Read-Only Participants: A Case For Student Communication In Online Classes

Online computer courses/degrees are becoming more frequent as technology improves and the availability of technology is greater. This article “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” (Nagel, Blignaut, Cronje 2007) analyzes data from several studies and suggests that active participation, as opposed to non-active participation, is directly correlated to student achievement.

Their primary findings was that participation and communication is certainly a requirement for successful completion of online courses. When instructors are involved and encourage students to participate it motivates students to not give up or drop the class. They were able to classify students into different categories, and they found these types of students in the online class:

The article "Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online learning" by L. Nagel, A.S. Blignaut and J.C. Cronje, appears in Interactive Learning Environments. The article asserts that communication and active participation in online class increases the chance of the student’s success in an online class. Immediate feedback from peers and instructors and social interaction built into the online discussions contribute to learning (Collins, A., Brown, J.S., & Holum, A., 1991).

engage and learn even when not taking part in online discussions. The context of this

This article titled “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” discussed the importance of communication in online courses as well as the reasons why students succeed or fail in these online courses.

Technology is a part of everyday life and being integrated into more and more fields every day. Computers and the Internet are used in every aspect of our daily lives. With that being said online learning has become more and more prevalent. Most colleges and university have an online learning presence in order to extend the university reach and to help better serve the students who can’t make it into a physical classroom. In this article, Read Only Participants: Communication in online classes, authors Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronj (2009) takes on the argument that participation is a key reason for a student to be successful in the class.

Technology is great! At first when technology was started to become the next big thing I have to admit I was a little intimidated, and nervous that I was not going to be able to use these software programs, or social networking because I have always been mediocre with technology. But now my mind set has totally changed about technology and I’m blown away about how much it has improved our society as a whole. Ronald D. Owston in “The World Wide Web: A Technology to Enhance Teaching and Learning? Writes about the advantages we’ve gained from technology and how it has improved our education system. According to John Dickerson in “Note to Selfie”, technology to him is part of his life, and he believes that he can capture moments and memories by

Contrary, to what others have stated about online college classes, I found that there are many advantages and disadvantages for those who choose to advance in their career. Online college courses have become worldwide allowing individuals like me to make their own decisions on how to manage their college courses. Before I made a decision to take college courses online I had to be sure I was up for the challenge. Online college classes require the same amount of commitment as the traditional colleges. As I made the decision to attend online college courses I also explore every element of life factors and different skill techniques to help me succeed in my college classes.

When making a decision to participate in online learning, there are numerous decisions that must be made by the participant. Setting aside time specifically for online learning is a must in order to be successful. It is important to read the syllabus to establish timelines for reading and completing assignments in a timely manner. Having the option of working with others in learning communities can afford opportunities to share ideas and collaborate with other learners. Nagel, Blignaut & Cronje, (2007) talked extensively about the establishment of an online community as a prerequisite

The authors (2009) organized a case study, Read Only Participants: a case for student communication in online classes to help understand this relationship. The context of the study was an online course on web-based education for a Masters degree in computer-integrated

Every day the world is changing and things are done differently. Technology has also affected the way students are taught and in which they learn. It has changed the classroom. Technology saves us time and allows us to access material in only minutes. “The Internet and online subscription databases, even as a supplement to the printed works in the library, allow students to see, and force them to consider or reject, points of view that they might never have encountered in decades past” (Gow 4).With all the time technology produces, it also has downsides and it also may have created a less intelligent society.

In today’s society, so many people are continuing their education beyond high school. We realize that in order to make a decent living, a degree is most likely a requirement. In some cases even a bachelor’s degree is not enough to qualify for many positions. Nevertheless, thanks to technology, we now have the option to learn online or in a traditional classroom setting. There are very few differences between the two, and students need to understand that as much time and energy will need to be devoted to the online courses as on a campus. “A 2010 meta-analysis and review of online-learning studies concluded that online learning was as good as or slightly more effective than traditional face-to-face instruction” (Mendenhall, 2011).

Online college courses are almost becoming traditional for students. Some may perceive that a student does not receive an equal education when taking an online class. People tend to think that if a teacher is not directly giving the information about the subject, the course learning experience is different or unjust. This assumption is wrong according to the perception of many online course takers. Online college courses offer students the advantage to learn on their own time. The skills that a student learns in self-discipline, scheduling to complete graded assignments, and advantages learned with technology gives online classes equal education experience compared to classes on campus.

Technology is changing every aspect in our lives, even the way we learn. Online classes are a rapidly growing trend it today’s society. Online classes are a cost-effective substitute for traditional courses and more convenient for many, so more schools and universities are offering this option. Due to the increase in online course enrollment, people are questioning if students truly learn something from online classes because it’s not a traditional learning environment. Online classes are just, if not more, effective as traditional classes because grades have increased and online discussions provide students with the chance to interact through networking while earning a degree for less than what it would cost to enroll at the same university.

Andrew Simoncelli once said, “Students who take online classes must be motivated, independent learners.” This is relevant because independence and motivation is what it takes to succeed in an online course. Online learning will not only expand what students learn, but will also bring a number of positive changes in the way students are taught. Courses online have changed everyone’s look at learning all over the world. It allows more opportunities for observers to learn online rather than learning in class. Another affirmative of taking an online course is flexibility and convenience. Students who would like to experience some of these ideas should look into an online class!