10 Myths About Online Learning/Teaching

1. Coffee Talks #1
10 Myths About Online Learning
Assoc. Prof. Selcen Öztürkcan
Ass.Prof. Mehmet Ali Tuğtan
3 Aralık, 2014

2. Myth #1
Students in an online course will not learn as
much as they would in a face-to-face course.
FALSE
• Learning experiences that can be adapted to unique needs
• Active, rather than passive learning opportunities
• Keep your students engaged

3. Myth #2
Lack of interpersonal communication promotes
isolation in online learning
FALSE
• consider social interaction to create a sense of community
• provide frequent instructor feedback
• discussion forums, learning teams and chats encourage connections
between students and instructors

4. Myth #3
Creating an online course takes more time than
developing a face-to-face class
TRUE
• developing requires more time than creating a face-to-face class
• not limited to content learning
• blogs and wikis

5. Myth #4
You cannot provide personal attention to the
student in an online class
FALSE
• “virtual office hours” to meet
• provide personal attention to large groups of students

6. Myth #5
There is less participation in an online course
than in a face-to-face course
FALSE
• online courses can be more interactive
• asynchronous online discussions: allow students the flexible time needed
to construct their knowledge and opinions to share with their classmates

7. Myth #6
Teaching online takes more time than
teaching face-to-face
FALSE
• development of online course may initially take more time because the
nature of the online class is different
• online teaching employs diverse instructional methods

8. Myth #7
You can convey emotion and excitement in an
online course
TRUE
• sense of how your course will alter and expand their knowledge
• online activities that are relevant and meaningful

9. Myth #8
You should not transfer your face-to-face course
lectures directly to an online course video
TRUE
• various methods in delivering content
• transfering classroom lectures into long video lectures will alienate your
students
• short videos be included with other delivery and assessment methods

10. Myth #9
You must be a technology expert to create an
online course
FALSE
• tech experts at your institution offer support
• multiple resources are available on the Internet to help learn about and
integrate technology

11. Myth #10
Online classes are as difficult as face-to-face
instruction
TRUE
• students have often the preconception that online classes will be easy
• extensive reading requirements, frequent online discussions, collaborative
group work, and time management skills