Before the COVID-19 pandemic, online education was viewed by some as an “alternative” to a traditional face-to-face (F2F) college experience (Mitchell & Geva-May, 2009) – a way for students to access education who might not be able to otherwise. Online learning was therefore viewed by some as a viable but perhaps lower quality educational option (Allen & Seaman, 2006; Mitchell & Geva-May, 2009). With the sharp pivot to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for online learning continue to evolve and attitudes towards online education may be shifting. Beyond being viewed as an “alternative” pathway, online education may offer students benefits that can, in some ways, exceed traditional learning environments.
This webinar will reveal the preliminary results of a qualitative study where online instructors with varying levels of experience in teaching online were asked to respond to the question, “How does online learning provide specific benefits to students that traditional classrooms don’t?”. The preliminary results of this analysis, which yielded several major themes in the benefits of online learning (e.g., flexibility, diversity, and course design) will be discussed, along with practical implications for students, faculty, and instructional designers.
Intended Audience:
Faculty, Instructional Support, Training Professionals, Administrators, Design Thinkers, and Researchers
Key Takeaways:
By attending this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe select benefits of online learning as identified by faculty with a range of online teaching experience
- Describe ways in which the perceptions of these benefits vary based on online teaching experience
- Discuss at least two ways these preliminary findings can be applied to online education through student support, faculty development, and/or course design
Please Note: While attending the webinar live is free for OLC members and non-members, on-demand recordings will be available post-webinar for Professional and Institutional Members only. Consider becoming an OLC member for access to these and many other great benefits!
Speaker Bio
Naomi Aguiar, PhD
Nadia Jaramillo