Online Education: Lessons for Administrators and Instructors.

Colleges and universities are increasingly using online across North America. There is, however, a debate on the effectiveness of this new technology as a pedagogical tool. In this paper, using our experiences in teaching more than l0 online courses, we examine the role of online education, its advantages and disadvantages, methods of delivery, and discuss possible ways in improving the effectiveness of this new teaching instrument. I. INTRODUCTION Online is creating excitement and debate among educators in colleges and universities in the United States and elsewhere. A review of the literature suggests a few general themes for implementing online courses and programs: expanding access to under-served populations; alleviating classroom capacity constraints; capitalizing on emerging market opportunities, such as working adults; and, serving as a catalyst for institutional transformation (Aron, 1999; Berger, 1999; Eastman & Swift, 2001; Fornaciari, Forte, & Matthews, 1999; Oliver, 1999; Volery & Lord, 2000; Webster & Hackley, 1997). Online has grown significantly over the past decade (McGinn, 2000). Urdan and Weggen (2000) state that revenues from Web-based training for online are forecasted to climb from $550 million in 1998 to $11.4 billion in 2003, and as John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, states education over the Internet is so big, it is going to make e-mail look like a rounding error (Chambers, 1999). The number of colleges and universities offering online has also increased dramatically--from 93 in 1993 to 762 in 1997 (Hankin, 1999), including many established universities such as Duke, New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University (Eastman and Swift, 2001). One report states that U.S. universities offered over 54,000 courses online with an enrollment of over 1.6 million students in 2000 (Driver, 2002). As a result of this phenomenal adoption and growth of online education, it is imperative that educators systematize its use so as to minimize inefficiencies and increase effectiveness. In this paper, we focus on how instructors may enhance the effectiveness of online based on an introspective analysis of the authors' experiences in the virtual classroom. II. METHODS To address the issue of enhancing the effectiveness of online delivery of education, the authors drew from their own experiences in teaching business courses online. Together, the authors have taught over 10 courses online. The courses ranged from 10-14 weeks in duration. In an attempt to effectively capture the totality of their experiences, the instructors did an analysis of student comments on the discussion boards, chat rooms, and e-mail threads that relate to the effectiveness of their online courses. The formal student evaluations of the courses were also examined for related comments and responses. Further, inferences were drawn from the variations in the effectiveness of individual courses when some changes were instituted. Summary of Delivery and Evaluation Techniques The online course structure is generally very similar to the in-class course. In fact, in many cases, the online courses are also taught in-class using the same syllabi, as in the case of the online courses taught by the authors. In summary, students are required to complete one module each week usually based on a distinct topic not unlike the regular classroom session. They are required to complete the readings, view the presentation online and/or a summary of the session on the Blackboard Discussion Board, and then complete the assignments. Students are required to participate in the threaded discussions where they can use their knowledge and experiences in initiating or adding to a thread. This learning cycle repeats itself through out the course. A few special features need elaboration. E-Lectures: A student can listen and/or read the E-Lecture over and over again in a 24/7 Cyber World until he/she understands the content of the course material. …