The Faculty Connection: Online and Traditional
Posted by Sharon Cece on April 3rd, 2009
My favorite professor was Constance Strucko, who taught Creative Writing at County College of Morris in New Jersey. The truth is, she’s the only professor’s name I still remember. Perhaps it was because I was exempt from the final–the first and only time–or maybe because I simply loved creative writing. I was nineteen when I took her course, and after all these years I still remember her name.
I enjoyed my online courses also, courses such as Population, Social Theory, and Supreme Courts & Civil Rights. Still, I cannot remember the names of the professors (even after a plateful of shrimp, the incredible edible brain-food).
Online lectures. Online teaching. Doesn’t have that touchy-feely ring to it, does it. Of course, college isn’t necessarily meant to be touchy-feely; however, our interactions with faculty and administration is truly special when we feel that personal connection, when those interactions sink in on a deeper level, such as my fond recollections of Professor Strucko. I still remember how eagerly I walked to her class, can recall her enthusiasm for guiding our writing and unearthing those “a-ha” moments, remembered my elation when my literary efforts were met with her encouraging and appreciative nods.
It is what you miss when matriculating online–the personal gestures and interactions with professors and lecturers. You often don’t know what your online faculty looks like, rarely meet them face-to-face. Oh, their personalities and nuances do come through while they are teaching online. Some you thoroughly enjoy and relate to, some you could well do without, some you develop a personal rapport with, some you never really get to know.
I remember, as I am writing this, an email from one of my first online professors who taught Social Psychology. It was very heartfelt and complimentary, and greatly appreciated. College can be daunting, online college at times even more so, and written interactions can be significant in their own right.
And, even though online college isn’t always touchy-feely, there can be satisfying connections between student and online faculty. For two years I worked with a stellar online advisor at FSU and just prior to graduation we exchanged a flurry of emails anticipating and planning my commencement, which served to hasten my excitment. When I arrived in Tallahassee the morning of ceremonies and walked into the Civic Center to check in, standing there at the booth was the stellar advisor I had worked with and written to all those semesters. It was a special moment to finally meet her face-to-face, made even more memorable since we had not had a chance to meet prior to my graduation day.
