Guest Author - Gregory A. Kompes

As I create online courses, I've noticed that many of my own challenges, while on a smaller scale, are similar to those Karen Kaminski and William D. Milheim discuss, as related to Colorado State University (CSU) building an online social sciences bachelor's degree in liberal arts, in "Institutional Challenges in the Creation and Delivery of an Online Degree Program."

Among these is the question of how to create online courses with similar challenges and perceived value as those offered in a Face-to-Face (F2F) classroom.

Thinking about my own learning experiences in both brick and mortar schools and through online Course Management Systems (CMS), I understand my preference for asynchronous learning environments provided via CMS to synchronous F2F. Having a guided, yet personal learning experience in my own time allows me to focus and dedicate my time as my life and abilities dictate. This helps create balance between expanding my knowledge in areas of interest, while at the same time, enjoying my life.

The challenge then is creating courses that provide quality content in an interesting and stimulating student environment where participants are held responsible for positive interaction, yet are able to pursue guided studies in their own time. While a challenge, Kaminski and Milheim point out creating course templates allow for the creation of suitable settings and content and that based on experience and evaluation, that content is updated regularly to reflect changing needs and changing times.

The challenge of personal interaction between teachers and students is more difficult to confront. Kaminski and Milheim mention how CSU addressed these challenges by having the faculty explain "how online discussions would be managed and specifically how students would be held responsible for interaction with the content, participation in discussion, and presentation of their learning." Details beyond this list of expectations were not included and I wonder how personal interaction between faculty and learners is handled.

Having personal interaction with professors has been an important aspect of my education. Teachers, after all, are more than facilitators; they are experts in niche topics. In F2F settings, personal interaction often took place at out-of-class moments: seeing a professor at the morning bagel stand, sharing a cigarette before class, or meeting for a beer in the evening. These informal discussions often answered questions that hadn't come up in the classroom and the informal settings created open learning experiences outside formal classroom curriculum. This personal interaction was added value for me, as I suspect it is for many students. Creating similar opportunities is a great challenge in the online environment, yet it is possible.

A few suggestions for creating interpersonal experiences include open chat sessions, teleconference experiences, regular phone-in office hours, and personal emails. While not quite the same as having a social experience at the campus rats Keller, crafting opportunities outside the virtual classroom, where you and your students can get to know each other on a personal level may enhance the learning experience for everyone.