By Rose Rodriguez
At least twice a year, college students are faced with the difficult challenge of deciding whether to take in-person courses, online classes, or a mixture of both. This is a hot topic on everyone’s mind, for both professors and students, when course registration begins. Director of Communications and Professor Mary Ashlock offered her insights on the effectiveness and challenges of both formats from her extensive experience at the University of Louisville.
The importance of in-person interactions
As a professor of Communication, it comes as no surprise that Professor Ashlock emphasizes the importance of face-to-face interactions. She recognizes that while human connection is vital, students also gain significant advantages while enrolled in courses that occur in person from the amount of engagement each student has with their peers and professors.
When entering the professional field, Professor Ashlock highlights the importance of effective communication as one of the most critical skills. As everyone knows, the best way to excel in an action is by having continuous exposure to it; name a more perfect way for a student to become highly comfortable with conversing with others than being a foot away from other individuals in classes for at least 50 minutes.
“I encourage communication students to prepare themselves for learning how to interact interpersonally … This will prepare them to be in face-to-face environments,” said Ashlock.
Participating in in-person courses provides students with opportunities to practice these skills, helping them build the confidence necessary to converse with strangers and navigate various environments. This approach helps students become well-rounded communicators, ready to thrive in any professional scenario.
Struggles of 0nline learning
The ability to participate in in-person courses can often feel like a luxury, depending on individual circumstances. There are times when courses simply do not align with a student’s availability. With that being said, Professor Ashlock believes that while students enrolled primarily in online courses can succeed, they must exert extra effort to develop the communication skills that their in-person peers are honing in class.
A graph of communication that Professor Ashlock endorses at all opportunities is the communication ladder that follows these steps:
● One-way communication: Emailing, where you are waiting for a response one at a time
● Two-way communication: Phone Call/Zoom, allowing for sending and receiving information back and forth
● Two-way communication: In-Person Conversation, the highest form of communication, where tone and nonverbal cues can be identified.
Luckily, being technologically advanced in this day and age, there are numerous ways to continue creating important interpersonal connections while taking online courses.
“I think online learning impacts students’ ability to form connections and relationships with their peers and instructors through discussion boards and inviting students to show any photos (cats, dogs, family members) they’re comfortable with sharing,” Ashlock said.
However, she is realistic about the limitations of online education. While discussion boards and personal sharing can facilitate connections, they may not fully replicate the rich interactions found in face-to-face settings.
She highlighted that students miss out on crucial cultural immersion when they do not engage face-to-face. For instance, she recalled the experience of several students who interned in New York but struggled to understand the workplace culture without regular in-person supervision.
“You can’t see it or feel it until you’re there,” she explained, underscoring the intrinsic value of in-person experiences.
While online learning offers accessibility, the value gained while being in person with peers, and observing the culture cannot be overstated.
