The trend toward the growing availability of online courses generates a lot of debate among university professors and administrators, among students, and among the public at large. English professor Devoney Looser was not a strong advocate of online teaching until she had the opportunity (or rather, necessity) to do it herself. She writes about her experience and change of heart in this March 2017 essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Read it here: Looser, “Why I teach online”
- How does Looser connect the personal situation that obliged her to teach online with the circumstances of many online students? How did Looser’s opinions of online teaching change? What did she think before she had the experience? What does she think now? Use one or more of the templates in Chapter 2 of your text to summarize her explanations.
- Looser’s opening sentence is quite an attention grabber! Is it an effective way to begin an academic essay? Too personal too soon? Would the essay have been stronger with less personal disclosure? Explain your reasoning for each of these questions.
- Looser puts a series of They Says in a bulleted list without specific attribution. What is her intent in presenting the They Say in such a fashion? Is it effective? Why or why not?
- Have you taken any online courses? If so, how well does your experience match what Looser describes about online students? What is similar? What is different? If you haven’t had the experience yet, does Looser’s essay make you more receptive to trying an online course in your degree program? Why or why not? In either case, write an essay that responds to the appropriate questions. Use Looser as your They Say, and employ the moves and templates in Chapter 8 of your text to connect the parts.
They Say I Blog 
I agree that online education is just as beneficial as other forms of learning because it just depends of an individual preference and situation. Devoney informs readers about her own experience about online education and the deciding factors that made her chose it. Her very personal story about her husband having cancer, as well as, raising two children was a good strategy to include to persuade readers how beneficial it can be to people in critical instances like hers. Although there are several perceptions of online classes being easier than going into a classroom, but I’d have to disagree because depending on what subject you are taking it all ranges from easy to very difficult, just like any other class would be.
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Woah!
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Looser is right, in some way. At first, an online lecture can offer an opportunity to someone who can not attend school, especially women who have diverse situation. Also, online students are enthusiastic too. They want to get their degree and good grade. However, for sure, there are some negative aspects too. In Korea, online professors in private academy are copying their lecture so that way not only they can provide their lecture who lives far from them, but also they can earn a lot of money. Moreover, still there are a few students who think an online lecture is easier way to get grade than real lecture.
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informative.
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I agree with Looser in that online classes offer a very opportunity for students who are unable to attend an on ground class. To me, there is no difference in the teaching. It has a lot more to do with the student. If they are willing to do the work and absorb the knowledge, online and on ground classes can both be benificial.
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I totally agree with the given points. Online education is trending day by day and it is very much helpful for all students. They can earn a accredited online degree. They can get comfort and safety right at their home in online high school programs.
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Well addressed Looser
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I am very pleased with the work so thank you very much.
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Like Jordan, I also agree with Looser’s statement on why Online Education is just as good as an in-person course for students. Devoney Looser initially begins her statement an unexpected sob story on how she came to terms with this lifestyle. Her husband was in the hospital and she needed to choose between showing up to class for her students or staying by her husband’s side, so she made a choice and that would lead her into taking her first steps into trying online courses. Looser understands that there are people who despise, hate, or do not endorse online teaching to begin with because of the obvious reasons being that it could make courses too easy without the constant monitoring of students that normal instructors do within the classroom. Jordan writes that Looser’s inclusion of the emotional story acts as a powerful act of persuasion for readers into believing that online courses sometimes exist simply because they need to. Whether it be for convenience or it being a last option for teaching, online education surely is not as bad as people depict it to be. It is true that sometimes, there are legitimate obstacles for students who live farther away from school and cannot attend class no matter what choice they have. The only alternative would be to help the student by allowing them to access the class without physically being there. In some cases, students take advantage of an online course by not putting in full effort because the instructor is not physically there telling them what to do every minute of class. Looney disagrees with that case because she believes how teaching virtually is just the same as teaching physically. It depends on the instructor to make sure this tactic is done poorly or effectively. According to Jordan, the difficulty of an online course varies depending on what course it is. Hard courses will be hard regardless of being online or not, easier classes will be just as easy online, and so on.
