Distance Education

I'm realizing that one of the shortfalls of Distance Education/Online Learning is the lack of accountability concerning the instructor. The pitfalls associated with authentic work on the students' behalf has been discussed. But in my experience with an online class through NCCU, the professor has provided little assistance.

There are many instances of quizzes not matching up with assigned readings--and I don't mean the material is in another chapter... it simply is not in our textbook or online reading.

There are instances of the prof not being cooperative with technical difficulty. Most of the students were having trouble finding posted quizzes, and the prof took the attitude that it was the students' fault.

Questions on the midterm are outdated. For example, one asks about the "current leader of Afghanistan." Hamid Karzai was not listed as an option. Mullah Mohammed Omar was--I assume--the correct answer, but uh, Dr. W, that was so 2000.

Overall, I have queried the instructor, politely and respectfully, 4 or 5 times during the course via email. The Discussion Board has not been opened. Each response from the instructor has been a one word answer? Example: (me) "Am I looking in the right place for the quiz because it is not there?" (him) YES.

another (me) "will we be able to view the questions we missed on the midterm once the time has expired?" (him) "NO."

one word answers with no explanation or reason. FRUSTRATING.

this takes me to a whole 'nother issue and that is that i'm having to take all these classes in order to be "highly qualified." but that's a box to stand on for another day...

dt