Can what we do in class be done equally well or better online?

According to Bates (2015), “technology is leading to massive changes in the economy, in the way we communicate and relate to each other, and increasingly in the way we learn” (p.15), and “as more instructors have become involved in online learning, they have realized that much that has traditionally been done in class can be done equally well or better online” (Bates, 2015, p. 38).

I came to the realization, after the Spring 2018 semester, that I would need to come up with another option for my Human Services students to complete an orientation to field placement and have access to the resources and information necessary to prepare and start their internship.  Many of our Human Services students face numerous as students such as very limited availability of days and times when they can attend classes and other school-related events; they are oftentimes balancing a full-time course load with full-time employment; they are overwhelmed with numerous responsibilities of the numerous roles they have in their lives; and they are often frustrated and stressed by the demands they face.  Even those who were in attendance at the in-person Field Placement orientation need further support and resources in order to be fully prepared for Field Placement.

I envision an online version of the Field Placement orientation that can be a resource for students who have attended the orientation in-person and can also be used as an option for students who cannot make one of the scheduled in-person orientations.  This orientation will consist of videos, resources (i.e. Field Placement manual and list of potential agencies), as well as checklists and self-assessments of readiness that will prepare, guide, and inform Human Students regarding the Field Placement process.

I firmly believe that by creating a learning environment, as summarized above, will reinforce, in our students, a skill required in a knowledge society: the ability to learn independently.  This will empower students to take “responsibility for working out what you need to know, and where to find that knowledge” (Bates, 2015, p. 21).

Bates, A.W. (2015). Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning
      for a digital age.  Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Hendo/Downloads/Teaching-in-a-Digital- Age.pdf