The University Debate – Online or in Person (maybe both)

As an advocate of quality online instruction in attracting a valuable cross-section of student talent seeking graduate education, I am always curious about the resistance of face-to-face instructors and administrative staff in accepting online education. The growth of online instruction had a challenging start. The Covid lockdown in March 2020 pushed educators to quickly adapt to an instruction style they were neither prepared for or technology equipped. Institutions and school districts alike scrambled to build and deliver online platforms that suffered from the lack of knowledge and planning.

While online platforms and educators’ technology IQ have improved significantly since the early lockdown days, there remains an old school bias against online instruction coupled with loyal support for the  value of face-to-face instruction. I was curious why old biases remain against online education and set out to investigate beginning with a literature review. It turns out that educators’ arguments and reluctance to adopt online instruction may have some validity. However, there is also genuine support of learning from and experience of new platforms and protocol in online education. To help understand the online debate, I examined primary attitudes and arguments that fuel both sides of this debate.

A  primary argument is the belief that the lack of face‐to‐face interaction undermines engagement and makes it difficult to read non- verbal cues or foster group dynamics (e.g., Smith et al., 2001; Redmond, 2011; Fish and Gill, 2009). This is a valid argument. Personal interactions are supported by non-verbal communication. Facial and verbal cues often reveal when the group has understood a concept……or not. Personally, I have found that online communication that is one to one can reveal the same information and possibly more. Being able to visit with every student in a group or private online certainly has advantages. The benefit is that every student interacts, and no one gets lost in the crowd. My shy students sometimes find comfort and courage being able to post candid discussions. However, this takes time and effort and the ability to generate dialogue. Not all instructors are comfortable in this situation.

Instructors also may believe online teaching demands extensive pre‐planning and increased workload. Instructors may feel that it is too stressful to adopt new technologies and communication modes that force them to develop skills outside their traditional repertoire (Folkestad and Haag, 2002; Kane and Dahlvig, 2022; Reid, 2012). It certainly does take time and additional effort to build a comprehensive course that is current (and in some cases real time) as well as a course that is diverse in instructional components. For example, discussion posts need to foster human reasoning. This is particularly true in an environment where AI supported submissions are a concern. The qualified instructor will support exercises and discussions that foster human reasoning skills and ethical decision-making. There may be instructors that are unable or unsure how to enhance these teaching skills. Rest assured valuable resources are available and building every day. One example is from Coursera free instructor course “Learning to Teach Online” (https://www.coursera.org/learn/teach-online).  

Finally, there are personal and systemic strains noted by opponents of online instruction that indicate a compromised work-life balance which leads to lower job satisfaction. I get it, having spent my professional career in an office setting with hours of business set in stone, it may be difficult for some educators to accommodate students in different times zones, challenging work schedules, or university obligations such as collegiate sports (Kane and Dahlvig, 2022). The attitude that accommodating scheduling needs of students is a burden is hard to refute. I agree, it is difficult to be on call 24/7 but the benefit of broadening the student talent pool is well worth the challenge.

Access to quality face to face education is critical to supporting the wellbeing and growth of any society. But as the world becomes smaller and lifelong learning continues to play a key role in supporting professional growth, virtual access to quality online education will continue to be an essential part of quality education. The answer to the argument of “for or against online instruction” may be to foster instructional skills in online instruction best practices and capacity building. Dedicated educators are devoted to their profession and deserve access to all tools to do their job in the best possible manner!