Bona’s keeps pace with online learning trends

Dr. Paul Barretta, chair of the department of marketing at St. Bonaventure University, educated faculty and staff on how to start teaching an online class at a workshop designed for online instructors.
As Bonaventure keeps up with online learning trends, it’s important to ensure that professors and lecturers are well-trained to handle teaching online courses.
Barretta, who has taught various online courses over the past few years, started out his Nov. 13 presentation by busting a common misconception about online courses.
“[People] just take their in-person syllabus and they say, ‘I’m going to put everything online.’ That may not be the best way to develop an online course,” said Barretta.
Instead, Barretta suggested that instructors should begin with the course objectives and develop lessons, activities and modules based upon the learning goals and objectives the professor sets for that particular topic.
While developing an online class is a difficult task for the instructor, the first time they decide to teach one, Barretta suggested creating “Evergreen content,” which is content designed for reuse. This way, the class has the potential to give the instructors more flexibility, too.
Barretta said that compared to in-person classes, online classes are less time consuming for the instructor after the first time they run. However, he emphasized that it takes far more time to prepare materials for an online course than it does for an in-person course.
Dr. Jim Mahar, associate professor of finance and online course instructor agreed, but said that the work associated with online classes was “not tons less.”
Mahar said that the outlook for online classes at Bonaventure is strong. He believes online courses are a good alternative for Bonaventure students when the class they need isn’t run in-person due to space constraints.
Later in the lecture, Barretta stressed the importance of helping students to feel connected, not only to the instructor, but also to one another.
“Be you, don’t be a textbook… Don’t forget to use your personality,” said Barretta.
With new technology always on the rise, it’s easier than ever to remain connected.
“We all have social media now, so we can get in contact really easily. We can also email each other for anything we need,” said Maddie Conklin, a freshman journalism major, who is also taking an online course.
Barretta suggested online video sessions with students in order to foster an interactive relationship with students.
“The more interaction you have through video sessions, the better,” said Barretta.
Mahar said students’ favorite part of online classes is, “Often the meetings and the interactivity… There’s connectivity, and it really becomes a group.”
Students are becoming increasingly apt to choosing an online class over an in-person one. Conklin said she will be participating in another online class next semester.
“I like how I don’t have to leave my bed a lot of the time, and I can just do a lot of the work online,” said Conklin.
Barretta said students enjoy the flexibility that online learning allows them.
He noted that many online students are pursuing professional degrees beyond a bachelor’s degree. For many, online learning gives them a chance to pursue a degree they otherwise could not have completed.
In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, Bonaventure will continue to keep pace with technology and its merits for education.