Should People Study Online Classes?
Since 2003, online enrollments have grown 358%, and 31% of students now take at least one online course (Allen & Seaman, 2011). Studying a foreign language requires the use of communicative skills. “Collaboration and interaction among learners are seen as important elements in the learning process” (Ros I Solé & Hopkins, 2007, p. 357). Sometimes, people do not know how to establish effective communication with people because aspects like culture, thoughts, and timidity influence the way people express ideas or comments. Because people do not always create good relationships, the lack of communication makes it more difficult to study a foreign language. Online classes can help to develop effective interaction among students without the need of face-to-face meetings using of technology when learning English as a foreign language.
Online classes offer students the opportunity to establish an effective interaction among classmates. “The use of discussion forums is recommended in online courses as a means of staying connected with students and promoting interaction” (Sebastianelli & Tamimi, 2011, p. 323). Additionally, online classes offer the opportunity for shy students to participate in discussions more easily (King, 2001). Because some students are afraid of sharing ideas or giving opinions in face-to-face classes, online classes help students to express their ideas or comments in an easier way. Thus, online classes offer the opportunity to establish good relationships as well as effective interaction because they are suitable for studying English as a foreign language.
However, online classes do not offer students the opportunity to establish an effective interaction among classmates because they do not have face-to-face meetings with their classmates. Staying for several hours in face-to-face classes encourages the fostering of relationships inside and outside the classroom (Cheng & Myles, 2003). On the other hand, online classes lack face-to-face meetings that students require in order to interact with classmates and to know who is behind a computer. Face-to-face English oral communication is helpful for students to enrich their communicative competence (Jadhav & Indani, 2012). When people study a language, they have to know how to develop and use it property in face-to-face conversations. For that reason, online classes do not help students to develop communicative and effective interaction with their classmates because they do not have face-to-face meetings that sponsor it.
Online classes can help to develop effective interaction among classmates without the need of face-to-face meetings through the use of technology. The creation of online communities involve the interaction with others students (Ros I Solé & Hopkins, 2007). With the introduction of new technologies that encourage more autonomy and participation from the learner can change the unidirectional teacher-to-learner communication typical of face-to-face classes can be expanded to include more student-to-teacher and student-to-student interaction in online classes (Horspool & Lange, 2010). When students develop self-learning with the use of online communities through the use of technology, they become more autonomous from a teacher. Because those students are responsible about their learning, they do not need a teacher in front of them. So, online classes promote students to develop interaction as well as take advantage of beneficial technology skills.
Online classes can help to develop effective interaction among students without the need of face-to-face meetings by the use of technology when learning English as a foreign language. For instance, online classes support students to make easier and more effective interaction with their classmates; furthermore, they develop technological skills using technology. If students take advantage of helpful tools that technology provides, they will get successful results during their studies. Although people consider online classes are not for everyone, access to technology is improving. Because online classes can help to develop effective interaction among students without the need of face-to-face meetings by the use of technology, they are suitable for studying English as a foreign language.
References
Allen, I. & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the Distance: Online Education in the USA 2011
Wellesley. MA: Babson Survey Research Group.
Cheng, L. & Myles, J. (2003). Managing the change from on-site to online: Transforming ESL courses for teachers. Open Learning, 18(1), 29-38. doi: 10.1080/0268051032000054103
Horspool, A. & Lange, C. (2010). Applying the scholarship of teaching and learning: Student perceptions, behaviours and success online and face-to face. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1(16), 73-88.
Jadhav, N. & Indani, M. (2012). A study of effectiveness of face to face English communication skill among M Ed students. Indian Streams Research Journal, 2(9), 1-5.
King, K. (2001). Educators revitalize the classroom “Bulletin Board”: A case study of the influence of online dialogue on face-to-face classes from an adult learning perspective. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(4), 337-354.
Ros I Solé, C. & Hopkins, J. (2007). Contrasting two approaches to distant language learning. Distance Education, 28(3), 351-370. doi: 10.1080/01587910701611369
Sebastianelli, R. & Tamimi, N. (2011). Business statistics and management science online:
Teaching strategies and assessment of student learning. Journal of Education for Business, 86, 317-325. doi: 10.1080/08832323.2010.525545
