Recently, I wrote a blog post about the Ontario Government removing the stipulation for online learning relating to teachers. Through a literature review, I outlined the benefits of an online learning classroom contributing to the self-efficacy of learners and viable usage inside classrooms (Babich, 2020). The keywords within all of this are ‘inside classrooms‘.
With the recent pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2, I have seen a great deal of higher-ed internal and social posts about the switch to online being the ‘new normal’ ostensibly stating that this is to continue even after we ‘flatten the curve’ and that social distancing is to be the way things are. I ask that we take a step back and be pragmatic about this as I would like to share a perspective.
Pure Online vs. Blended/Hybrid Learning
Although online learning is beneficial, the same is true for working with the software inside the classroom with face to face collaboration (F2F). Canadian researchers Owston, York, and Malhotra (2019) state “Our finding that courses with online lectures and in-class tutorials (Blend OLCT) were rated significantly higher than the other three models on design and satisfaction, and higher than two out of three other models on learning was perhaps not too surprising” (p. 41). Furthermore, the Canadian Center of Applied Sciences through the Modern Applied Sciences journal state the positives of distance learning breaking geographic barriers, and increasing new forms of accessibility, while producing disadvantages such as challenges with content transmission, attitudinal issues through a lack of socialization and communication with teachers (Aladwan, Al-Shboul, & Al Awamrah, 2019)
During these times, I understand the trepidation for people to not want to be in large crowds or even in classrooms, and working with a pure online model is sustainable, for now. Moving into the future when the panic is calmed, we can take lessons from this time and create actionable ways to integrate blended learning inside of our F2F classrooms.
Future Implications
I could be wrong but I am confident that with our resiliency, we will be back to our ‘old-normal’ very soon, a far-cry from what you hear through media outlets. So I ask, a complete switch to full online, being a ‘new normal’, what implications does this have for different learners? Does this create a barrier for technology-illiterate learners? Are we just expecting a sink or swim model when it comes to full online learning? In an already political polarized, and socially polarized world, could this perpetuate further polarization and disenfranchisement?
I ask educators, business leaders and who ever finds this useful to take a step back, look at all the factors, and make a clear and sound decision before anxiously jumping in on a method.
References
Aladwan, F., Al-Shboul, M., & Al Awamrah, A. (2019). Distance education, blended learning, and e-learning: Predictions and possibilities. Modern Applied Sciences, 13(2), 192-206. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1239/038b5fff165afdd9d8d4aeb3f4f3a0fee8b1.pdf
Babich, C. (2020, March 5). Update on the teachers strike…with a small literature review [Blog post]. https://carsonbabich.wordpress.com/2020/03/05/update-on-the-teachers-strike-with-a-small-literature-review/
Owston, R., York, D., Malhotra, T. (2019). Blended learning in large enrolment courses: Student perceptions across four different instructional models. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 35(5), 29-45. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.4310
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