.)
      3. Sometimes "grounded" and online sections of the same course so that students can switch back and forth.
      4. There may also be optional face-to-face meetings
    4. usually have textbooks (real textbooks, not virtual - in a few cases, readings have been online)
    5. are diverse and changing rapidly, both in technology and in methods
      1. Oldest method, still valid, is email everything except textbooks
    6. are well within the technical range of most students and computers
      1. Normal public web access
        1. If using work access and there is a firewall, may need employer account to get through
        2. WSU provides free Internet access and software to all students, but any other access works as well
      2. Email - does not have to be WSU email, although it is free and recently it is much better -
        http://mail.wayne.edu
    7. "feel" different
  2. ISP has a one-credit course on taking Internet courses
    1. Web.edu: How Internet Courses Work, GIS 1600
    2. See http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/WebEduF05 for a recent Syllabus and other details
  3. Comparing a "regular" face-to-face reading/writing course with a "typical" online course
      Face-to-face Online
    Meeting place Classroom Course web site (may have password)
    Syllabus, assignments Handouts Web pages
    Information from instructor Lectures Web pages
    Primary readings Textbooks Textbooks
    Participation, problem-solving Class discussion Class computer conference
    Turning in and returning course work Physical exchange Normally electronic (email attachments, web site)
  1. Technical aspects
    1. Web access
      1. Main knowledge is that a link is blue and underlined - click on it to follow the link
        1. Turns purple afterwards
      2. Type in "web address" (URL) in window at top of screen, hit <Enter>
    2. Email attachments can scare students that are not used to them, but afterwards there was nothing to be scared of
      1. An attachment to a normal email message
      2. Many email programs, each one has a different method to get started - here are some examples
        AttachMenu.gif (2357 bytes)
        menu item        		 AttachButton.gif (1555 bytes)
        button with icon
        (paper clip)        		 AttachButton2.gif (1357 bytes)
        button with no icon
      3. Then find file using normal drive\folder\name using "File Open" then click "OK
      4. Alternative is that some web sites have a web-based method, not using email
      5. These days attachments are no problem, but there still can be a word processor incompatibility (not an Internet problem - would exist even if file turned in on diskette)
    3. Getting help with Internet problems - helps to be as specific as possible about error screens - there are typically five to ten computers helping you make the connection, including your computer and the web or email server, belonging to different systems with different staffs.
    4. Call the Instructor, call the WebMaster, call University technical support (313-577-4778)
    5. There are other things that it helps to know, but technical problems are almost never "show stoppers" in online courses
  2. How online courses feel different
    1. Control shifts toward student - how far?
    2. What actually shifts?
      1. Schedule
      2. Amount of discussion, topics of discussion, style of discussion - an unlimited opportunity for discussion
      3. Often more options in assignments as well
    3. But also responsibility...
      1. Easier to "drop out," can be less there to pull you back
        1. I have started sending weekly emails, but email addresses change, people can "blow off" email messages, and some do not read email regularly
      2. If the Instructor is confusing students, may not be other students to ask the questions
      3. Large blocks of time are more efficient for course work, lead to more satisfaction and reward for the student, but we suspect that many people are initially attracted by a (false) impression that they can "fit it in" and point and click to get that knowledge into their minds
        1. I often assign people to make a schedule showing when they will work on the course. A common guideline is to allow at least three hours per week for every credit hour.
      4. Online courses are not easier that face-to-face - extra work is assigned to compensate for "seat time"
        1. When a crisis comes up at home or work that requires that the course be put aside for awhile, it can be harder to get back, and work piles up more quickly. Should not put course aside 100%
    4. Instructor can also not do his/her part - one saying is  that the Instructor is "not the 'sage on the stage' but the 'guide on the side'"
      1. Instructor can feel that the assignments are set, the discussion is primed, now I can sit back and let this little machine run by itself - grade assignments, participate in discussion
      2. Doesn't work - Instructor must take a hands-on role if students are to make it through the course
      3. Advice - don't hesitate to push the Instructor if you feel this is going on
      4. Student can feel - mistakenly - that they are "out there" all alone. When all else fails, call the Instructor.
    5. Motivation - yours
      1. An online course will go much better if you are motivated. Can you manage your own motivation? Yes! How:
        1. Pick courses that really interest you.
        2. Look for the things in each course to enjoy.
        3. If all else fails, pretend that you are motivated. No kidding, this does work.
        4. Ask the Instructor for help here.
        5. The bottom line is to keep plugging away.
      2. For people that like online courses, what is it that they like?
        1. Almost without exception, the people that really like online courses say they like the online discussion.
          1. This surprises many others, who feel beforehand that electronic discussion would be impersonal.
        2. What do people like about online discussions?
          1. There is more time to get to know people personally, and to discuss kids and jobs and school (and even the Instructor)
          2. You can express yourself, your ideas, your reactions, what interested you in the topic in the first place
          3. With Moodle (an alternative to BlackBoard) you get to see who you are talking with (stills, not video, but video will come)
          4. There is time for back-and-forth, to really understand, and to make sure that you are understood
          5. And you can attend class in your jammies. (Maybe video isn't such a good idea after all!)
      3. So what to do?
        1. Get started in the online discussion right away.
        2. When you are doing other assignments such as reading and writing, think about what you will say in the online discussion.
        3. Help others online, or do what you can. This allows you to feel superior and unselfish at the same time.
        4. If the online system has formatting for your messages, use it. Font size, bolding, italics, underline, colors, highlighting, smilies :-), even combinations. Have fun with it. (OK, so you can do too much of this.)
        5. Have something to say and say it. This is about you (really).
    6. Passive Learning compared to Active Learning
      (Active students almost always get more out of there college education, but even more so in Online courses. Where do you come out along this scale?)

