Nortex Times

Central Texas College issued the following announcement on May 5

The prospect of an online course during the summer may not be what some students had hoped and may seem a bit intimidating. Several Central Texas College (CTC) students were surprised at how much they enjoyed their face-to-face class after it was converted to online during the spring semester. During the summer semester, some classroom courses will be presented as a regular online course. However, many of the classroom-to-online courses will not be taught as a typical online course and will be very similar to a classroom setting.

As CTC prepares to begin the summer 2020 semester, students should consider the remarks of some of their peers. One CTC math student said, "Surprisingly, I have enjoyed the remote classroom structure. I find I am more focused, relaxed and attentive. I may be somewhat of an exception to the norm being older and having learning disabilities. I would recommend this environment to anyone that may have similar circumstances. Your teaching methods are definitely an exception, the resource material offered a visual explanation that was more in depth than the previous handouts and self-made flash cards (which I didn't understand until you issued your version). This slower pace brought things into perspective. I also like the fact I am forced to LISTEN closely." 

Many face-to-face  converted to online classes will feature live lectures with the professor through Blackboard Collaborate, CTC’s integrated video conferencing system. Students will see their professors during live lectures, be able to ask questions and participate in class discussions in real time for a complete interactive experience.

A second math student said, "This semester with the remote teaching I am doing pretty well. Its basically class lecture online and the explanations and videos really help me. I rely on the videos when I don’t understand some of the work. I would tell the students it’s a good idea to take this kind of class. It's almost as in-class lecture. One just doesn’t get to socialize as much with your classmates. Its different, but you do get to sleep in and listen to class in your pajamas, which is pretty neat. I like this format but I also like class-to-class, but this isn’t so bad. I get the same education, same work done, but just at home."

In addition to holding live lectures and real-time class experiences, instructors will also be able to conduct one-on-one tutoring, upload taped video presentations of test reviews and tutoring sessions and utilize voiced-over PowerPoint presentations in Blackboard thus providing students anytime access to the materials. Some instructors also upload their "classroom" to YouTube which enable students to review the materials at their leisure or as often as needed.

"Remote learning wasn’t hard for me," said another student. "You (the instructor) made it as easy as possible and I appreciate that. I’m a visual learner, so I’m glad we were able to video chat and take notes. If we missed a lesson, you had YouTube channel with a video so we could take notes. You also sent us the problems y’all went over that day, therefore, I really have nothing to complain about. I’m very grateful. I honestly don’t see how people take online classes without a lecture. If online classes were like this, i would definitely take them."

The delivery method of the converted courses may revert back to face-to-face delivery during the semester as CTC monitors and adheres to notices from governmental and health agencies.  For those concerned about taking a CTC math class online this summer, view the video featuring CTC math professor Chad Burrow.

 Original source can be found here.