Online Learning
I have taken several online courses and noticed stark differences between them. The best course was through CalState-Fullerton for Evolution. As the article points out online courses should not have a "read-this-and-respond" setup. The Evolution course provided assignments to work on individually through the reading of our text and through the use of the PBS website for teaching Evolution. Here we watched videos, read hyperlinked articles and much more. We were also required to work with another student in our class on a final project consisting of a lesson plan, presentation and paper. Since about half of the class was out of state, we gave our presentation over the phone while the power point was going in California. Posting reflections was a daily requirement, as was responding to other classmates posts. The course was very well organized and segmented so that each task flowed nicely to the next and finally to the culmination of our final project. My Evolution course included all of the features the article points our - resources, threaded discussions where students are assessed on quality, clear rubrics, activities and projects, and instructors. It was clearly evident that the professor had put a great deal of effort into the course design and made the online experience very worthwhile. If all online courses could present themselves as the Evolution course did - I'd take most of my classes online! Where else can you do all your schoolwork in your pajamas? It was authentic, it was real and it gave me some great insight into teaching Evolution in my Biology classes.