The Daily Bulletin Archive

Professors worldwide continue to discuss the merits of online learning. Some feel learning is most effective face-to-face, while others believe it is possible for students to be more engaged online. One fact is indisputable, at least at Buffalo State: students have expressed a need for more online courses. A discussion hosted by the Provost’s Office on Tuesday provided information on creating or converting courses to an online format.

Fifty faculty members participated in the discussion, which featured presentations by John Thompson, associate professor of computer information systems; Laurie Buonanno, professor and chair of political science; and Andrew Nicholls, associate professor of history and social studies education. Participants viewed different examples of online courses on ANGEL and asked a variety of questions throughout the discussion.

Interim Provost Kevin Railey did not consider the event to be a training session but rather a way for faculty to learn from other faculty and then decide whether to pursue online instruction. He hopes to expedite the creation of 10 new online General Education courses for the summer to meet student demand.

“We want to find faculty who are interested in teaching online and learn what barriers they encounter in trying to make it a reality,” Railey said. “We’re also trying to identify target audiences and link those needs with faculty interest. One of the goals of Tuesday’s event was to help faculty consider the possibility that—through a properly developed online course structure—they can teach in a manner consistent with their educational goals and maybe even offer unique enrichment.”

Thompson shared the layout of EDC 672: The Microcomputer in the Instructional Program, a course he has taught entirely online since 2002. He showed faculty how they can customize ANGEL to fit specific needs.

“You can take whatever pedagogy or structure fits your course and transfer it to an online format,” he said. “I suggest starting simple and building up by steps—perhaps try a hybrid approach first. Student feedback is very helpful.”

Faculty asked if the conversion process can be time-consuming and if Thompson must continually respond to student posts in online forums. Thompson said that while it may take many hours to first convert or create an online course, the content can then be easily modified for future semesters. He also said that he makes an effort to get students to talk to each other, rather than to him, in discussion forums.

Nicholls has experimented with online learning since 1994 and understands the importance of maintaining the integrity of content. He argues, however, that online capabilities such as podcasts and video clips can enhance course material.

Buonanno limits her online courses to 25 students but said that, as a rule, online quotas need not be lower than those for on-campus classes. She believes in keeping content simple, relevant, and current, and she requires students to add to discussions rather than simply offer empty comments like “Nice post.” Buonanno invites interested faculty members to be virtual students in future classes if they would like to see how the structure works within ANGEL.

Faculty also discussed preventing plagiarism, how to gauge whether students comprehend the material, and what types of assignments to give. Prior to the event, Railey correctly predicted that engagement would be a key concern.

“As professors, we believe our [spoken] words make a difference,” he said. “Some think that hearing explanations and being immersed in a class are necessary for learning. The physical college environment also provides a human dimension, with social interaction. But one can also argue that student learning only occurs inside students’ minds, and that online education allows for—requires, even—lots of processing on the students’ parts. Students also face challenges with regard to time slots and outside commitments, and online courses offer flexibility and convenience. There are legitimate questions and positions on both sides, and this event was simply meant to be a discussion of the pros and cons.”

To increase the pool of faculty interested in online teaching and, ultimately, the number of available courses, the Provost’s Office is providing several incentives. Faculty who have previously taught online will receive a $500 incentive per course to teach next summer, contingent upon the online courses filling to capacity. Faculty interested in developing a general education class online will be offered training and an incentive to develop and teach the course. Two training sessions are scheduled for January 14 and 21, and more details of this incentive will be forthcoming. Other plans are also under consideration by the Faculty Advisory Committee.