I was kind of disappointed to have to miss this week’s class, because it seems like it was such a rich learning experience! In some ways, it gave me an interesting perspective on online learning! (For the record, I much prefer being in class with my classmates and Andrew! Revisiting after the fact is way less engaging).
The discussion on the pros and cons of online education was interesting. As someone who lives in Sooke and commutes out to UVIC, I can certainly appreciate the gas-saving benefits of online learning. However, I think there are huge drawbacks in terms of human connection. In my undergrad, my department (Child and Youth Care) moved almost all classes online, even post-COVID, and it severely limited people’s opportunity to form social connections. While my understanding is that it was an economic decision — fair enough — I do think that in an already hyper-individualized world, online school could have devastating and corrosive effects on how people, especially children and adolescents, learn to socialize, and I just don’t think that’s a fair tradeoff when weighed against wearing pajama pants while learning.
On a very similar note, the SFU research that was shared seemed kind of pointless to me. It reads to me as more of an example of overthinking than anything else. What, exactly, is the point, of having goofy avatars in a Sims-esque classroom? I guess I get the concept, but I highly question the value-add versus a Zoom classroom, and I appreciated Andrew pointing out that fundamentally, it’s a rebrand more than it is bringing anything new or valuable to the table.
When thinking about the best mode of online learning, I would definitely opt for asynchronous vs synchronous. Synchronous learning takes all the bad parts of online learning — too much screen time, not enough in-person connection — while asynchronous at least allows for truly self-paced learning, where people can adapt their schedules as needed. One thing that I do enjoy about our current model of education — where we have in-person learning with asynchronous components through Brightspaces — is that all the materials are still available after the course ends. I have relied heavily on my undergrad course materials for my inquiry, it’s fantastic!
I am curious what my peers have experienced in their online learning journeys, and what they enjoyed and did not enjoy. I am looking forward to seeing everyone (in-person) this Friday!
Markus
I agree that there are strong social drawbacks to online education for kids and teens