December 1998 — Features
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Digital Classrooms: Some Myths About Developing New Educational Programs Using the Internet
Posting to a forum or writing a message in this medium may involve several layers of message creation and feedback. These are actually multi-dimensional threaded conversations. Typically in the digital classroom someone, either the teacher or a student, posts a "topic" to which others "reply." One may also "reply to the replies" and so on, with a threaded conversation emerging from these related messages. For example, in my leadership course the first assignment required each student to write and to post at the topic level an autobiographical essay. Students read one another's essays and reacted in reply to each individual essay. Also in this course there were weekly discussion topics on various aspects of leadership tied to the assigned readings, and I posted these topics. Every student was expected to reply at least once, but many responded more frequently with additional postings.
A different type of classroom structure is illustrated by my elective course on virtual leadership. Here the case study format was adopted instead, and students were expected to research and write their own cases. Each student was assigned a content area related to virtual work groups and one week of the term for posting his or her case. The other students analyzed problems and opportunities and developed case solutions that were posted as replies under the weekly study topic. The students took turns moderating these conversations and the weekly moderator assumed primary responsibility for synthesizing the key points in a final summary posting for that week. Obviously, this is a lot to keep track of, and, fortunately, there are software utilities to assist with monitoring the flow of messages. The instructor's role generally is to facilitate discussion, to provide feedback and closure, and to insert supplemental and transitional material where needed.
Key Lessons
Several important lessons taken away from this experience in digital classrooms tend to revolve around the challenge to traditional classroom schemes. The lessons of the Fielding ODE program include remembering the critical function of designing the technology to fit the desired learning outcomes and not vice versa. Too often institutions buy into an infrastructure of hardware and software that constrains, rather than enhances, the learning experience. In this case, the two seem well-matched without the cart leading the horse, so to speak. Another valuable lesson for any type of technological start-up operation is to expect turbulence and, if possible, embrace it the way Fielding has by incorporating it into the language and culture of the institution. This is a risk-taking enterprise and one should expect the unexpected, while learning to ride the waves of change.
There are also lessons about the sorts of people best-suited to this undertaking. There is a technology adoption curve that permits innovators and early adopters to "cross the chasm" sooner than other, more conservative or reluctant educators.[14] The Fielding case study provides some indicators of individual characteristics for achieving success for both students and teachers in these digital classrooms. Interestingly, many of the identified characteristics are similar to those attributed to successful telecommuters[15] and to today's so-called consumer-oriented adult learners who shop for courses tailored to their particular interests. Students who are most likely to succeed are described as:
