Posted by Sharon Cece on March 13th, 2009
When I was twenty I enjoyed attending college on campus. Because I rented a quiet Tallahassee apartment twelve hundred miles from my New Jersey hometown, a spirited university environment was vital to my well-being. I hung out with fellow FSU undergrads at the student union, opined in classroom discussions and delivered presentations with my cohorts. When I returned to college as a busy wife and mother, traditional courses would have been a hardship rather than a dynamic facet of my academic life. By then I already had enough responsibility tugging at me; I didn’t need to be on-call to my college schedule as well.
Hence, my online courses differed in one, very important, sense–I wasn‘t slave to a schedule. Those of you who work from home as I do appreciate the concept of waking up slowly, enjoying a cup of java or two and then (the best part) walking a few feet to your home office instead of commuting sixty miles every day in traffic. Online lectures, lessons and coursework operate the same way as work-at-home assignments. Everything is performed and submitted right where you are.
Yet, one can feel sequestered when doing anything from home, whether it be working, raising a family or participating in online classes. Dynamic social interaction is minimized or non-existent and replaced by lively online interaction. Coursework is primarily independent, though there are few occasions when you work collectively. In those instances, you don’t meet in the library or on the university lawn, you meet in cyberclass.
With regard to online papers…a paper is a paper. This is a simplistic way of saying that papers are executed much the same way for online courses as brick and mortar. You’re presented with the subject matter, you do the research, write, revise and revise again, take a few aspirin, stay up until 3 a.m. and, if all goes well, submit the paper on schedule.
Online exams, on the other hand, are substantially different from traditional. Imagine, rather than testing the standard way–whereby you drive to class, walk to class, take your test at a specific time, walk back to your vehicle and drive home–instead you just walk to your computer, log on and take your exam whenever you feel like it (within a certain window–usually 48 hours). Keep in mind, there’s a little clock in the bottom corner which serves to remind you that the exam must be completed in, let’s say, 45 minutes “or else” (my term). I never found out what the “or else” was–hopefully not your computer self-destructing. The first few times I tested online this little clock unnerved me a bit, I admit, as did the formidable pronouncement in the center of the screen that there was no going back once you start. Also keep in mind, when you take tests from home anything can and will happen–your neighbor will suddenly knock on your door to deliver that pineapple cake you‘ve been waiting two years for, every telemarketer in the contiguous US will concurrently ring your number, your child–who was sleeping blissfully ten minutes ago–will wake cranky and demanding your attention, the cat will heave that furball right under your chair and take it‘s time doing it. Be prepared for these distractions. Still, you can’t beat the flexibility of taking your exams from home, in your beloved teddy bear pajamas no less.
Nascent college students who experience test anxiety in public will flourish under online testing formats; those who eschew public speaking will also thrive in the online sphere. Communal students who love being around and studying with cohorts may miss the personal daily interaction that epitomizes campus life. One must naturally consider all the options. In some instances, online courses are similar to brick and mortar; in others, online courses and test formats are unique. For those with demanding and active lifestyles pre-existing, the choice to matriculate online is the viable option.
Posted by Jeff Davis on March 12th, 2009
Much like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz, most students can often feel scared of their surroundings of the unknown. Especially when it comes to school and the many assignments that go with this type of educational environment. I am sure that the method and format for completing assignments varies among the different online universities. But in my experience with the University of Phoenix, assignments consisted of mainly reading chapters, writing papers, and creating presentations both individually and in a team environment. But at least there were no exams to worry about! In many regards, my assignments were very much like those in a traditional classroom environment. Among the differences between my online assignments and the more traditional assignments were that you could work at your own pace and all assignments were submitted by email. By having the flexibility of attending an online class, you get the opportunity to work at your own pace as long as your assignment meets its deadline. This works out great if you know how to effectively manage your time. I don’t recall being able to do this in a more traditional classroom setting. Instead, it seemed like that experience was more along the lines of everyone keeping the same pace week in and week out.
In my opinion, the assignments involving written papers were not much different in my online class versus my past experiences in a traditional class. For both types of classroom environments, you knew what was required and had to devote the time to do the necessary research, decide on the writing style, apply proper formatting, etc. My typical paper assignments usually consisted of two individual assignments and one team assignment per course. If this seems like a lot of writing, remember to keep in mind that there were no exams to worry about or study for. Exams were simply not a required part of the online learning environment at the University of Phoenix.
When it comes to online assignments, I have to say that there was a lot more work involved in earning my degree online and that this type of learning should never be mistaken for being “easy”. It is every bit as thorough and challenging as any traditional classroom environment.
Tags: assignments, challenging, earning degree online, exams, never easy, Online Assignments, online classroom environment, online classroom setting, papers, traditional classroom environment, traditional classroom setting, type of learning, University of Phoenix, UoP
Categories: Online Assignments, Student Voices
Online assignments in my classes were very similar to the assignments given in on site classes. There was a great deal of reading and a great deal of discussion. The major difference is online discussions are in written form, and the on site discussions of course are verbal. There is a tendency for students in onsite classes to not say anything at all, and let the more verbal students dominate the discussion. My impression is these people did not read the assignment, and simply were unable to contribute to the discussion. This doesn’t happen in online discussions, as there is a requirement for all to contribute to discussions; as well as a record of the participation. However, I still get the impression that some students don’t read the assignments in depth. Their written response is more of an opinion rather than a response to the reading. They are not able to point out the “big ideas” in the readings.
The assignments beyond the readings were usually tasks to implement with my own students. I would teach or assess something my students did and write a short paper or response about the effectiveness of my teaching. Most of my graduate on line classes were project-based and did not require examinations. This is typical of education classes at the graduate level. College professors want to improve the skill of teachers and use more authentic assessment, instead of the rote memory of facts through examinations.
The classes I took online have basically just digitized reading and writing. I am hoping to find online classes, using the new real time communication tools offered on the Internet. Google Talk or Skype can used for video conferencing or an online lecture. The lectures can be viewed at the online participant’s convenience. Elluminate and Dim Dim provide a method for verbal discussions and could digitize small group work in on line classes. The possibilities for online education assignments are endless.
I don’t have a fear of tests, but I don’t mind avoiding them when possible. My traditional learning experience consisted of few tests and many, many papers. That worked for me. I didn’t mind writing a lot of papers on my own terms. When I enrolled in classes online, I asked about we demonstrated our mastery of the subject, and was told that I’d be writing a lot of big papers (approximately one 30-page paper per course), that suited me well.
In the classes that I teach, I find that students are assessed frequently with shorter written assignments. There are also some courses with short quizzes or exams, but none of the courses have a major final exam. The students are given a number of opportunities to demonstrate their mastery of the subject in discussions and short written assignments.
No matter what, it’s essential that a prospective student ask how they will be assessed and that they are comfortable with that approach.
Posted by Jen Zeman on March 9th, 2009
The online assignments I had at UMUC were no different than assignments at Harford Community College which were in a traditional classroom setting. Projects/papers were a little more in-depth since UMUC is a four-year college, but formats and general content were the same. I didn’t find that the number of major papers required each semester changed – at UMUC we usually had one big paper due at the end of the semester much like it was at Harford Community College. However, UMUC did require weekly writing assignments that weren’t completed in the traditional classroom. My guess for this requirement is to make up for the in-class lecture students participate in the traditional setting. Weekly assignments for UMUC’s online classes seemed to focus on weekly readings and were an attempt to make sure you understood the material being covered.
Preparing for final exams for UMUC wasn’t any different either (when I attended UMUC, there were no mid-term exams). However, the process was vastly different. In the traditional classroom setting, everyone showed up in class on a pre-scheduled night to take the written exam all at once. At UMUC, exams were not offered online. You had to designate a place where you would take a proctored exam and have that location approved by UMUC (I would always take mine at Harford Community College’s test center). Prior to exam week, the exam would be mailed to your designated testing location. You had to then take the exam within the designated exam week. Testing personnel would then mail the completed exam back to your professor at UMUC. Exams sometimes included multiple-choice, but were largely essay-based. None were easy, but if you studied the material the professor indicated would be covered on the final exam, the exam wasn’t as painful!
