Virtual Learning Environments

Before enrolling in this online media studies program, I had a very limited exposure to virtual learning environments. My first semester at The New School was spent studying sociology at the School for Social Research and one of my classes had a small online component, which I found to be quite challenging. Our professor created an online forum for class discussions and made weekly contributions a course requirement. To be honest, I was very annoyed at the whole process and didn’t understand why I had to bother navigating blackboard which, at the time, wasn’t the most user-friendly service. Since then, I’ve obviously had a lot of experience learning online and I’m quite satisfied with the results.

My first semester of online classes was conducted entirely on blackboard and I was initially quite skeptical about the effectiveness of the platform. Once I became a bit more familiar with the service, however, I found that online learning came quite naturally. Of course, I think it takes a certain kind of student to succeed in a virtual learning environment, as it requires a much more proactive approach to one’s education.

Looking back at my course history, I wish I had enrolled in this class my first semester at the school (I’d even argue that this course should be a requirement for first semester online students). Based on this first reading by Harasim, which alleviates any uncertainties about the quality of online classes, I think this class (meta-class?) is extremely important for online students so that they can understand the method by which they are learning (it was especially fun to learn about The New School’s pioneering effort in early online education).

As Harasim states, there are many benefits to virtual learning environments. For one, participation rates are extremely high; based on the study of 64 schools, 85% of students logged in at least 5 times per week and 81% of all students posted at least three messages per week. When I compare these results to my own experience in onsite classrooms, where only 3 or 4 students regularly contribute to class discussions, sometimes even dominating them, I find online learning to be especially advantageous. And according to Harasim’s piece, many professors agree.

That being said, I do find myself longing for live interaction with my peers. I think that no matter how technology advances, there will always be something lost when people can’t personally engage each other, face to face. While Harasim states that many professors reported knowing their online students as well, if not better, than their onsite students, I generally find myself feeling a bit distanced from my instructors. A slight exception to this was a class I took where the professor posted some video lectures and assigned projects that required students to verbally record responses to class work. Just seeing and hearing my professor’s lecture, even if it wasn’t a live discussion, was enough to make me feel a bit more engaged in the class. Also, hearing my peers critique my work as opposed to reading their written comments gave me a stronger feeling of connection. Perhaps these are the small “human elements” online classes need to incorporate to realize their full potential.

For some reason, it wouldn’t let me comment on the previous post, so I am just going to post my own.

For as long as I can remember, there was a computer in my classroom. However, this is not e-learning, nor was it a virtual learning environment. Sure, I can type faster than my parents, and know the shortcuts on a Mac as a result, but I was not formally learning anything. Harasim quotes Marc Belanger by saying that e-learning “ encourages people to take charge of their stuation and use what is at hand to increase their social, political and economic influences.” (66) It is exciting to know that the same internet that can bring smut to every outlet can also bring an education. You no longer have to be “at college,” now you can just be “in college.” And while face to face learning appears to still be the more popular option, online classes are a very viable option, that is only growing in reliability and usability.

On that note, virtual learning environments is any system used over the internet designed for teaching and learning. It does not have to be “MOOing” or a collaborative virtual learning environment, it can be as simple as text correspondence, or as complicated as second-life, or even world of warcraft, if used in the right way. They can be real-time or not, but e-learning must be the ultimate goal of all parties involved.

Harasim talked about the three cognitive phases involved in intellectual development and collaborative learning, they are idea generating, idea linking and idea convergence. And this is the basis for the e-learning that millions of students in the United States alone are taking part in. It is building and gaining from a knowledge community and professors but over the internet.

This is my first time taking an entire semester online. I have taken one online class before, and I was less than thrilled with the outcome. I found that it was hard to keep on top of, and technology was not the strongpoint of either myself or my instructor. However, during my undergraduate experience we used Blackboard in order to supplement classes, and that was always a very pleasant experience. I am not saying by any means that VLE’s are ineffective, in fact, I think they are harder to take than many in classroom classes, but in the past, my experience with a class taken entirely online was convoluted and hard to parse. My school did use something called LearnLink, or First Class, which besides being the e-mail platform, it consisted of conferences for every group or class that you were a part of. It made communication easier than ever, and while it was not used for actual learning experiences, I think it could serve that purpose if necessary. It was most effective because every time someone posted something, a red flag appeared next to the icon, therefore, at the same time you were checking your traditional e-mail, you could check your Learnlink updated all with double click of the mouse. We used it as a fancy bulletin board, but it can absolutely be used as a classroom with a little tinkering.

I am however, very excited about this class, the nature of it mirrors the nature of the program here at the new school that attracted me in the first place. Not only are we studying e-learning and VLE’s, but we are participating in it. We are walking the line between theory and practice, and in academia there is nothing better than that.

Considering Josephine’s question, “What platform was the first online class that you took and what was that like?  Did you think this was an effective platform for creating rich learning experiences?”  I wanted to respond that my first online class was a Women in Film course I took during my undergrad career.  The online portion of the course was administered via Blackboard, and based on Linda Harasim’s definitions of the categories of e-learning, I would say in the example of that course, our online component was operating in adjunct mode.

We had one day a week where our film screenings took place, and another class was devoted to discussion.  We used Blackboard in order to post our thoughts on the films in review format (a weekly exercise).  I remember very much enjoying reading what others had to say about the films, especially those who didn’t speak up very often during class (this touches on the article’s point about how distance learning can create equality, giving more shy class members the opportunity to compose their thoughts).

However, in general I would say that the platform was not as effective as it could have been; a lot of what was covered was redundant – most people simply re-stated what they’d already said in class – and it felt like an afterthought most weeks.  Because of this, no one really engaged in a discussion in the boards; rather, we all simply went in, posted our required post, and logged out.

I think that this example of an e-learning environment could have been made more effective if the professor had created specific discussion points and assignments for Blackboard that helped to enhance/extend our conversation with each other, rather than simply having us re-hash what we’d already gone over.  It would have been a good place to perhaps compare themes to other films we’d seen, or to post relevant articles/examples of things that we didn’t get to discuss in class.  I think this would have opened up the boards for further dialogue between the class members, which I think is a key element in rich learning experiences.

I’m curious to hear about others’ first experiences with online classes as well…Henry mentioned being relieved that this course was not in Blackboard, so I’m especially curious to hear about others’ experience with that as well.

Take care!