Abstract:
The introduction of computer and communications technology, and particularly
the internet, into education has opened up some new possibilities for teaching and
learning. Courses designed and delivered in an online environment offer the possibility
of highly interactive and individually focussed teaching and learning experiences.
However, online courses also present new challenges for both teachers and students.
A qualitative study was conducted to explore teachers' perceptions about the
similarities and differences in teaching in the online and face-to-face (F2F) environments.
Focus group discussions were held with 5 teachers; 2 teachers were interviewed in depth.
The participants, 3 female and 2 male, were full-time teachers from a large College of
Applied Arts & Technology in southern Ontario. Each of them had over 10 years of F2F
teaching experience and each had been involved in the development and teaching of at
least one online course. i - -;
The study focussed on how teaching in the online environment compares with
teaching in the F2F environment, what roles teachers and students adopt in each setting,
what learning communities mean online and F2F and how they are developed, and how
institutional policies, procedures, and infrastructure affect teaching and learning F2F and
online. This study was emic in nature, that is the teachers' words determine the themes
identified throughout the study.
The factors identified as affecting teaching in an online environment included
teacher issues such as course design, motivation to teach online, teaching style, role,
characteristics or skills, and strategies. Student issues as perceived by the teachers included learning styles, role, and characteristics or skills. As well, technology issues
such as a reliable infrastructure, clear role and responsibilities for maintaining the
infrastructure, support, and multimedia capability affected teaching online. Finally,
administrative policies and procedures, including teacher selection and training,
registration and scheduling procedures, intellectual property and workload policies, and
the development and communication of a comprehensive strategic plan were found to
impact on teaching online.
The teachers shared some of the benefits they perceived about teaching online as
well as some of the challenges they had faced and challenges they perceived students had
faced online. Overall, the teachers feh that there were more similarities than differences
in teaching between the two environments, with the main differences being the change
from F2F verbal interactions involving body language to online written interactions
without body language cues, and the fundamental reliance on technology in the online
environment. These findings support previous research in online teaching and learning,
and add teachers' perspectives on the factors that stay the same and the factors that
change when moving from a F2F environment to an online environment.
