Online learning has recently become the learning method of choice for many individuals who shy away from the mainstream face to face or distance learning. It is true that online approach of learning carries with it a lot of challenges which needs to be addressed. Among such challenges are the online class size, more teaching, note writing and collaborative discourse. The author in this case is concerned with the perspectives, strategies, challenges, and outcomes of online classes in terms of their size and impacts on the amount of workload and quality of the educational results in the long run. The class size in this context is a major concern since most of the online classes tend to be overcrowded, and the result of this is increased workload for the students and the instructors which in turns dilute the quality of the content offered and generated.
Class size
Directly quoted main point 1: “Class size has long been recognized as a factor affecting students’ achievement in face-to- face instructional contexts, but has been little investigated in online courses. Some research has shown that online class size certainly has important effects on information overload in computer conferencing courses” (Qiu, Hewit &Brett, 2012, pp.424).
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Rationale 1: This quote represents the research findings concerning the role played by class size in determining the overall quality of training in online classes. More so, researchers are concerned about the optimum number of students who should be in the online classes. Some of the researchers propose smaller online classes which are believed to be the optimum size in delivering quality in education. In addition learners in smaller classes tend to with each other more which enhance collaborative learning and ensures ‘workable’ loads. Furthermore, classes with fewer students maximize the instructor's effectiveness without overwhelming him or her. However, there are those individuals who prefer large classes because of the diversity that is brought about by such classes however larger classes mean larger workloads which translate to reduced quality educational achievement.
Note Reading and Writing
Directly quoted main point 2 “In online graduate courses, the reading load comprises articles plus notes… As class size increased, most students in large classes started to feel that there was always “a lot to read”. When the number of notes that students were meant to read increased beyond a certain point, the percentage of notes they actually read declined, mainly because of information overload. They reported that information overload was mainly caused by increased numbers of students; so students in larger classes were particularly vulnerable to information overload” (Qiu, Hewit &Brett, 2012, pp.429).
Rationale 2: This quote implies the effect that large classes have on the students’ eventual workloads. The increased workload forces the students to develop some coping mechanisms which mean that the quality of notes written and read is compromised. On the other hand classes with fewer students means lessened writing and reading of notes which can improve the quality of education. There is, therefore, a need to ensure that class sizes are at their optimal size to ensure that the workload is neither too little nor too much to ensure improvement in the quality of education delivered eventually.
Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
Directly quoted Main point 3: “Collaboration is especially important in online learning …the purpose of collaborative groups is to achieve consensus and shared classroom authority … With collaborative learning, the control of learning is turned over to the students and the learning environment is student-centric” (Qiu, Hewitt, & Brett, 2012, pp.426).
Rationale 3: Online learning just like other mainstream education options is primarily based on student’s individual and group contribution to enhancing the learning outcomes. Large classes which have a diversity of learners offer such platforms where students contribute to a particular topic injecting into it varied responses and outlooks (University of Illinois, 2015). Further, these large classes according to research employ subgroups where individuals are placed in rotating groups depending on their interests. This is essential as it reliefs the collaborative learning since the dividing of larger classes into subcategories serve as a strategy to lessen data overload and to embolden focused in-depth small group dialogs. This is so since students shift their focus from note reading and writing to more personalized insights
In conclusion, online learning is an important learning method in modern day if it was to be incorporated well. However online learning faces a myriad of challenges which is associated with class sizes which profoundly influences the learning outcomes. Large classes tend to increase students workloads which work by lowering the quality of education since the pressure from such workloads are exhaustive. On the other hand, such large classes offer a lot of diversities which can help in enhancing learning outcomes if taped well. Researchers, however, are in agreement that the size of the class is important since it determines workloads and collaborative learning discourse. It is hoped that integration of proper technology and learning strategies will help improve this avenue of learning in the long run.
References
Qiu, M., Hewitt, J. & Brett, C. (2012). Online Class Size, Note Reading, Note Writing and Collaborative Discourse. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 7(3), 423-442.
The University of Illinois. (2015). Weaknesses of Online Learning . Illinois Online Network (ION) . Retrieved from http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/overview/weaknesses.asp.
