Online Learning - The Case for Proactive Management

Introduction

One of the Great Expectations that many people incorrectly have about online learning is that you simply enroll in a course, dial up your Internet Service Provider and bingo! You're away like a Melbourne Cup winner. Sounds good, but it's a very long way from reality.

This issue I'd like to tell you about Peter and Paul, lecturers at one of Australia's most prestigious distance learning universities. Of course names have been changed to preserve their privacy (and prevent me from getting into trouble?).

When I enrolled in an online tertiary program, back in the technologically dim, dark days of 1996 the enrolment process consisted of completing a three or four page document and submitting it to the university by email. At that stage the system had not been geared up to handle script languages and forms submitted direct from the university Internet site. After a few days of watchful waiting, I received an email reply from the university administration staff advising me that the fees had been charged against my credit card and I had been enrolled. In the message were my student number, password and a link to the online learning site. I'd need to go there by the commencement date, the email said, and log-in to my personalized start page.

Getting Started

The log-in procedure went fairly smoothly. On the screen in front of me were links to the two subjects in which I had enrolled. I spent some time exploring each link, both of which took me, as I had expected, to a subject home page with further links to a welcome from my lecturing staff, a list of other people enrolled in the subject, reading lists, tools, chat room, and a few other things such as a page from which I could submit assignments. My experience had begun and even at my mature age, I was very excited to be back at university.

I've been an adult educator for around 20 years, so it wasn't only the subjects' content in which I was interested. I was also interested to discover how the topics would be delivered.

My first action was to send an email to my lecturers and fellow students introducing myself. This was requested by both lecturers and it was a welcome step because I knew there would be numbers of other interesting people whom I wanted to get to know. Replies came back from the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and even Australia. Exciting stuff. More than a few of the respondents were adult educators like me, so we had much in common.

After a day or so I started receiving emails from people asking me whether I had managed to download this or that file; had I been able to initiate a chat session. It seemed that others, either less technologically capable, or unluckier than I had run into difficulty with the technology and were even having trouble getting a response from our lecturers. Of course, I helped where I could by emailing copies of files, suggesting work-arounds to overcome problems, and so on. And I made mental notes about the experience and eventually realized that most of the problems were linked to the one subject. Why was this I asked? A week or two later I got my answer. Peter was managing delivery of his subject while Paul had abdicated.

Management versus Abdication

As I became more experienced with my online learning program, I realized that Peter was using what could be considered better practice. Paul on the other hand was probably receiving a salary under false pretences. All the jokes about academics and permanency of tenure came to mind as did my recollection of my early days in teacher training where we had been drilled in classroom management. I thought about numerous classroom management issues I had faced during my career including the miscreant students, the idle, the too talkative, and the stunningly attractive, but very young girl who had asked me to take her to a motel during our lunch break.

I knew that if classroom management was important when you taught in a classroom, it must be doubly important if you are teaching students you cannot see. And of course it is. Here are the contrasts.

The first thing Peter did after the enrolment date closed was to email all enrolled students with a questionnaire about their computer and email systems. At first it seemed unnecessary, but now I know it was what every online educator should do. He sought information which would help him identify those who may have been at risk because their technology was old or who could not reply to his message. Anyone who hadn't replied within 48 hours he telephoned or faxed. Only when he was satisfied that everyone could access the technology and be involved in the group, did he continue with our program. When you emailed Peter you received a prompt, courteous reply usually the following day (time zones affect response times of course).

Paul didn't bother to check if anyone could do anything and we rarely heard from him. He attended several 'moderated' chat sessions throughout the semester, but may as well have stayed at home. When we emailed him, it was unusual to get a prompt response and too often we never received a response. Telephoning him was equally disappointing usually resulting in leaving a message that probably wouldn't be answered.

Our chat sessions with Peter were much more creative and worthwhile. Before commencing the session Peter would pose several questions to be addressed so we didn't just waffle. Sometimes he would ask a specific student to address certain aspects of the question. If someone could not attend, he made sure it was not because they weren't aware of the timing, or simply couldn't get their system to work. When someone at a chat session seemed reluctant to get involved, he would engineer involvement.

When you submitted an assignment to Peter he usually responded within a reasonable time with encouragement and commentary about how you could improve your next assignment. At the end of the day, the difference between the two lecturers was that Peter was managing his online classroom while Paul had abdicated most of his responsibility. His approach seemed very much a sink or swim approach and I was surprised that he could retain his job if this was the best he could do.

Conclusion

At the end of semester evaluation I provided truthful feedback about Paul's lackluster performance and praised Peter's excellent efforts. I'm sure most of the other students would have done the same.

Classroom management is essential in any learning environment whether it's face-to-face or online. I'm sure that many of the criticisms of online learning occur because of the feeling of isolation and indifference students sometimes suffer. All of us like to feel we are important enough to warrant attention from our lecturers, especially when we pay serious money to undergo courses.

The crystal clear message for online learning providers is that if you don't manage every aspect of the process, eventually your business will fail as prospective clients vote with their computers and go somewhere they feel they are getting value for money and actually learning.

If you provide online learning, the best thing you can do for yourself is enroll in one of your programs and find out if the your experience is congruent with your marketing hype.

Copyright Robin Henry 2005.

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet marketer whose firm, Desert Wave Enterprises, helps individuals and businesses improve their performance by using smart processes, smart technology and personal development. He has a number of tertiary qualifications including a Master of Education degree majoring in education technology and online learning. He lives at Alice Springs In Central Australia.

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