      Range.gif (1214 bytes)
      Passive   Active
      Listen   Ask
      Absorb   Explore
      Store for later use   Use now
      Keep doubts to self   Make doubts public
      Hide from Instructor   Seek out Instructor
      "I'm having trouble"   "We're having trouble"
      "Teacher can't teach"   "We're having trouble"
      "Why did you grade me down?"   "What should I do better?"
      "Teach me"   "Help me learn"
  3. On balance
    1. Make no mistake, I am an advocate - I love computers and the Internet, and also - how can I give learners more control over their learning?
    2. Works extremely well for many or even most students
      1. Can often preview a course in detail from an earlier semester, or from an advance syllabus for the upcoming semester (not all systems allow this)
      2. Organized, aggressive students love the control and responsibility
        1. Will often teach each other
      3. Many students remark that they like the discussion forum - they can always say their piece, and can say it the way they want to - edit, explain, use formatting
        1. Give and take is better - can follow up
        2. Easier for students to bring in their own expertise
        3. Usually the online discussion is not graded for content, but I have begun to feel that sometimes so much care is put in and the quality is so high that it deserves credit. I do encourage students to quote the online conference in their paper
      4. Many online course are starting to involve student web pages - most popular assignment ever!
      5. People take Internet courses to brush up on their Internet skills - to have it become commonplace
      6. Many shy people who may not speak up in class find their voices online
      7. Many students who have taken a first online class keep coming back to take more - they take all we offer
      8. Student paper online as course materials
      9. Students come back to the discussion forum after the class is over (not all systems allow this)
    3. Can have problems for some students
      1. Those who really didn't have time but thought they could manage anyway
      2. Those who can't "get into" the online discussion
  4. Coming up
    1. ISP is trying to start on online degree program, and a concentration in "Internet Studies"
    2. Universities and faculty will learn how best to use this new medium.
      1. Making information about online courses more available, including what courses are online, what the course web site is, and how to get started
      2. Better way to identify online students and get information to them
      3. Technical support must be around the clock.
      4. More consistent use of email
      5. Better way to send email to a class, including updating email addresses
    3. Present technology will improve
      1. Faster and more reliable Internet access
      2. Easier and more uniform email attachments
      3. Where access is required, will become more transparent
    4. New technologies
      1. Internet videophone, multimedia (experiment with sound on the ISP web site)
      2. Talk and data at the same time
      3. Video conferencing
      4. Returning assignments via email to a group instead of one-by-one
      5. Better way to make sure that students are staying involved in the course

From a former student (graduated)
"I decided to take an online course because the idea of completing a class from the comfort of my home appealed to me. I think that I, like others, believed that it might be an easier way to get through a class. What I found out was that it required every bit if not more time than any class that I could attend physically. There were benefits, too, that I had not anticipated. These were the ease of contact with other students and the instructor. I felt as though I were attending a class where I was able to get help from someone for any question I might have. Dr. Bowen's weekly requirement that I post a comment helped me to overcome any shyness I had about posting. After I had posted for the first time, I realized that it was no different than talking to my neighbor in class, it was helpful and it put me in touch with everyone painlessly. I also realized that when it came to questions about the course, I was one-on-one with the instructor. It was an aid to the learning process.

"My method of attending was this, each day when I arrived home from work, the first thing I did was sit down at my computer to see whether any messages had been posted to "our" site. I would answer if I could, but I might just post a "hello" to everyone. Then, I would go about the business of coursework. That might be reading or composing a paper, but whatever, I would do something. I might have plans or have to clean or do laundry, but first I would do coursework. It was important for me not to put it off, because if I did, it became easier and easier to do so. I have much experience in procrastinating and have learned that the more I put it off, the more I feel guilty about it, and the more I put it off. I need to police myself. I need to keep myself in the work and do something each day or it becomes easier to quit acting. I begin talking myself into quitting.

"Internet classes were the most enjoyable classes that I took at WSU. I know that they're not for everyone, some prefer the interaction of a classroom. I prefer to settle down at home and work. I like the personal contact with the instructor as well as the students. We're all there to learn something and we all do!"