What do students really think about discussions? Do online classes provide a better platform for discussion than face-to-face classes?
Senior Lecture of Political Science Maria Albo asked her online American Government students about their experiences in online classes.
Here are some of the answers.
Q. Do online classes offer the same opportunities for discussions as face-to-face classes?
A1. Yes. I actually feel like I have more discussions in my online classes than my classes that are not online. Personally, my two classes that I attend campus for are more like lectures. We do not really have classroom discussions. I am currently taking three online classes and write about seven discussion posts a week and communicate with my peers way more than I do in my classes on campus.
A2. I feel like online classes do provide more for discussions and questions. In a classroom setting you are able to pick off the first person’s response or just copy down what they say so as a student you are not learning anything. For these online discussions you have to think for yourself because there is no one you can steal answers from which allows for students to expand their discussion and have more questions.
A3. Yes, there are often several students that will dominate class discussion in a traditional class. Not every student has the same opportunity to participate in class discussion. However, the online classes give everyone have same opportunity to express and participate in discussion.
A4. Yes, I think in a way online classes take the aspect of discussion even more in depth than it would be in an actual classroom. In regular classes, it is easy to hide or not participate, but in online discussion boards, it is required that we share our opinion and think critically about other responses. I think this does a good job of getting students involved with the class and thinking critically about different subject matter.
A5. Online classes definitely provide the same opportunity for discussion but not so much questions. I like how most online teachers assign discussion posts and require a certain number of original responses to classmates. It really has an in-class touch to it. Questions, on the other hand, are limited in a sense. It typically takes a good amount of time for teachers to respond. I feel like communication is the biggest issue with such classes.
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