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Educator's Voice

Volume 6, Issue 4
April 13, 2005

Why Should We Teach Online?

I was recently at an eLearning conference where the keynote speaker asked the question, "Why should we teach online?"

The room full of 200 online instructors fell silent. Everyone thought about it. Note that he did not ask how we can teach online or why we do teach online. Those questions would be easier to answer.

We can teach online because good teaching is still good teaching, despite the medium. We can teach online because we can give authentic assessment to our students, we can create authentic tasks, we can effectively interact, facilitate, and communicate theories and ideas. We can teach online because technology allows us and our own creativity (teaching skills) drives us. We can teach online because we've moved past the notion that online learning has "no significant difference" to actually understanding that it is better in certain instances than face-to-face instruction. (http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewSym/Mono4.html)

It was also significant that the speaker did not ask why we do teach online. That too would be easier to assess. Some would argue that we teach online because the paradigm has shifted and education must keep up with the times. Others suggest that we teach online because that's where the students are. We're now meeting our students in a time and place of convenient learning rather than forcing them to come to us. Still others would persuade us that we teach online because of the benefits to the teacher. (There is something to be said for grading tests in your fuzzy slippers and bathrobe!) And finally there are those who counter that if we don't teach online, we'll miss the opportunity to reach the next generation!

But, as I have already stated, his question was why we should teach online. I hope that as you've read this article, you have thought through your own response. It's a good question! And I think that the answer is even better. See what you think.

I highly recommend that you view some of the sites listed below. Not because they are uplifting. Not because they are quality. And not because of their educational value. I recommend that you visit these sites to see what our students, your students, might be visiting.

Have you ever been to www.hatewatch.org? On the Web site, you can find information about most hate groups in the nation. In fact, you can find a U.S. map, listing where most of these groups are and how many members they have. (http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp) There you can read about "Project Schoolyard USA," a neo-Nazi music CD distributed to thousands of school kids around the country. You can find out about Web sites from these hate groups with "teen forums." These are places for young people to speak out against those of other cultures, race, and ethnicity. You can even see an example of a KKK Web site where the founder's teenage son has his own page that is updated weekly.

Do you know which Internet industry is larger than any other? If you guessed pornography, you're close. Porn was the second leading industry until this year. Now, it's Internet gambling. Did you also know that these two industries combined make more money than the next 20 put together? (http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/janower.html)

Have you heard about the Internet hoax when someone claimed research was pointing to the largest earthquake in U.S. history? It was supposed to start in Illinois and would most likely "wipe out" houses and businesses all along Lake Michigan. Several people sold their houses and there is one report that a vendor sold his business because the "scientific research" was so compelling. (http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/)

That's what else is out there. That is how our society, our future, is changing. The Internet provides enough information to fill 250 textbooks for every man, woman and child on the planet every year. Much of this information is poorly constructed, terribly irresponsible, or just plain bogus. And research shows us that more and more of the information we receive every year comes from this medium.

So, back to the original question, "Why should we teach online?" I contend that we should because we have to be a voice in this sea of information overload. We should because we have to show our students how to dig through information responsibly, wisely and effectively. We should teach online because education has always led the way in terms of quality research, effective communication and critical thinking. We should teach online because the world needs us to. I think it's just that simple. Good luck and good teaching!

       – Jeff D. Borden, M.A.

TIP

eTeaching Institute Offers New Course

The eTeaching Institute is proud to announce a new course offering!

EDU 106: Reviewing and Enriching Your Online Course

Self-assessment and evaluation is an incredibly important aspect of the teaching--in any environment. eCollege has offered a Course Audit for quite some time now. The audit consists of a thorough course appraisal using a rubric developed by the eCollege Instructional Design team. In the audit, an Instructional Designer provides written feedback that includes positive aspects of the course, as well as suggestions for how the course could be improved. The audit is useful because it provides specific, concrete suggestions and pedagogically sound strategies for improvement. We have a self-guided online version of this audit as well: the Faculty Self-Assessment Course.

EDU 106 is a four week, instructor-led class that takes Course Audit and our online Faculty Self-Assessment course a couple of steps further. While it gives you the ability to "rate" a developed course, it also offers pointers and research around key areas in a course (instructional design, Web layout, pedagogical strategies, assessment tips, etc.); as well, there are course enrichment activities and threaded discussions that allow participants to brainstorm ideas and gain knowledge from our experienced Instructional Design staff.

Please visit http://eteaching.ecollege.com/index.learn?action=Online for more information and to register.

       – Errin Klein, M.A.