Wednesday, October 30, 2013
IS UNCC KEEPING UP IN THE E-LEARNING RACE?
As a transfer student from a two-year college where virtually every class had an online option, I was quite taken aback when I found out that UNCC did not offer as many classes online. In my three years as a UNCC student, I’ve only had one class that offered an online option. This begs the question as to why our much esteemed institution doesn’t offer as many classes online. I haven’t found the answer yet but I believe perhaps cost may have something to do with it. I found this article which talks about how ‘As MOOCS Move Mainstream, Universities Must Pay to Play’ (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/buck-goldstein/as-moocs-move-mainstream-_b_4170524.html) and this kind of reinforced this theory for me. An encouraging tidbit though is an email I received recently stating that an Economics class I took last summer will be offered this summer as a hybrid course (part online and part in person). Too late for me obviously but for all you hopefuls out there like me who are hoping for more online classes, maybe our prayers will be answered.
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With the growing demand for online classes, I hope to see UNCC move in that direction. It is good to know they will be expanding the fields of classes they offer online. The advancements in technology and connectivity have made online classes much more appealing then they were even 5 years ago. I hope to see the market and technology continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteIn the past I was not attracted by online classes since I preferred the physical classroom instead. However, with the new technological advances, online classes are becoming more appealing. They are becoming more dynamic and offer multiple advantages over attending a physical class. I hope that UNCC will start offering more of these options as well as other institutions.
ReplyDeleteI believe a lot of us feel the same way too Paulina and James. At CPCC, the Moodle platform was used both as an informational tool and as a means to incorporate the online classes. It is interesting how UNCC has the same if not better Moodle platform yet it is not being utilized optimally for online courses.
ReplyDeleteI always questioned why UNCC doesn't have as many online classes. I'm actually a fan of e-learning and would prefer to take more classes that way but, I have to work with what I'm given. I'm close to graduation but, I just hope that if I continue to pursue my education, UNCC will move in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why UNCC doesn't offer many online classes, but I do agree with you that UNCC is moving towards creating more online courses. In one of my ECON courses (might be the same one you were talking about), we took a survey to see how many students would prefer traditional, online or hybrid course of ECON and the demand seems to be there for e-courses. I'm glad their starting to survey around. I personally find online courses to be a convenience for my busy schedule.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are not that many online classes offered here at UNC Charlotte. However, I have had at least one online class every semester. Unfortunately, they are mostly all electives. I like the idea of the hybrid classes, but it really depends on the course. For example, when I took Spanish and Spanish 2, they were only offered as hybrid classes. In my opinion, a foreign language is something that should be taught in a traditional classroom. Otherwise, you are basically stuck teaching yourself a new language (which wasn't easy for me). I heard a rumor (take it for what it's worth) that the university is trying to get the majority of classes set up as a hybrid class. I guess over the next several years there will be some changes, but as a May graduate, I will not see those changes.
ReplyDeleteI transferred from a two-year college as well and most of the classes at my previous school were also offered online. I didn't usually enroll in these classes during the fall or spring semesters just because I know that I get more information from the traditional classroom setting, but I did take all online courses during the summer. It was cheaper for me since I saved money in gas and also more convenient. I understand that it does cost the school to implement the online courses, but professors can teach more classes and in the long run save money. I don't think that all classes need to be offered online, but it is helpful to have that option there.
ReplyDeleteI think it would benefit UNCC to offer most courses online as well as in the classroom. There are many students who need to be in class with a teacher interacting with them. But there are also many students, like myself, that don't always need the guidance of an instructor. I definitely think there needs to be a balance between online and traditional classroom courses in order to serve the diverse population of students we have here at UNCC. I also think that the university needs to be smarter about what classes they choose to make online or hybrid, because there are certain classes, like languages, that realy make more sense to be taught in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteLiz I used to be of the same mindset too that certain classes are best taught in the classroom, but after taking a statistics class online, I have changed my mind a bit. The class was completely taught online but students would go on campus to take exams. After stumbling a bit initially, I managed to stay focused and ended up being successful in the class. Point being I used to think that classes related to mathematics shouldn't be taught online but I definitely changed my mind after that class. I personally believe that virtually most classes can be taught online depending on the setup and focus of the student.
ReplyDeleteWhile online courses can be helpful in that there is a little more time flexibility, I still prefer a physical class. I feel much more motivated to learn when I'm in a classroom, and there are many more chances to interact and ask questions in that physical environment. With online classes, it seems to be a lot easier to get distracted or to put off the work. I also feel that, since I'm paying for classes, I want to be able to go to those classes. While I know one can get a lot out of online classes, it doesn't seem like the best learning tool to me.
ReplyDeleteI guess the university doesn't trust all of us to retain the information through online classes that we need to graduate with a high level education. Some classes would be hard to teach online. There's always a way around the rules and I think e-learning opens up a lot of opportunities for shortcuts and even cheating. I also transferred from a two year school and a lot of classes there were offered either fully or partially online. But I also noticed there that a lot of the classes were easy and didn't require effort like a 4 year school requires. I guess that's the difference between a associate and a bachelors degree.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robert. I enjoy a traditional class when I'm learning a difficult subject, however if it's an elective I much prefer it being online because I know I'm disciplined enough to do my work on time. If the subject isn't that difficult I like being able to go ahead of everyone and complete assignments that have already been posted which you aren't really permitted to do in a traditional class. When I took an online class, I set up specific times when I was going to do work for that class but the benefit was that it was on MY OWN time. Sometimes I would set up a 11pm-1am working frame which is obviously impossible to do with a traditional class. So it has its pros and cons
ReplyDeleteI honestly think UNCC has grown so fast that they did not anticipate the need for online classes. I work 40 hours a week and was told that UNCC was friendly to adult students and very accommodating. I found this was not the case with with the school of business. None of the classes that pertain to my major are offered online or at night after 5. As a working student, I found this a difficult concept to grasp. Why couldn't such a big college not be as accommodating? I brushed this aside for a long time, since I bartender at night and it didn't conflict with my schedule. Next semester I am starting a 9 to 5 job, and UNCC isn't going to work for me. I am transferring to a small college that does offer my courses online and at night. If they can do it, why can't UNCC? I did voice a complaint with the office of evening services and adult students, but I did not get results. It is a shame that such a big college lacks in online offerings.
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