![]() ![]() There’s simply no analog to this parallel form of engagement in a traditional in-person class. In a recent class discussion regarding the First Amendment, as soon as I mentioned several related Supreme Court cases, one of the students dropped links to the rulings into the chat. Students ask and answer questions from me and from each other, offer thoughts, and react to posts from their peers. Rather than distracting from the course, the chat dialog enriches it. When I am teaching online, the Zoom “chat” window often becomes a nonstop stream of insightful ideas, reactions, and web links provided by students. Synchronous online instruction allows a richer set of interactions. Supporting a broader range of learning styles The quality of a well-run synchronous (i.e., live, as opposed to pre-recorded) online class can now rival-and in some respects exceed-the quality of the in-person equivalent. In particular, the mass adoption of Zoom in higher education has created a network effect where its utility as an instructional tool is amplified by the number of people who have become familiar with using it. But another reason is that due to the pandemic, enormous numbers of students and instructors have gained proficiency with online learning software. Why? One key reason is that today’s communications networks and consumer devices enable much higher quality telepresence than was possible a decade ago. For many college courses, online instruction is proving to be far more effective than many people anticipated. Two years later, something unexpected has happened. ![]()
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