Opinion

Online education the way of the future ONLINE EDUCATION

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One might say that the advent of online education has been disruptive for higher education in California. One might also say that the advent of penicillin was disruptive for the practice of medicine.

More than 20 years ago, technology began to creep into my teaching. Ten years ago, I began to use electronics to present information in my classrooms and to allow students, even remote ones, to give me input during class.

Now, everything I say, present or draw during class is posted to the class website as it happens; any student with Web access can submit questions, suggestions or comments to me during my lectures. I love how dynamic my lectures have become with the varied opportunities for student input. I am hooked, and so are my students.

I keep reading articles about how education is due for the same catastrophic makeover that music, journalism and publishing have gone through. But online education didn't just suddenly spring up full-blown; we've been headed this way for years. We've been experimenting, evaluating and improving every step of the way.

University of California professors are incorporating technology into their teaching because they find it rewarding, efficient and effective. Indeed, two of my colleagues have set their sights on developing the best calculus class in the world - the best class, not just the best online class. It is the multifaceted, flexible and responsive nature of online presentation that makes them believe they can do it.

Developing a good, fully online class takes a lot of effort - it's like writing a book, or a symphony, or a major research paper. Although I have integrated technology into all my courses, I have yet to produce a fully online course. You might say I've been in training for the past decade, that I've been gathering data and experience in anticipation of making the leap.

But that's the point. Educators have so many options today. I mention this because sometimes when people talk about online education, the implication is that we are choosing between a small room where an instructor practices the Socratic method and a cold, two-dimensional course with little flexibility and no human contact.

I live in a warm, personalized middle ground that has evolved for not only my comfort and efficiency but also for the comfort, flexibility and elucidation of my students.

My students want the flexibility and the modes of learning afforded by online education - as long as they still have personal contact with someone helping them to incorporate new ideas.

I recently asked a class of about 200 students (some of whom were attending remotely) if they would like an online option for a required class that has a long waiting list, and many of them literally leaped to their feet and cheered. "What if the online class turned out to be very bad?" I asked. They looked at me, looked at each other, and then asked if I really thought they had never encountered a "very bad" course in a face-to-face classroom.

There are good and bad ways to do anything. Simply being available on a computer is not enough to make a course good. We have a lot of evidence that any educational experience that feels impersonal will be less effective than one that feels personal.

How do we make sure that students get the optimum amount of human attention? We need more study. We need more evaluation. We need to make sure that students don't just like their classes but that they really learn the material as well as or better than they could from a traditional class.

Online courses may not be for everyone, and they may not be appropriate for every topic. Right now, many of my colleagues believe that online versions of introductory courses may provide solid preparation for the more intricate and delicate dance of upper-division classes.

Those of us who care about teaching and are proud of how we do it are working hard to embrace the future for the benefit of ourselves, our students and the people of California.