In Fall 2001, while I was Asst Professor at the School of Education in Brooklyn College at the City University of New York, I taught my first online course. Fifteen weeks of virtual classes on the required Educational Foundations course, a survey of a wide range of educational theories and practice. I spent far more time on this course than anything else I taught. I learned that I am not a fan of asynchronous communication — not when it comes to classroom dynamics and I missed the energy that comes with real interactions. The advantages to the students in this course were, however, clear as they were part of the Teacher Opportunity Program in NYC — professionals from a range of fields who were embarking on an accelerated program and teaching in NYC public schools during the fall. Freeing up time for them in that first year of teaching was attractive. When I planned the course the following year, I decided on a hybrid course, in which we had a face-to-face classroom meeting once a month. That helped a great deal because it allowed us to have some real interactions frequently enough that we could engage in tasks and communications with memories of the energy that comes with real dialogue.

With technology having advanced as far as it has now, I completely agree that online courses need to be much more than simulations of passive, lecture-format courses. They should instead emulate the best, the most engaging and interactive courses. Providing greater access to those courses should be the goal!