Embracing the Potential and Accepting the Limitations of Teaching Online

The course that I have been developing as we work through BOLT-101 is an accelerated introduction to statistics that is offered in a blended format. However, as we've worked through the material I've also been thinking about how I'd adapt calculus for an online environment. This week as we read about how to adapt content for an online course, I found myself simultaneously very excited and very frustrated. Excited because I think that I'm going to be able to use what I'm learning in BOLT-101 to make my blended statistics course really focused on student learning and that in turn will help me to improve my face to face intro stat course. Frustrated because the more I learn about best practices for an online course, the more I become convinced that the first course in calculus is not one that should be taken online (and I'd really like to be able to offer it online). So I'm joyfully moving forward with preparations for my statistics class and I'm hitting pause on thoughts about calculus. Though perhaps I'll be able to move forward with calculus in the future when I have more experience with offering online courses.

Comments

  1. Dr.VermeerApril 3, 2018 at 7:37 AM

    Hi Melissa--I would concur that not every course will be as conducive to a fully online format. But it seems as if there is a decided trend toward offering as many courses as possible online (generally--not just here at Dordt). Technological barriers in education are inevitable, I believe, and somehow we educators will need to establish and maintain an "agenda" (as it were) for effectively utilizing a balanced combination of f2f and online options. Yet, who knows? With a little ingenuity, it might still work for you to develop an online intro calculus course someday!

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  2. Sandy VBApril 5, 2018 at 5:52 PM

    I agree with you that I have better online ideas for some of my classes other than the one I had initially chosen for this project. Conquering the Content is going to be a great resource for me as I rework some of my classes and design a couple new ones. I hope to be able to use some of this technology that Dave has shared for us as I get more experience, but I am guessing I am going to have to prioritize my development into phases, and start with a good structure, and eventually add in some of the technology that I think could be helpful in future semesters. Good luck on your re-writes!

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