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Teaching and learning online in political science.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

We report results from an analysis that assesses the effectiveness of teaching political science courses online. We look at three questions: How can the Internet effectively enhance student learning? What are the effects of online teaching on gender equality in political science classrooms? And how does participation in online discussion affect student learning? We find that active learning is possible online, that women benefit from online learning, and students overall do better when they read postings in online discussions.

Introduction

Over the past decade, the Internet has profoundly changed college teaching across the disciplines, including Political Science. Many instructors now use their course websites to augment or facilitate face-to-face lectures--posting PowerPoint slides, making announcements, posting tests or quizzes, or opening discussion boards for student-to-student interaction. Yet when it comes to courses delivered entirely online, many instructors remain skeptical that students can learn as much as in a traditional classroom setting. After all, both teaching and learning online are quite different in the two instructional modes (see, e.g. Lee 2003; McCormack and Jones 1998) since instructors' lecturing and students' listening is replaced by other activities, such as instructors posting notes and structuring assignments, and students reading, discussing online (often using asynchronous discussions), and completing assignments. Consequently, little is known about the effectiveness of online teaching in political science. Our research has aimed at illuminating how students interact online and how online learning affects learner outcomes. Here we report the results of a series of projects on designing and assessing political science courses taught partially or entirely online. In particular, our research has addressed the following questions:

1. How can instructors use the Internet effectively to enhance political science education?

2. How do web-based courses affect gender equality in the classroom?

3. Do assignments that encourage students to participate actively in online discussions improve student learning?

The Internet--More than Just a Source of Information

If the Internet is to add to students' learning experience, online teaching should be designed so that it goes beyond "fact-finding" missions, that is, looking up discreet facts and information online and reporting it to the instructor. If students' active engagement in the classroom stimulates and enhances the learning process, as the literature suggests (see, e.g Bligh 2000), then active learning should also be part of distance learning and online assignments should be structured accordingly.

Active learning can take many forms in the virtual classroom. For instance, students can participate in online discussions, interactive assignments, or critical thinking exercises. Many of these activities are made possible by online course management software (such as Blackboard or WebCT), which greatly facilitates the organization of online courses and interaction among students. Large classes can be split into smaller virtual discussion...

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