August 2001 — Features
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Online Lectures: Benefits for the Virtual Classroom
X@XOpenTag002X@XOpenTag001Our Online Class
X@XCloseTag001X@XCloseTag002X@XOpenTag003In addition to our conventional classes, we have taught more than 30 sections of Web-based courses. For the past four years, we have co-taught 20 online sections of Research Methods in Psychology, an upper-division class required for all our psychology majors. Our department limits class enrollment (both conventional and Web-based) to 25-30 students per section. The research we have conducted, as well as the anecdotal experiences described in this paper, are based on our involvement with these sections of the class.
Our approach to developing Web-based sections of Research Methods was guided by the premise that we maintain the same high expectations for student learning as we have come to expect in our conventional classes (Wang and Newlin 2001b). Hence, we used the same class materials (syllabus, textbook, assignments, final exam) for our conventional and Web-based sections of the class. However, we did not simply cut and paste our conventional material into an online format without considering the inherent qualities of each media format. As others have noted, to simply transfer information from one format into another is tantamount to creating the equivalent of "shovelware" (Fraser 1999). Instead, we transformed much of our online course content and incorporated multiple information delivery systems in anticipation of the diverse learning styles that our students would bring to the virtual classroom (Wang and Newlin 2001b).
Students access all class components online from the course Web site, which is delivered via WebCT courseware. This includes the syllabus, lecture notes, quizzes and homework assignments. The only exception is the comprehensive final exam, which was administered face-to-face on the last day of the semester.
As in most online courses, instructor-student communication occurs asynchronously via Web page postings, a course forum (i.e., online bulletin board) and e-mail. However, we also schedule required weekly chat rooms where we deliver lectures, discuss topics, and answer students' questions in a direct and immediate manner. The ability to answer questions in front of all of our students serves to reduce the number of individual e-mails that need to be addressed later. Each of our chat discussions is organized around a set of lecture notes that are posted for students to download and print from their Web browsers prior to the lecture. In effect, the class notes are the equivalent of overhead transparencies used by instructors in conventional classes. The chats are also where we review homework assignments, and remind students of upcoming course requirements and deadlines. We are able to accomplish all of these tasks (while having a lot of fun) in a 90-mintue chat room that is held each week.
X@XCloseTag003X@XOpenTag005X@XOpenTag004Didactic Conversation
X@XCloseTag004X@XCloseTag005X@XOpenTag006The development of knowledge requires an expert and a novice working together to influence successful learning outcomes. In this view, knowledge cannot be force-fed to a passive learner. Instead, knowledge is exchanged by an active didactic (instructive) conversation that occurs between an active teacher and an equally active learner (Holmberg 1989).
