Many years ago, I took my first online course. Sadly, most of the environment (a proprietary classroom much like BlackBoard) was never utilized. The online tools were basically used as a mail-order delivery system. Lectures were delivered and course work was sent directly to the facilitator who responded with comments and suggestions via email. There were no class-wide discussions and while other students were listed on the class role, I still question whether I was the only one. No one ever posted comments, questions, or discussions in the classroom.
While bemoaning my online experience to some friends, several commented that my experience is exactly the reason online education can never work. They used my experience as the perfect example of the pitfalls. Yet, one of them chimed in about a recent positive experience she'd had through a different online college, EdToGo. I reluctantly signed up for a course there with Eva Shaw and was pleasantly surprised. I learned a great amount in her interactive classroom. What was the difference? The Five P's were in full swing.
What are the Five P's? According to Jim Beaubien's article "Harnessing the Power of Complexity in an Online Learning Environment" in the Handbook of Online Learning, the Five P's are:
- Persona (your personality)
- Presence (your being noticeable in the classroom)
- Perturb the System (challenge learners through tight schedules and conflicting ideas)
- Positive Feedback (brings out the best in people)
- Playfulness (having fun increases participation)
Presence is one of the most important of Beaubien's P's. Without presence, none of the rest of the P's has a chance of success. Dr. Shaw showed by example in her online classrooms that the Five P's, when combined, can create a fun, learning experience. It's been several years, but I'm still friends with many of the people I met in her online classes.
I believe there's also a sixth P: Practice. Those with experience as online class facilitators have the skills and knowledge (i.e., the practice) to provide a more enriching and fulfilling learning experience for their students. We can read all the theory and ideas, but until we have the opportunities to practice the application of online teaching we won't truly know how to do it well. We need to try the methods. Some of those will work well for us and others won't. Only with time in the classroom, achieving both successes and failures, will help us develop the practice of applying the many P's in the facilitators toolbox.
