We've just found out that our university is not just going totally f2f in the fall, but that we're no longer going to be doing the alt.hybrid thing.
(The alt.hybrid thing is when you teach the class half online and half f2f -- so like half the class comes on Tuesday, and half on Thursday, and most of the work is done online.)
I'm extremely pleased. True, the part where I get to do most of my work squirreled away in my house like the introvert I am was very nice. But on the other hand, teaching this way (mostly) does not work. Students are less engaged and less interested, and about half of mine have checked out entirely -- they don't come to class even on the days they're scheduled to, and they have quit doing any of the work.
Since much of the work is online, some of them seem to think they can just put off doing the work until the last few weeks of class, and then "catch up." But that's going to be impossible.
One good thing that may come out of this: maybe university administrators will stop claiming that online teaching is the future of the university. Because, bah.
2 comments:
Bah indeed! I agree one hundred percent.
I think you may be right. We used to get really solid enrollment in winter and summer on line programs, but this summer enrollment looks to be down. That may be because students are feeling exhausted by our no-break spring semester, because we're not offering courses they want, or something else. But it might be fatigue with on line education.
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