California colleges are searching for ways to make online classes more effective as virtual learning remains a major part of higher education across the state.
Roughly 40% of California community college courses are now offered online, according to CalMatters. The format has become especially important for students balancing school with jobs, caregiving duties and other responsibilities — a reality familiar to many students across Southern California and the Inland Empire.
But educators say online learning can also leave students feeling disconnected. Classes that lack face-to-face interaction may be harder for some students to navigate, particularly when courses are asynchronous and require students to manage their time independently.
Di Xu, a professor at UC Irvine’s School of Education, said online courses demand strong “self-directed learning skills,” including a high level of time management. In traditional classrooms, she said, interaction tends to happen more naturally.
“In an in-person environment interaction happens naturally,” Xu said. “But in an online environment, especially asynchronous, that opportunity needs to be embedded. Otherwise, the student will feel very lonely.”
Despite those challenges, demand for online courses remains high. Students often prefer the flexibility, and colleges can generally offer online classes at a lower cost than in-person instruction.
Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy, director of program and strategy at the College Futures Foundation and a former executive with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, said colleges must adjust to the needs of today’s students. Among the ideas she described as promising are shorter course formats and programs that better connect coursework with the work experience many adult students already have.
Some faculty members are also looking at specific subjects where online instruction may not provide enough preparation. Julia Simon, a French professor at UC Davis who chairs a university task force on languages, said students in online foreign language courses may not get enough speaking practice.
Simon said that can leave students underprepared once they arrive at UC Davis. Because the university cannot require students to repeat classes they have already completed, she said one possible solution would be to offer conversation courses as a form of additional support.
The effort reflects a broader challenge for California colleges: preserving the convenience and access of online education while improving student engagement, interaction and academic readiness.
Original source: CalMatters
