Online Education Advantages and Challenges 1. The first step is to evaluate the advantages and challenges of online education. This understanding will guide the development of your teaching strategies both in the classroom and online. Evaluation of online delivery became “front of mind” for most teachers when, in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, many schools, colleges, and universities were required to pivot to online learning only. As difficult as the pandemic was for all educators, thinking about what we learned from this experience to see how it can be applied in the future can be instructive. Letterman (2021) reported on a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research which used a large-scale database from one large public research university to compare how learning in person and online affected students’ course completion rates and grades before and after the pandemic. The report indicated that, accounting for certain differences in student and instructor traits, students in face-to-face courses performed better than their online counterparts with respect to both completion and pass rates. These findings held steady before and after the spring of 2020 when the pandemic became widespread. 1 McKensie (2020) reported on a survey of 1,413 students registered at a U.S. higher education institution for both the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Interestingly, the survey found that most students (73%), “somewhat” or “strongly” agreed that they would like to take some fully online courses in the future. A slightly smaller number of students, 68%, indicated they would be interested in taking courses offering a combination of in-person and online instruction. Despite the desire for face-to-face classes, 68% of students strongly or somewhat agreed that they would like to see greater use of technology in the teaching-learning process. The use of digital resources is also popular, with 67% of respondents indicating they would like an increased usage of these materials. 2 Impact of Hybrid or Blended Format 2. Turnball, Chugh, and Luck (2021) completed an integrative literature review to identify lessons learned about online instruction in higher education during the pandemic. The literature reviewed found that students preferred some form of face-to-face instruction. However, hybrid or blended learning, which combines the benefits of face-to-face learning with online technologies to enrich learning content and delivery, was seen as an excellent option. The opportunity for learners to participate in enhanced online learning communities also provided a sense of connectedness often found only in face-to-face instruction. 3
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