Benefits of on line teaching

Benefits of Online Learning
Adapted from: Educational Benefits of Online Learning: A Blackboard Tip Sheet; found at: http://resources.blackboard.com/scholar/general/pages/ictraining/Online_Learning_Benefits.pdf

Student CommunicationCommunication between students increases. Students are encouraged to participate in a non-threatening environment, especially when anonymous discussion boards are used. Online forums, like Blackboard's Discussion Board and Chat, provide public areas to post information. Each student can view another student's answers and learn through the exposure to different perspectives. This benefits students because they can combine new opinions with their own, and develop a solid foundation for learning.

Students experience a sense of equality Another benefit to using web-based communication tools is giving all students a reinforced sense of equality. Each individual has the same opportunity to "speak up" by posting messages without typical distractions such as seating arrangements, volume of student voices, and gender biases. Shy and anxious students feel more comfortable expressing ideas and backing up facts when posting online instead of speaking in a lecture room. Studies prove that online discussions provoke more confrontational and direct communication between students.

Instructors are more accessible Online Communication also benefits students by providing additional layer of instructor accessibility. Students in courses supplemented by products like Blackboard no longer have to worry if they cannot make an instructor's regular office hours. They can still submit inquiries via e-mail at any time. This is good for the instructor too, as he/she can respond at their convenience instead of being tied to a desk or office. This is particularly helpful when a student's schedule conflicts with office hours or if a question arises at the spur of the moment. For example: A Blackboard course web site is supplementing an on-campus math course. On a Sunday night, a student is reviewing an assignment, thinks of a question, and e-mails it to the instructor. The instructor reads the e-mail Monday morning, looks up the answer, brings up the relevant information to the class during the Monday lecture, and the entire class benefits. If the student waited until office hours on Tuesday, perhaps the integration into the lecture would not have occurred, or maybe if the student asked the question during class on Monday, the instructor would not have had the time to frame the question correctly.

Enabling student-centered teaching approaches. Each student has a unique learning style. Some students are visual learners, some learn better when they "learn by doing." Web-based learning environments permit the instructor to build one course, yet implement a variety of resources to help the needs of each student. An instructor can present materials in many formats to accommodate different learning styles. For example: An instructor puts both lecture notes and slides online, both visual and auditory learners benefit. Students who prefer to focus on "listening" and "watching" during lecture do not have to worry that they are missing important concepts while scrambling to take notes.

Student OrganizationStudents with attention difficulties or those who get overwhelmed by organizational tasks also benefit, because online materials show how the instructor has grouped and prepared the information in the handouts, and indicate what items are most important. Instructors can post calendars and other aids to help students stay organized in the course.

Provide opportunities for exploration and additional 'rehearsal' timeInstructors can increase the opportunity for student exploration and activity learning by providing links to related websites. Content is reinforced, and students can see how course material is utilized in "real world" situations. Typically, students rehearse information only when studying for exams or complete assignments. However, they also rehearse information when formulating thoughts into sentences and typing those thoughts into the computer. When instructors post discussion questions in the online portion of a course, students must reflect on the subject matter before responding. This results in articulation of content, and the very process of reporting and writing about what they have learned engages students in the learning process.

Provide 24/7 accessibility to course materialsSome students work best in the morning, some in evening. Some students commute and others take night classes. Scheduling time for homework and group projects can be difficult depending on each student's course, job, and personal responsibilities. When course content and activities are provided online, students no longer need to worry about accessing course materials. Busy students can choose to download readings or take practice exams whenever it is most convenient, in the evening after kids are put to bed, or at 4am during a bout of insomnia. Continual access to course documents also insures students can obtain materials at any time, removing excuses like: "The library was closed," or, "All the copies of reserve readings were checked out," or "I missed that handout during your lecture."

Provide just-in-time methods to assess and evaluate student progressOnline assessment tools provide instructors with many ways to build, distribute, and compile information quickly and easily. Interactive quizzes, polls, exercises, writing assignments, and discussion postings can provide a timely evaluation of student learning, without requiring additional classroom attention. Feedback can be provided via email or a discussion board. For example: An instructor assigns students to watch a political debate on television at 8pm on Sunday night. He wants to assess students' opinion of the issue to discuss during Monday's lecture. The instructor creates a short poll using Blackboard's Quiz/Survey engine. After the show, students log in and complete the survey. The results are tallied automatically and available for the instructor in plenty of time for lecture.

Maximize the classroom experienceInstructors using online materials no longer have to spend valuable classroom time dealing with "administrivia." The 15 minutes at the start of each class typically spent distributing handouts, collecting assignments, and making announcements can be utilized for teaching when administrative tasks are managed through online tools. Copying and distributing handouts alone is a big time-saver. Email and discussion boards can be used to collect student assignments and reflections.

Reduce faculty workload Instructors can also save time using online tools. Interactive quizzes used to deliver tests can automatically score and record results, all the grading and analysis is automated. Student participation can easily be monitored on a discussion board, and email communication is often quicker and more efficient than classroom or office hour time for addressing student concerns.