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Liberty University
Tamela Crickenberger
Executive Director of Online Enrollment and General Studies professor
Liberty University
Getting her first taste of online education as a student, Liberty University Online professor Tamela Crickenberger is one of a growing number of former online students turned professors. She was originally asked to fill in as an online professor while teaching traditional courses as an adjunct faculty member at Central Virginia Community College, and was immediately hooked by the challenges of teaching online. Currently, she is working on her second master’s degree in instructional design from Capella University, and one day hopes to pursue the subject matter as a career, bringing together her passions for education and technology.
What drew you to online education?
I originally taught face-to-face courses, but I was first introduced to online education while doing adjunct work for a community college. I liked the anytime/anywhere mentality of it, and was especially interested in learning how I could make an online course as successful as a traditional course. It started out as a challenge, and is something that I learned to love. Mostly, I like the flexibility of it, not only as a former distance education student, but also as an instructor.
Have you yourself taken any courses online? If so, how was your learning experience?
I have completed a bachelor’s and a master’s [in a traditional setting], and will soon complete my second master’s degree online. I attended three different online schools, and there were things I liked about each, and things I didn’t. I like it when my instructors are interactive and provide good feedback on my assignments in terms of what I did right and what I could improve. The worst experience I had was when I took a course and the instructor never gave me any feedback at all.
What are some of the biggest differences and similarities between online versus traditional programs?
The big difference is the separation of time and space. With online learning, you do not have to be at a specific place at any specific time. This is advantageous for many people because they can fit education into their lives, rather than fitting their lives into education. However, the person who takes online courses must be self-directed. If a person is best motivated by an instructor who keeps them accountable, than traditional, on-campus courses may be best. Students taking online courses must keep themselves accountable by exercising good time management.
What about the online learning medium do you think makes it a solid educational choice?
I have taught both in a traditional setting and an online setting, and I believe that online learning can lead to deeper understanding [of subject matter] than a traditional classroom. In an online classroom, the instructor takes on a different role—the role of a facilitator. In a traditional classroom, instructors rely heavily on stand-and-deliver, lecture-style delivery. This creates the mindset that the instructor is the purveyor of knowledge and that one must be in the classroom listening to the instructor to obtain the knowledge. In online learning, the material is available for the student to take out, review, relate to, and dissect. [Online students] are not reliant on the instructor to deliver the information. The student takes center stage in obtaining the knowledge. The instructor, in an online course, guides the student in their understanding, but it is up to the student to use the learning materials and develop an understanding. This is transformational learning at its best.
What course management systems—such as Blackboard or eCollege—have you used?
I have used Blackboard exclusively. It is easy to use, both from an instructor and student perspective. There are lots of communications options, especially if you purchase the add-ons, such as Web conferencing tools.
As an online instructor, how much interaction do you have with students?
I interact with my students almost daily. I send e-mails to clarify instruction, post text-based and audio announcements to remind students of policies and upcoming assignments, and even provide virtual office hours in which students can collaborate with me live at a specific time each week. In my course syllabus, I publish what the student can expect from me in terms of responses to their questions and comments. I also respond to students within the discussion board if I feel like I need to expound upon the subject matter, commend a student on a job well done, or to redirect the conversation.
Do you believe that the quality of education that students receive through online learning is of the same quality as that in a classroom setting?
I sure do. In fact, I believe it can be better [than traditional] if designed well. I love to utilize instructional technology, and I can often reproduce what I traditionally do in a face-to-face course using online technology. For example, I used to teach medical terminology. Learning medical terminology is equal to learning a foreign language. Using Web conferencing software, I can collaborate with my students using the terms that the students are learning about in their current learning modules. I often assign virtual flashcards, utilize hot spot questions that require students to click the area on the human body that relates to the term I’ve provided them, and also utilize audio medical terminology tests in Blackboard that recites the medical term to the student, and the student then has to type in a short answer in a text box.
From your experience, does it make a difference to employers whether or not a degree was earned at a brick-and-mortar school or online college?
I suppose it depends on who you work for, but for the most part, I believe that most employers do not differentiate between online and on-campus degrees. Online education has become very savvy and I believe that public opinion has finally espoused to it. Studies have been conducted that show online learners score higher on assignments when compared to traditional course takers [performing the same project]. We, in online education, are seeing more and more employers pay for online education for their employees.
