December 1998 — Features
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Digital Classrooms: Some Myths About Developing New Educational Programs Using the Internet
As others have observed,[6,7,8] the new educational paradigm shifts the old definition of productivity as cost per hour of instruction per student to a new definition of productivity as cost per unit of learning per student. This paradigm shift d'es not address directly the issue of the market value of the university professor's productive labor as a knowledge worker in this new medium. I predict the issue of the valuation of faculty expertise online will grow in importance in the near future.The Myth of Impersonality
Another myth one frequently encounters about computer-mediated instruction is that of impersonality. People assume that in the absence of face-to-face interaction, relations automatically become more distant and impersonal. Traditional distance learning formats are said to be plagued with this problem.[9] Not so, in my experience with the interactive digital classroom. There is a type of intimacy achievable between teachers and students in this medium that is quite extraordinary, reminiscent of what Sproull and Keisler refer to as "second-level" social effects of the technology. I believe this intimacy results from a sense of shared control and responsibility, commitment to collaboration and dialogue, and increased willingness to take risks in communications with others online. The verbal and writing-intensive nature of the text-based forum network also forces one to make one's thoughts very explicit whenever possible; there is little room for subtlety. As one administrator put it: "In an online environment, words matter.... Words are everything."
Also, it takes longer for groups to reach consensus in brain-storming and problem-solving situations online.[10] People's feelings can be hurt easily, so more time and effort are put into explaining meanings and supplying detailed contextual background to enhance mutual understanding. Thus, writers get to know one another intimately over time while computer-mediated conversations - both formal and informal - unfold. Neither e-mail nor chat, the forum classroom environment at Fielding calls for and inspires thoughtful, composed (after reading and reflection) asynchronous networked interactions, without sacrificing human warmth.
At this stage in the evolution of Internet educational technology, we are all learners. There is also a sense that we are innovators and early adopters who "crossed over" early in the technology transfer and diffusion process.[11] In the Fielding culture, this pioneer experience has come to be known as riding the waves, or embracing the "turbulence" of rough seas - a metaphor for global and organizational unrest as well. The attention given to group process online and the thoughtful nature of master's-level conversations establish an intimacy within the group, belying the myth of impersonality.
The Flatness Myth
This technology, so often referred to as "flat," in reality supplies depth and texture to the digital classroom experience. The myth of a flat medium is misconstrued to mean something other than what the term was originally intended to denote - that is, "a kind of organizational flattening...that did not necessarily follow hierarchical lines of management".[12] The decentralized control - or "cyber-democracy" - some have touted as characteristic of the online virtual community is a notion that is now challenged by other critics,[13] but finds perhaps its best expression in this networked educational environment.
