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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.
About the author
Dr. Eli Collins-Brown has been working in higher education since 1997. Her research focus is on instructional technology, instructional design, online learning, and educational development. Currently, she is the director of the Office of Faculty Development and a professor in the Educational Technology program at Western Michigan University.
