We all know the phrase - "Where's the beef?" As it once asked the question for someone looking a quality burger, the phrase has become part of our cultural lexicon that started out as part of a 1980's Wendy's advertising campaign that would eventually become a meme in our country (Leon, 2020). I think it fits well when looking for a quality online learning experience.
I use this phrase as a starting point for this entry and a metaphor for a quality online experience. During the pandemic, educational institutions hit a brick wall when they were forced to move completely online and had to transition students and instructors online. It proved to be a daunting task to say to the least to move faculty online almost overnight (Educause, 28).
Focus On Quality
Pre-pandemic, the quality of online education was not a specific focus for college and universities, but this changed very quickly as there became a need for both instructors and students. Institutions began to set up and create access to resources, set up guides, consultations, and various strategies to pivot from traditional classes to online (Educause, 28).
According to Horizon Report, the importance of online learning and having a more focused outlook on emphasizing quality peaked during the pandemic. I believe that the pandemic has caused a intentional shift by institutions to create a higher quality online learning experience with many institutions creating more learner centered outcomes with more accessibility (Educause, 30).
Techniques and Strategies
Quality Online Learning is more than just posting your notes in a Learning Management System (LMS) and having students take an exam at the end, trying to replicate the face to face experience using tools such as TEAMS, Zoom, Webex, or Kaltura (Educause, 29). There needs to be interaction, discussion, assessments, and constant growth for the student. This can be done with various techniques and teaching strategies that have shown to benefit the student (Educause, 30). Academic institutions have been forced to develop and sustain various avenues in assisting their instructors in developing more substantive online experiences.
Mental Health Issues
The move to the online instruction was not just stressful for instructors, but many students felt higher levels of stress and uneasiness. According to an article found on the Chemical and Engineering News website (cited in the Horizon Report), a survey of 12,033 students found that 30.5% of those students surveyed believed that their mental health impaired their academic performance. This was an increase from 21.9% from a year before (pre-pandemic) (Parry, 2021). Stress and anxiety of not knowing what the future held and uncertainty of how to move forward. Students began to experience self-doubt as they have to move to a new modality with little to no preparation (Parry, 2021).
References
Leon, H. (2020, February 4). History of where's the beef? Comedy History 101. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from http://www.comedyhistory101.com/comedy-history-101/2020/2/4/history-of-wheres-the-beef
Parry, W. (2021, January 10). Pandemic Stress: The Toll it's taking on students. Cen.acs.org. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://cen.acs.org/education/undergraduate-education/Pandemic-stress-toll-s-taking/99/i2
Kathe Pelletier, Malcolm Brown, D. Christopher Brooks, Mark McCormack, Jamie Reeves, and Nichole Arbino, with Aras Bozkurt, Steven Crawford, Laura Czerniewicz, Rob Gibson, Katie Linder, Jon Mason, and Victoria Mondelli, 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition (Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE, 2021).
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