Overcoming Resistance to Online Learning – Instructor’s Perspective
Change is inevitable, and so is the unwillingness to accept the change. Since the dawn of civilization, institutionalized learning has been the only mode of education. However, the last decade challenged this monopoly. The COVID-19 crisis forced education systems worldwide to find alternatives to face-to-face instruction.
However, e-learning initiatives can succeed only if the faculty/training instructors are involved wholeheartedly and accept online learning as a viable option. Therefore, understanding the causes of instructor resistance should be a priority for any organization that intends to succeed in web-based learning.
Instructor Resistance Fear v/s Fact
A 2012 New York University survey explored the causes of faculty resistance to online learning. One of the crucial findings of the study was that most of the time, faculty resistance is based on certain perceived notions rather than facts. This article will address the three most common concerns of instructors.
Fear: Lack of personal relationships with the students. Educators fear that due to a lack of face-to-face monitoring, they may not be able to gauge the level of participation by the students.
Fact: Most e-learning courses are designed so that all students are required to post responses to the discussions. This ensures that even the students who usually hesitate to speak in class can articulate themselves well.
Fear: Lack of engagement with other learners. Instructors fear that a digital platform may not provide enough opportunities for students to engage in group activities.
Fact: A well-designed course provides several opportunities for student collaboration and engagement. Most learning management systems (LMS) provide multiple engagement tools for peer-to-peer learning. Examples include webinar sessions, social media, chat rooms, discussion board forums and group tools. Thus, lack of engagement in a program is either a design fault or the instructor needs a better understanding of the LMS. These issues can be resolved with the help of proper training and coordination with the design team.
Fear: It is not feasible to teach a particular course online.
Fact: This holds for courses that require practical application of the concepts. For example, courses that require physical Labs. Such courses adopt a blended learning approach where lectures and specific assessments are completed online. Still, certain in-person interactions or hands-on activities are facilitated during the weekly onsite meetings.
Combating instructor resistance requires dispelling perceived notions with facts and training. Besides the above-mentioned concerns, instructors fear that online teaching will be more time-consuming. It is true because there will be an initial learning curve as the students and teacher adapt to a new medium.
Factors affecting the time an instructor spends managing the classroom are related to the LMS or the instructional design. Thus, communicating and coordinating with the instructional designer regularly will help in resolving any hiccups faced in delivering the course.
References
Frequent apprehensions about teaching online – cote information. OPEN SUNY. (n.d.). Retrieved December 26, 2022, from https://sites.google.com/site/coteinformation/index/frequent-apprehensions-about-teaching-online
Vivolo, J. (2016). Understanding and combating resistance to online learning. Science Progress, 99(4), 399–412. https://doi.org/10.3184/003685016×14773090197742
