New Roles for Learners and Teachers in Online Higher Education (original) (raw)

What is higher education’s role when anyone can learn on the Internet?”

The much heralded technology driven disruption in higher education is challenging the worth of the bricks and mortar campus. In response, we must reclaim and demonstrate the transformative educational value of a full-time, physically located, humanities grounded, and technologically current undergraduate experience. Rather than debate modes of delivery, our focus should be on defining, designing, and deploying a higher educational vision that draws on the traditional American liberal arts model and builds on our collective knowledge of how humans have dealt with the innumerable challenges of transformative technological change in the past and how they have grappled with the enduring questions endemic to the human condition. Higher education, online and face-to-face, has a critical mission in cultivating the capacity for judgment, the development of values, and the practice of moral decision making, all of which have been defining purposes of the liberal arts and sciences tradition. “What is higher education’s role when anyone can learn on the Internet?” International HETL Review, 3, 10 (October 2013).

Paradox of Teacher and Student in Online Education and Societal Culture

Online education is strongly pushing campus-based, teacher-led instruction out of the traditional university framework, especially for the adult learners. With the growth of online enrollments universities are facing new challenges. A prominent place among them occupies the diminishing role of the instructor due to the learner-centered approach and specifics of the online learning. Students in a rich technology-based online environment feel more independent, which is certainly welcomed, however, to effectively manage their own learning they have to be autonomous and self-efficient. So far, according to research, only a small fraction of students is prepared for effective online learning, which necessitates extensive and continuous instructor's support. This paper addresses several critical, interrelated issues, such as consumerism and national culture's effects on education, learner-centered approach and quality of the learning outcomes, convenience factor and students' ...

Paradigm Shift : from traditional to online education

This paper discusses the philosophical and educational practice shift of two academics new to distance and online education. They identify the reasons for this paradigm shift. Beginning with the traditional teacher-focused model of education, they chronicle their adjustments and adoption of new approaches to adapt to Central Queensland University's more student-focused, distance education system.

Strategies for Meeting the Individual Needs and Learning Styles of Online Learners

The majority of online learners are working professionals with many domestic responsibilities. Their needs differ from traditional students of a brick-and-mortar classroom. They need to be effectively supported before the start of the program, during the course of their program, and also after its successful completion. Their needs may range from informational and administrative support, academic support, social networking, technical assistance, and career counseling. In this qualitative research study with a phenomenological research design, nine online faculty members, 15 staff members, and 25 virtual students of five universities and colleges in the USA were interviewed on phone/Skype to seek their views about effective strategies for online learners. The findings include various strategies before the start of an online educational program, strategies during the course of the program, and after the program. The main strategies before the start of an online program, it was found, included accurate assessment of readiness for online learning, pre-course survey, familiarization with program expectations, online orientation, matching educational program with career interests of the students, and loan assistance. During the course of the program, various types of strategies include Skype/phone meetings with online students during week 1, effective time management and goal setting by learners, foundation courses, higher priority to learning than teaching, study skills support, avoiding plagiarism, detailed and demonstrative feedback, 24x7 technical assistance, adapting to preferred learning styles of virtual students. After the end of the program, it emerged that virtual students should be encouraged to participate in convocation, become members of alumni association, seek their regular attendance at social mixer, and motivate them to share their experiences candidly in the end-of-the course survey.

Perceptions of roles and responsibilities in online learning: A case study

International Journal of …, 2009

The extensive introduction of online technologies to support teaching and learning is impacting how teachers teach and students learn. It is also affecting both teaching staff's and students' perceptions of what each others' roles are. The research reported here is part of a larger study that explored different aspects of teaching and learning in online environments. This study was undertaken within an Australian university and involved an institution-wide survey of students. The paper reports on students' perceptions of their roles as online learners and the expectations they have of online teachers. The outcomes of the research suggest that different cohorts of students have different expectations. These expectations are informed by their mode of study and also by their perceptions of how staff engage with online teaching. Recommendations include proactive management of student expectations by staff, as well as a commitment by staff to meet those expectations.

Lived experiences of teachers and students in distance education: shift from traditional to online learning

Educational Technology Quarterly

The shift from the traditional way of teaching to distance learning has led many institutions to transition to online learning, which is considered the most effective method for delivering curriculum content to students. Research on distance education shows promise, but it also reveals certain drawbacks. Consequently, improving the promotion of distance education in each institution presents a challenge. This research aims to address two key questions: (a) What are the developmental issues faced by instructors and students when transitioning from traditional to online learning? (b) What potential effects could these problems have on instructors and students' performance? Thematic analysis was employed to identify essential concepts related to information necessary for understanding online and distance learning. This analysis revealed the emergence of the "MAP" of distance learning, encompassing three distinct themes derived from the six main questions in the researcher...

Teaching Online: A Theory-based Approach to Student Success

Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2015

Concerns about a lack of face-to-face contact with students, a focus on grading rather than teaching, and limited expertise with technology or needed pedagogical strategies, may contribute to instructor reluctance to teach online. The interaction between the instructor and learner and among learners affects the quality and success of online learning, and the learner's ability to master the outcomes associated with the targeted content or skill area as well as the broad outcomes of higher education such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2015). Success in distance courses is associated with the learners' ability to take responsibility for controlling the factors that affect learning (Andrade, 2012; Andrade & Bunker, 2011). This paper presents a framework for instructor training for online teaching, and outlines specific strategies for community building and instructor response aimed at developing learner autonomy. The approach is based on the theories of transactional distance-structure, dialogue, and autonomy (Moore, 2013), self-regulated learning-forethought, performance, self-reflection (Zimmerman, 2002), and collaborative control-peer and instructor collaboration to control factors that affect learning (White, 2003). The theories provide a foundation for training and guide instructors in establishing a quality online teaching and learning experience. The approach is illustrated with a teacher training for online English language instructors.