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Coming from the point of view of a previous online student, I can absolutely see the value in an online education. Online classes allow both the students and the teachers (such as Looser) flexibility. This allows students to still receive an education if they are unable to attend a physical class for any reason. I know from my personal experience that I was able to still participate in the class work and discussion even when I was out of town, because I was able to attend class on a laptop. The claim that online students are lazy and unwilling to actively participate is completely false. Getting your education online requires you to focus on that class despite all the distractions from your own home and the world around you. You are also forced to stay on top of your assignments by yourself with no instructor to constantly remind you of the due date. I believe online classes are very valuable, and that people from every walk of life and situation can utilize online classes to get an education.
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Before reading Looser’s reasons for on online learning I disagreed with the idea. I learn best when I’m physically able to see examples ask questions while in the teacher’s presence. I thought that students who typically took online classes were less invested in their education by not wanting the full experience of classes. After reading her points I understood that online education can be helpful to students who have factors in their life that can hinder them from getting to class and doesn’t necessarily mean that that person doesn’t want that type of experience. Such as Looser’s experience with her husband having cancer and having to take care of two children.
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Loosers opinons on online classes has changed, she said she’d never imagine that she’d never be teaching online now that shes started teaching online she says she loves it, especially with her husband being sick. I took an online course my senior year of high school and honestly i did not like it. the only pro about it is you have the ability to finish early and get the course over with, but as far as the learning experience i did not enjoy it i felt like i wasnt understand a lot of the things and i didnt have the ability to engage with other students or really even the teacher, it was basically read notes and taking quizzes and thats not my style of learning
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I some how agree that online education is good. It gives students access to class without having to travel hours or miles to attend classes. The online education helps students to overcome some challenges they face such as travelling through bad weather conditions or the risk of travelling through snow or flood to attend classes.Though it has a lot of benefits, it gives room for student to cheat. I student can give his/ her information to another student to access his or account and does test or assignment. Online exams are not monitored and students can easily get access to exams questions
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I never realized that going to a online collage was a viable option for some people. For wat ever reason it never crossed my mind that some people who want to go to college can not drive down to a community collage because of real life circumstances. This article really opened my eyes to how dedicated students are about graduating. I find it incredible that one student was able to attend collage while raising nine kids and she probably would not be able to continue her education if online collage was not a option.in conclusion this article really gave me new appreciation for online collage.
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Before reading this article I just assumed that it was just for people who didn’t want to get out of bed everyday or just wanted to be at home. But, after reading this I realized all of the different situations that each person can get into. Doing online schooling isn’t just because they are lazy, it’s actually really awesome that they can keep up with their lives and still get the degree they want. Not only students but in Looser’s case to still care for her husband and still be able to do what she loves to do. I do think differently of online schooling after reading this. I think that it’s a wonderful opportunity for people who are determined to graduate from college no matter what life has thrown at them.
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After reading this article, I would somewhat agree with Looser. But I would be a little more reluctant to try online classes. Looser didn’t really clarify, whether online classes were harder than on campus classes, she just merely states “students have stated that online classes were harder.” Even though online classes would fit my schedule a lot better, I worry that I won’t have the same resources available to me as On-Campus classes would provide. I have some mental challenging issues that online classes probably would not take into consideration. The end of the essay was sad for me. At Graduation, the student wanted to thank her professor for saving her, but didn’t get a chance too, because she didn’t know who the professor was. It kind of makes online courses seem convenient, but too impersonal for me.
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I agree with the online education. For me it makes it easier to work my full time job and to have a family and still continue on with my education.
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This essay was very enlightening I enjoyed reading her opinions. I am thinking about taking more on line classes now. I liked how she connected this to daily life which in turn helped me connect this to my life.
