My Entry into Writing, Teaching, and Learning Online

When I initially made the decision to begin teaching online I had no idea how rapidly the demand for online courses was growing. I simply knew that I wanted to do something different from standing before a lectern in a traditional classroom telling my students about various stages in the writing process. I needed a new challenge in my approach to instruction and pedagogy, and hybrid and online courses seemed to offer that challenge and more. Granted that there was a learning curve, and I learned many things through mistakes and experience, the journey has been most rewarding, offering a wealth of benefits to both myself and my students, as well as to my institution.

Since that Spring semester, I have worked diligently with other experts and practitioners in the field to arm myself with the tools and training necessary to independently build courses, teach and assess student learning, and assess my own teaching and course development. I have grown a lot, and I continue to grow.

Online classes are convenient for students, and they provide a wealth of data which allows institutions to follow a pattern of evidence-based decision-making that does not entail a lengthy wait for state data, which is usually staggered. Additionally, having course content available at their fingertips for instant review allows students to work with difficult processes and review material as often as they need to to master it.

In the current economy online courses also reduce the cost of transportation and gas for students, and allow many students to retain the employment needed to support their families and to pay for books and classes. As more and more students take on a distance learning course for the first time each semester, I believe that the 11.3 percent growth in distance enrollments experienced between 2006 and 2007 will continue to expand (www.insidehighered.com).