Robert Zaretsky, in his recent article “The Absurdity of Asynchrony” (Oct. 14, 2024), described his experience teaching asynchronous online courses as students get “three credits to watch movies whenever they want – and take twice a week quizzes of multiple choice and posting comments on the discussion board once a week” so that “without the discussion board” “there is no interaction or communication between students and teachers.” Zaretsky said, “in a harmonious situation . Based on his description of his course, I agree with him It makes no sense.
Teaching and learning can and does take place in an offline environment. Instead of multiple-choice questions every other week, there are several each week to help students test their understanding of the content. Rather than simply tossing off a discussion board post once a week, students respond to thought-provoking prompts and have conversations with their classmates. And teachers engage in regular, strong interactions with students not only by joining those social conversations, but also providing confidential feedback on student work.
As from the sublime to the absurd is one step, so is from the absurd to the sublime.
Brenda Thomas has worked in various roles in online higher education, including adjunct faculty and instructional designer, at several colleges and universities since 2015.
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