Why Online Programs Fail

“Why Online Programs Fail, and 5 Things we can do about it” is an interesting article published on Hybrid Pedagogy last month. The authors argue that early experiments in online education have led us to create “happy little caskets inside which learning fits too neatly and tidily (like forums, learning management systems, and web conferencing platforms).”

The constricting learning management systems and online environments have in turn prompted us (allowed us?) to neglect many of the potential benefits of learning in an online community: the “truly successful online program pays attention to what’s already happening in digital culture. It inspects and then makes use of blogs, social media, and the permeability and collaborative organization that takes place there.”

The authors also present a helpful argument for why we should focus more on pedagogy and less on technology, which echoes conversations I’ve been hearing in Rosemary’s Hybrid Course Design course and that were a big part of last Friday’s .

Point being, is worth a read!