Still standing

Well, I'm still here and enrolled in GSU's Introduction to On-line Teaching course. Believe me, there have been several times when I've considered dropping out of frustration with technological glitches and just plain wondering if the on-line teaching environment is for me. The last two weeks, in particular, were pretty rough with snafus seemingly at every turn. First, my laptop wouldn't save our group project in the proper format. Then after getting the thumbs up by the Wimba setup wizard I had no sound for our practice session.

I have very little time or patience to deal with these kinds of problems. I next tried to open the academic calendar on the school's web site to check the deadline for dropping classes. The PDF wouldn't open! After shedding a few tears of rage and angrily tossing my headphones into a corner of my office, I retreated upstairs with a book and a large mug of hot chocolate topped with plenty of comforting marshmallows repeatedly muttering that a class should not make you feel like an idiot.

In the clear light of day the next morning I realized that there may have been a bit of divine intervention that prevented the academic calendar from opening. For surely if it had I would not be posting here today.  But I am not one to give up so easily and really do want to learn this new skill. Truth be told, as someone more inclined to read the essays of Wendell Berry than Steve Jobs, I'm still not sure how I feel about on-line learning and teaching. However, I do have a new respect for the teachers and students who embark on the academically challenging journey.It does offer an opportunity for those who cannot spend their days or evenings driving off to a college campus. And that is a great thing. But is the academic quality the same as for both the on-line learner and the traditional university student? Much depends on the teacher.

Going through this steep learning curve has been invaluable for me. I now have a deep personal understanding of what my students will go through as they take their first on-line courses. What concerns me, though, is how many students won't make it through that learning curve. How many tearfully toss their hands in the air and give up. Certainly, as college-level teachers we cannot hold everyone's hand all the way through, but I hate to think of someone out there struggling and too embarrassed to contact their teacher before withdrawing and retreating.

An important turning point for me was our Wimba discussion with Cynthia Carey. As some of my classmates (several of whom are on-line teaching veterans) chatted in writing about software and programs I had never heard of, Dr. Carey admitted that she had shed some tears of frustration when she took this course. While I would never rejoice in someone else's tears, something inside me finally relaxed as I realized I was not the first one to feel like an idiot while learning to teach on-line.

What I have enjoyed immensely is learning about learning and teaching styles. As a journalist and adjunct instructor, I have never had an education course before. Even if I never teach an on-line course, everything I have learned in the readings so far will serve me well in teaching and improving my face-to-face courses with on-line components that can better engage all my students. I am already envisioning new projects and web-based exercises for the spring and summer semesters. That new awareness of the vast possibilities has made the tears worth it. That, and a steady supply of hot chocolate.