Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education?
As responsible educators, it is time we admitted that we do not know what 'online' education is. We also need to confront the discomforting realisation that no one else does, either. The term 'online' has reached the stage where it is now so inclusive as to be meaningless. In...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Commonwealth of Learning
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Learning for Development |
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| Online Access: | https://jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d/article/view/1054 |
| _version_ | 1797773776523362304 |
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| author | Mark Nichols |
| author_facet | Mark Nichols |
| author_sort | Mark Nichols |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
As responsible educators, it is time we admitted that we do not know what 'online' education is. We also need to confront the discomforting realisation that no one else does, either.
The term 'online' has reached the stage where it is now so inclusive as to be meaningless. In embracing too much, it describes nothing. What was once a useful term to describe using the internet as part of asynchronous distance education is now used universally, to describe almost anything. Lectured, synchronous classes are now 'online' (Johnson et al., 2022). Emergency remote teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic was 'online'. Including additional resources on an LMS for students to refer to after class is considered ‘online’. Across much of the educational spectrum, to be 'online' now is far from unusual.
In this commentary I make the case that the term 'online' needs a forced retirement, or, at the least, additional context when it is applied.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:10:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5d643a5f91140b89e0b1a383a0f6321 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-1550 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:10:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Commonwealth of Learning |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Learning for Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5d643a5f91140b89e0b1a383a0f63212023-07-23T13:36:57ZengCommonwealth of LearningJournal of Learning for Development2311-15502023-07-0110210.56059/jl4d.v10i2.1054Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education?Mark Nichols0Te Pūkenga As responsible educators, it is time we admitted that we do not know what 'online' education is. We also need to confront the discomforting realisation that no one else does, either. The term 'online' has reached the stage where it is now so inclusive as to be meaningless. In embracing too much, it describes nothing. What was once a useful term to describe using the internet as part of asynchronous distance education is now used universally, to describe almost anything. Lectured, synchronous classes are now 'online' (Johnson et al., 2022). Emergency remote teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic was 'online'. Including additional resources on an LMS for students to refer to after class is considered ‘online’. Across much of the educational spectrum, to be 'online' now is far from unusual. In this commentary I make the case that the term 'online' needs a forced retirement, or, at the least, additional context when it is applied. https://jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d/article/view/1054DefinitionsOnline educationODFL |
| spellingShingle | Mark Nichols Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? Journal of Learning for Development Definitions Online education ODFL |
| title | Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? |
| title_full | Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? |
| title_fullStr | Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? |
| title_short | Commentary: What, exactly, is 'online' education? |
| title_sort | commentary what exactly is online education |
| topic | Definitions Online education ODFL |
| url | https://jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d/article/view/1054 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marknichols commentarywhatexactlyisonlineeducation |