Core Communication Courses Online – Not a Good Idea, or Necessary?

Any online communication classes available?

This is my first time publicly blogging. I experienced my first reading of a blog during this SPCM 421 class (summer 2011). I was thinking when I joined this class, I might learn how to catch up to technology and find out about the online world that I had been missing out on. Prior to this class, my daily online interactions consisted of Facebook and PSN (Playstation Network). We did spend a day talking about online education classes as well as the same topic coming up once or twice a week on side conversations. I do have personal experience taking online courses and have many friends who have also taken them. I would like to comment on web-based online communication education courses.

In her article, "Is the Rush to Provide On-Line Instruction Setting Our Students Up for Failure?" Terre H. Allen argues that offering communication classes online will be setting students up for failure. I must first mention that this article was written in January 2006, over five years ago. I must also mention that Allen uses citations dated as far back as 1975; therefore, many factors in her article may not pertain to the online teachings or findings that take place today. I do agree with Allen’s basic thoughts that core communication skills are most often taught best in a face-to-face environment. I disagree with Allen’s statement, “When taking classes online, students miss out on these skills which lead them to failure” (pages 122-123). Speech practicing, being corrected, observing, and correcting others is beneficial for all students to experience in order to build their communication skills. These skills have been traditionally taught to students in a classroom, but students could be taught the same core communication skills through an online course by using technology such as Skype.

Skype is a program where people can have live conversations with each other by using a webcam to actually see and hear each other. It first became available in August 2003 and its use has greatly increased since then. Success results from an online communication course taught through Skype may disprove Allen’s thoughts that “face time” is the only way to gain communication skills. It may also prove that academic and social integration, which she credits for student retention and success (page 124), can be obtained from online courses. Is it not possible to learn communication skills from an online environment where these skills are taught in the same manner as in a class on campus? Technology is our future. Shouldn’t online speaking and its etiquette be taught to students as a part of basic communication skills?

“Online communication” is a valid form of communication and is growing rapidly. Businesses are turning to Skype more and more instead of in-person conversations and meetings. The future of businesses and institutions seem to be holding Skype as its new way of dealing with clients and members. Skype is reporting that 35 percent of its users utilize it for business purposes. This means that out of the 560 million users on Skype, 196 million of them are using it for business purposes. This number has increased by 25% in the last year (statistics from 2009). It appears that Skype will be a tool for all businesses in the future, meaning students need to learn how to use it. The best way to learn may be from actually using it in an online communication class.

I partially agree with a point that Allen makes when she states, “Students have a greater chance for success if they befriend a teacher through on-campus communication” (page 124). I agree that students have a greater chance for success if they befriend a teacher, but I don’t agree that a student can only do this through on-campus communication. My experiences are that if a student is the type who would befriend a teacher from a campus class, then that the same student would also befriend a teacher from an online class through email, voice chats, and/or Skype. I have befriended teachers in both my on campus classes and my online classes. I also know many upperclassmen who have never befriended a campus instructor and kept their same streak going by not befriending their online instructors either. Are a student’s benefits greater if their communication exists with on-campus teachers only, or are a student’s benefits greater if they simply befriend their teachers (whether on-campus or off-campus)?

On-campus integration?

Another claim Allen makes is “General education communication courses provide the content knowledge and active learning assignments that foster the skills necessary for social integration” (page 124). She asserts that these skills can only be gained from on-campus courses. I believe that social integration is important, but I think these skills can be obtained from online courses taught with Skype. I also believe that there are many negative effects from on-campus courses where students are socially involved in the wrong ways such as too much partying. I know upperclassmen who have not been able to complete their education due to failing grades as a result of too much of the wrong kind of socialization. I wonder how many students taking online courses fail due to partying?

Allen later mentions in her article, “First generation college students and others who may be categorized 'at risk' have even higher needs for communication skill development and 'face time' with faculty and peers” (page 125). I agree with this observation; however, I do not agree with Allen when she then states, “These [at risk] students are less likely to know how to engage in academic and social integration” (page 125). My experiences have been that the great majority of high school students, who would be Allen’s “at risk” students as freshmen, are engaging in online communication and feel comfortable with it. Their confidence and their social integration have been built up from their online communication. Personally, I was able to learn about my classmates and make friends because of the online communication I participated in.

Due to my online interactions, including limited blogging, I have also been able to develop knowledge of modern technology that I might use in a future job. Allen states, “Finally, general education communication courses that offer students the opportunity to link coursework with school success strategies should be the focus of future curriculum development and the scholarship of teaching and learning” (page 126). I agree that the benefits of on-campus communication courses may help retain students and are a factor in their success. We should not discount the skills that are gained in online communication courses though. Everyone learns differently and not everyone in on-campus courses succeeds simply because they are attending on-campus courses. The students who do not succeed on-campus may be the students who are destined to succeed in online classes.

Varieties of teaching help us succeed!

My ending thoughts are about whether or not colleges and universities should only be teaching core communication classes on campus. It seems that all students need and deserve the right to learn core communication skills in order to enhance their lives, even the students who are only able to attend online courses (possibly due to financial matters or time restriction matters). I have learned about technology through this class and feel that, with the help of today’s technology, it would be unreasonable to believe that general education communication courses could only be effectively taught in on-campus classes? Are there not skills to be gained by students in both types of classes? My opinion is that colleges and universities will increasingly need to offer core communication classes to both on-campus and online students.