Online learning as a social environment — toward the refinement of practice

Abstract

The 2020 publication of The Distance Learning Playbook implores us to “never let a crisis go to waste” (Fisher et al., 2020, p. 169). This quote is applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis from which we continue to learn. We continue to use lessons-learned during the pandemic to refine practice while moving toward the future and the betterment of teaching and learning. One lesson learned from the pandemic came from the transition to online learning as a strategy for students who, for whatever reason, could not access in-person learning. This transition toward online learning created a myriad of challenges for instructors and students. These challenges included learning about and applying unfamiliar technologies, grappling with a sense of aloneness when social distancing, and adjusting to changes in work-life balance. We should not view online learning as a temporary solution adopted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nor should we treat it as something that we will abandon when we transition back to in-person learning. Studies such as Mullen’s (2020) Does modality matter? suggested that online learning can be just as effective as in-person learning. The key element to successful online learning is understanding and mastering the different competencies and foci that are required to successfully and effectively design and deliver an online course. [...]