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Looser is correct to believe online education is a useful tool in the upcoming generations. Most teachers despise it because of it’s lack of tangibility since the student is not actually in the class but on a computer. Although a huge advantage that an online class has is that its accessible to the student where ever there is a computer.For Looser, it was easier for her to fit into her schedule since her husband was continually hospitalized. As for myself, I have taken an online class and experienced an easier time trying to fit it into my schedule. I believe that having an online education reduces the stress and increases the probability that students will be able to follow the course at their own pace.
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I totally agree with Looser and support most of the words she said. Getting a college degree is a beautiful thin and it should be available for everyone. As she mentioned in her article, online education is not that easy way that the lazy students who do not want to work hard take. It is actually as hard as the physical one, and the students are as passionate as the on-campus students. Also, for most of the online students, it is not their first, but their only choice to take the online school since they have a fammily to take care of, unmatching working hours, transportation problems etc. This essay is enlightning for the students and the lecturers.
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I agree that online education is good because it depends on self-work.
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Before actually diving into the world of online education, Looser merely deemed it as an ineffective alternative for in-person classes. She never expected to fall in love with it, let alone learn about the issues of social justice and feminist practice through it. Therefore, when she was bombarded with personal tasks after her husband’s diagnosis, she was skeptical about using the internet as the platform for her teaching. However, it was also due to her personal situation at the time that drove her to the realization that a lot of people are unable to receive a proper education because of various personal reasons, and taking online courses might be their only way of acquiring the knowledge that they desire. Some might be housewives that need to complete daily chores and take care of their children; some might be motivated children with disabilities that impede their education (in a traditional way); some might be struggling kids living in rural areas with no easy access to a school. This certainly does not mean that they are any less motivated or dedicated about learning than those that attend schools in-person. Through online education, many surmount the obstacles of society and rewrite history with their experiences.
An opening that is personal never fails to grab my attention. Overall, this article is structured in the way that it goes from Looser’s personal experiences and opinions to more in-depth discussions regarding online education. By mentioning her personal situation right from the start, the readers can conclude that the ideas mentioned in the essay are heart-felt and can be backed up by Looser’s experience. Therefore, I think it is definitely appropriate for the opening sentence to be personal, and it only adds to the effectiveness of the essay.
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With Looser’s self-experience and evidence she provided, I totally agree with her that online teaching should never be looked down on, and it can actually help tons of people who couldn’t take an in-person course. Moreover, the sentence I love the most in Looser’s argument is, “The degrees that many of our online students are earning today would have gone unearned a generation ago.” I found this sentence kind of touching to some degree, other than knowing the actual influence of online teaching, I also think this sentence reminds me of how lucky I am (also, we are) to be born in this online era. We get to find so many substitutes to make up for the difficulties just by using online resources, and we should all appreciate this.
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Agree with Looser’s thinking.Go ahead looser.
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I also agree that taking online classes isnt taking “the easy way out” or just being lazy. Like Looser said when they log on and start the online classes they choose to be tuned in and be very involved. When she was talking to an online student she said she enjoyed the online courses way more then when she had previously taken on-campus classes because she gets to study things shes passionate about and not what others what her to study. with her self-experience i do agree why she loves teaching online more
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After reading the blog I can understand why a hands on teacher never thought she would have to be an on line teacher.Once she faced with life ending situation with her husband.She was also so faced with raising the two kids and paying all the bills.Once she started to teach on line she fell in love with and is still teaching today.
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I personally have had experience with online classes, and my experience was very different than what the author portrayed in this article. In my experience, the content is very difficult to follow and the tests and quizzes often have information that is either not covered in the content, or is worded in a way that is difficult to understand, so its therefore difficult to accurately answer the question. In addition to this, the general layout of how the lessons and courses appear online was very difficult to understand and was not very effective. You were supposed to be able to communicate with the facilitator of the course, but in most cases the teacher wouldn’t respond until two to three days after you message the. Overall, online classes were not a good experience for me, and I would not agree with how they were portrayed in this article.
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Deep conversations and ideas on the comment section. Thank you, Looser for sharing your experience.
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This is really an amazing approach to spread knowledge. i liked your blog
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Thanks for sharing
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