Stage Plays and Distance Learning

by Sharon Warkentin Short        

       Very early in my explorations into online teaching and learning, I encountered an illustration that proved to be a defining moment in my comprehension of this new educational medium. The article described how motion picture technology was at first used mainly to film stage plays for viewing by audiences who were not present at the actual performances. Movies, in other words, were simply a means of watching live stage productions second hand. Over time, of course, the unique capabilities of motion pictures have been developed and refined to generate dramatic experiences impossible to achieve on any stage.

As I have continued to research online courses and programs offered through many different colleges and universities, I have encountered a vast variation in what schools consider “distance education.” Some of the schools seem to use internet technology to offer classes in roughly the same manner that movies were once used to present plays: the live experience is recorded and made available visually and audibly to people who were not actually there. Online resources are used, in other words, to allow students to participate in actual classroom experiences second hand. When internet capabilities are employed in this way, most of the unique strengths of online education remain unrealized. As authors Conrad and Donaldson (2011) comment: 

New media offer a wealth of opportunities for interaction, yet many times are employed in a non-interactive mode that tends to focus on creating an online lecture. (p. 4) 

The participants’ experiences end up being similar to sitting passively in a classroom and listening to a monologue—only worse. At least in the classroom, the lecturer can respond to visual cues conveyed by the students, and the listeners can respond to the speaker.

            The alternative, which expert online educators vigorously promote, is to explore, develop, refine, and capitalize upon the capabilities inherent in internet technology to accomplish learning tasks that would be impossible (or at least much more difficult) in live classes. Collaboration on documents and projects, for example, is vastly simplified using online tools. Students as well as instructors can act as generators of knowledge using online resources (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011).

            Most educators (including me) are only beginning to discover the riches of teaching methodology possible online. The application is clear: let’s not limit our online teaching activities to what we are able to do in a classroom. Let’s not get stuck screening stage plays when we could be creating cinematic wonders!

Conrad, R.-M., & Donaldson, J. A., (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.