Online learning has grown exponentially in the first part of the 21st century. By 2011, 65% of students had taken an online course (2011 CDW-G 21st Century Classroom Report). The 2014 Survey of Online Learning, co-produced by the Online Learning Consortium and the Babson Research Survey Group, reported that 74.1% of academic leaders rate the "learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face", and 70.8% indicate that "online learning is critical to their long-term strategy". And yet, only 28.0% of academic leaders say that their faculty accept the "value and legitimacy of online education". Online education has always suffered under the notion that it is inferior to face-to-face education. Faculty who are successful in the classroom are skeptical about online teaching. This qualitative case-study explores the experiences of ten higher ed faculty in designing and teaching online courses with a focus on what works better online than in the classroom. There indeed are some aspects of online education that are superior to face-to-face education.

Autorentext

Le Dr Eli Collins-Brown travaille dans l'enseignement supérieur depuis 1997. Ses recherches portent sur les technologies éducatives, la conception pédagogique, l'apprentissage en ligne et le développement éducatif. Elle est actuellement directrice du Bureau de développement du corps professoral et professeure dans le programme de technologie éducative de l'Université Western Michigan.