Research Hot off the Presses!

A professor who teaches a large lecture class (yes, me) with 210 students at a Big Ten University asked his freshman introductory course two basic questions just this morning. The two questions and the results follow:
1. Did you come to college to:
a. Learn from a computer?
b. Learn from a professor?
2. Do you prefer taking classes that?
a. Are taught with 200 to 1,000 students in class?
b. Are taught with a small number of students in class?

Of course, you will not be too amazed to learn that the majority of the students came to the university to learn from a professor in a small classroom setting. Although these results are based on a convenience sample I am willing to think that they are generalizable to incoming freshmen (or most students) at your campuses, too.

The reason I am bringing this up now is that there is a steady movement in higher education to think -- or want to prove somehow -- that computer-based learning is as acceptable (effective?) to students as being taught by a professor. I will forever contend that there is no substitute for a living, breathing, human being standing in the midst of students to broker teaching and learning. Technology is a great way to supplement that interaction, and even enhance it, but NEVER to replace it. If any of you have taught an online course you would know this to be true. So please be on guard to refrain from relying too much on computer-assisted-instruction (CAI), and keep those class sizes as small as is financially feasible, for the sake of our profession and the ability of students to compete and win one day in their chosen profession.

This post in no way is intended to be a slam on those that offer degrees only online, they are a viable way for those who cannot return to school to complete their degree, but I must confess there is a little something lost from the "college experience" by not being on campus to grab a cup of coffee and debate the issues of the day with a classmate, bear witness to a heated debate in the classroom between students and teachers, and more. It is just different.