Online university courses on the rise

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/video/online-university-coursesrise-123603414.html

(retrieved 4/11/2013) BEFORE WATCHING/LISTENING 1. Have you ever enrolled on an online course? 2. Which of the following are characteristics of an online course? A lot of paperwork is involved. Geographic location of students is a constraint when choosing an online course. Online courses offer flexibility to students. Online courses can be less expensive to attend. Students can work from their homes. Student and teacher interaction is face-to face. Students work at their own pace and study at their convenience Students need to travel to campus to submit their assignments and take a test 3. Who would most benefit from online university courses? Rank these beginning from the group most benefited. a) People from rural areas b) People with a poor economic background c) People with disabilities d) People without easy access to a computer e) High achieving students

4. In the text assessment methods used in online courses constitute one of the drawbacks of e-learning. Can you come up with more disadvantages?

Activity 1 Watch/Listen and decide whether the following statements are True or False.

1. More people in the UK than in the States are taking online university courses. 2. Most people decide to take up an online university course because they are bored to attend a traditional university. 3. Students can adjust an online course to their work schedule. 4. Teachers send their material to students by mail. 5. MOOCS are online courses aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. 6. In e-learning the teacher student interaction often takes place in online forums. 7. Professor Moran still doubts the value of online learning. 8. The student teacher relationship is at stake in online education. 9. Student assessment can be easier to conduct in an e-learning environment than in a traditional class.

Activity 2 Now watch /listen and fill in the gaps. Its already 1) in the United States and is a growing phenomenon in Europe. Online university courses are increasingly a preferred 2) of learning for a number of students, especially those with limited time on their hands. So this is my classroom, for my psychology course. My 3).. puts information on this front page, says Rebecca Stone, pointing at her laptop. Rebecca does all her homework over the internet. Her classroom is an online forum. She says that the best part of studying online is the 4).: I wanted to go back to a traditional university, but my work 5) would not allow me to take the courses that I needed. Professor Theodore Moran teaches economics at Georgetown University. He has some 30,000 students from 150 different countries. He teaches his

course via two cameras, which allow him to answer students questions without leaving his office. I began as a 6)... I think that possibilities have been extended, so that you really can have discussion boards, says Professor Theodore Moran. MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are growing in popularity. The idea is to reach people who would otherwise not have access to the courses. So somebody new just joined from Uzbekistan, China We also have Kenya, says Rosaelena ONeal, Course Manager at Georgetown University. She says its not about replacing classic studies but about added opportunity: I dont believe that we are ever going to get away from student-toteacher engagement. Its about reaching people who could not have been reached otherwise. While the benefits to a larger audience are 7), universities are currently working on a number of issues linked to online learning, especially student assessment online, which is much more complex than the 8). and .. version.

Activity 3 Now match the words you found in Activity 2 with their synonyms given below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ability to change and adjust _____________________ way _____________________ traditional school _____________________ plan _____________________ used by many people_____________________ a person who doubts the truth or value of an idea or belief _____________________ 7. certainly true _____________________ 8. teacher _____________________

TEACHERS KEY AND NOTES

1 Elicit the definition of online learning. 2. Students tick the characteristics of online courses and exchange opinions on the subject. 3. As above 4. Below are some of the points you can elicit while discussing the topic with the students. a. Not everyone has ( reliable) access to the Internet b. Students may feel isolated from the teacher and the classmates c. Students have no real sense of university community d. Grading and assessment can be really controversial e. Students can easily fall behind and drop out f. Online education is more expensive for students to get Activity 1 1) F, 2) F, 3) T, 4)F, 5) T, 6)T, 7) F, 8) F, 9) F Activity 2 Its already widespread in the United States and is a growing phenomenon in Europe. Online university courses are increasingly a preferred mode of learning for a number of students, especially those with limited time on their hands. So this is my classroom, for my psychology course. My instructor puts information on this front page, says Rebecca Stone, pointing at her laptop. Rebecca does all her homework over the internet. Her classroom is an online forum. She says that the best part of studying online is the flexibility: I wanted to go back to a traditional university, but my work schedule would not allow me to take the courses that I needed. Professor Theodore Moran teaches economics at Georgetown University. He has some 30,000 students from 150 different countries. He teaches his course via two cameras, which allow him to answer students questions without leaving his office. I began as a sceptic. I think that possibilities have been extended, so that you really can have discussion boards, says Professor Theodore Moran. MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are growing in popularity. The idea is to reach people who would otherwise not have access to the courses. So somebody new just joined from Uzbekistan, China We also have Kenya, says Rosaelena ONeal, Course Manager at Georgetown

University. She says its not about replacing classic studies but about added opportunity: I dont believe that we are ever going to get away from student-toteacher engagement. Its about reaching people who could not have been reached otherwise. While the benefits to a larger audience are undeniable, universities are currently working on a number of issues linked to online learning, especially student assessment online, which is much more complex than the bricks and mortar version. ACTIVITY 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. flexibility mode bricks and mortar schedule widespread sceptic undeniable instructor

POST LISTENING ACTIVITIES Students can do some searching about MOOCS. They can enroll on a course and talk about their experience. They can prepare a presentation(Prezi, Glogster) about the pros and cons of e-learning.

Sources www.clkr.com http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/ Image source

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Created by Eleni Tsagari