EDTC 601- Week 7- Activity 4: Experiencing Free/Open Source Courses

EDTC 601- Week 7- Activity 4: Experiencing Free/Open Source Courses

                I have my undergraduate degree in Kinesiology but it has been a while since I have gone back and looked at some of the courses I was required to take.  When searching for an online class, I saw this Biology class being offered so I thought it would be interesting to take a look back.  This class is the OLI version of Modern Biology. This introductory course is called "Modern Biology" because it is focused on topics at the forefront of experimentation in the fields of cellular biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. It is provides the background students will need for advanced biology classes. Students from other disciplines may also find this course useful as it explains many of the concepts and techniques currently discussed in the popular press and applied in other contexts.  I found this course at https://oli.web.cmu.edu/jcourse/workbook/activity/page?context=4950...

                The course is broken into 5 Units and within each unit is from 1 to 7 modules that break each unit into sections.  Within each module there are informal quizzes to check for understanding.  The student is required to do a lot of reading which, as I remember, is a necessary part of Biology no matter what format you study it in.  The material is presented in printed form accompanied with a lot of graphics.  The graphics are very well done and very colorful.  A book in a face to face class could have these same graphics but there is a difference.  When you toggle over some of the graphics, a part moves.  It shows how a cell or organism might change or grow.  And of course, the main difference is that you cannot raise your hand and ask a question.  This was my main hesitation when considering taking an online class.  What do I do if I am not sure about the instructions for an assignment, or if I just don’t understand the material?  My opinion is that you need to be an independent learner to be successful in an online class.

                This course is designed as a refresher course to be taken before you jump into the higher level biology classes.  It does a good job at looking back at the material presented originally.  There is a help button where you can email a question and receive a response.  I have become OK with the idea of waiting a day or two for an answer to a question, but originally I found this interruption in my learning process uncomfortable.

                I like the built in quiz checks.  It is really good to be able to take a quiz and know that if you understand the material to that point, by responding successfully to the quiz questions, then you are OK to proceed.  The use of the graphics along with the printed material is a good part of the course design.  It addresses the need for visual learners, like me, to not only read the information but to also see it.

                The main challenge I see to online learning is the absence of the teacher in the immediate environment.  Some content lends itself better to online work.  I’m not sure some kids can take math online if they are not very good math students.  My son did 4 math courses online at CSU and was fine, but he is pretty good at math.  I guess I just feel that some content needs more hands on explanation than others.  The main benefit to online learning is the pace; kids can go as fast or as slow as they need.  And I also feel that some kids cannot function well in a classroom for social or health reasons.  There is definitely a place for this in education and I feel it will only improve as the research and technology improve.