You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27- 40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
The effectiveness of an online course
As access to the internet has continued to grow, web-based learning has continued to expand. With approximately half of the households in the United States (or 150 million people) connected to the Internet, an estimated 2 million students are taking post-secondary courses that are fully delivered online. Millions of other students at all educational levels (primary, secondary, post-secondary) participate in online courses. However, the effectiveness of online courses, particularly in relation to individual student needs, perceptions, and student outcomes, is sometimes questioned.
Common elements for learning in a typical classroom environment are the social and communicative interactions between student and teacher, and student and student. The ability to ask a question, to share an opinion with a fellow student, or to disagree with the point of view in a reading assignment are all fundamental learning activities. However, effective web-based learning requires adjustments on the part of students and teachers for successful interactions to occur, for example. Many online courses provide students and faculty, and students and students with the ability to interact with each other via an electronic bulletin or discussion board.
While most studies show a link between interaction and satisfaction in web-based courses, some observers have cautioned that this is not always the case. Ruberg, Taylor and Moore, for example, observe that in order to interact successfully, students must adjust to the nonlinear nature of web-based learning. In linear focusing on a single discussion thread, web-based learning sessions can have multiple threads with several discussions and interactions progressing simultaneously. Students respond to a teacher but also to other students, depending on the interest and points of view.
Sproull and Kiesler caution about discussions based on misinformation that continue because an instructor cannot necessarily immediately correct or clarify a comment. As a result, students need experience and knowledge to sift through the discussion for misinformation. In online learning, the amount of student interaction and the number of comments can easily lead to what is described as information overload. Furthermore, comments in online discussions tend to be lengthier than in face-to-face situations. With more information from many sources, students need to be more attentive to both the who and what of a discussion. Herbert Simon, an economist, cautions that “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
In examinations of interaction, the concept of “presence,” or a sense of being in a place and belonging to a group, has received attention. It is generally assumed that when a student is physically present in a face-to-face course, he or she has a stronger sense of belonging to the class or group than in an online course. He or she listens and may choose to raise a hand to comment, answer, or ask a question. Furthermore, this same student may develop relationships with others during breaks. However, this is not always true, as some students may also feel alienated in face-to-face classes.
The idea of presence has been redefined in relation to online courses. The simplest definition of presence refers to a student’s sense of being registered and belonging in a course, and the ability to interact with others even without physical contact. However, this concept has expanded to include telepresence, cognitive presence, social presence, teaching presence, and other forms of presence. The term “community” is related to presence and refers to groups such as students in a class. In online learning, terms such as communities of inquiry, communities of learners, and knowledge-building communities have evolved.
As the definition of presence has expanded, a distinction has been made between interaction and presence, emphasizing that they are not the same. Interaction may indicate presence, but a student may still interact online without feeling part of a group or class.
A study conducted by Professor Anthony Picciano used questionnaires to examine students’ attitudes toward interaction and learning in online courses. The study went beyond perceptions to include performance, social presence, and participation in activities. Data was also collected on course performance measures. While research generally supports a strong relationship between perceived interaction and perceived learning, the results show that the relationship between actual interaction and performance is mixed.
The success of many online courses depends on student-to-student and student-to-faculty interaction. However, how this interaction affects learning outcomes and the relationship between the two still requires further study.