Last week, in one of my articles, a reader commented that online learning basically consisted of “recorded videos and a web with tutorials and examples”.

上周，在我的一篇文章中，一位读者评论说，在线学习基本上包括“录制的视频以及一个包含教程和示例的网络”。

For someone who has been teaching online for twenty years in addition to delivering face-to-face classes, who has had the opportunity to abundantly compare both models, and who has also seen the institution where I work reach the top of the international MBA rankings for its online programs, I simply can’t accept that we’re going to lose the greatest opportunity ever to develop this type of learning due to myths, clichés and half-truths.

对于除了提供面对面授课之外已经在线教学二十年的人来说，他有机会丰富地比较这两种模式，并且还看到我工作的机构在国际MBA排名中名列前茅对于其在线计划，我简直无法接受，由于神话，陈词滥调和半真半假，我们将失去有史以来最大的发展这种学习方式的机会。

For some reason, a significant part of society thinks that online learning:

由于某种原因，社会上很大一部分人认为在线学习：

• is a poor substitute for face-to-face teaching, which is only justified by force majeure;不能替代面对面的教学，这只能通过不可抗力来证明。
• must necessarily be cheaper;一定更便宜；
• is based on self-learning, recorded videos and web pages with tutorials and examples;基于自学，录制的视频和网页以及教程和示例；
• is so boring that students drop out;太无聊了，学生退学了；
• prevents students forming relationships;防止学生建立关系；
• is “one size fits all” and unable to adapt to each student;是“一个适合所有人的尺寸”，无法适应每个学生；
• etc., etc., etc…等，等等，等等...

Well, I’m here to tell you that online teaching is not all massive online open courses (MOOCs), which as the name suggests, are specifically designed to attract large numbers of people, are heavily standardized and automated, but that are only completed by around 5% of enrollees. Sure, they rely heavily on “recorded videos and web pages with tutorials and examples”, but that does not imply that all online teaching is limited to that.

好吧，我在这里告诉您，在线教学并非全部都是大规模的在线公开课程( MOOC )，顾名思义，这些课程是专门设计来吸引大量人的，并经过高度标准化和自动化，但只是完成了约5％的参与者。 当然，他们严重依赖“录制的视频和带有教程和示例的网页”，但这并不意味着所有在线教学都限于此。

Neither is online teaching “I can’t go to class because I live in a rural area with bad transportation” or “I can’t afford face-to-face teaching”. That might be the case with the institutions like the Khan Academy, which are great at what they do and play a very important role in some markets, but again: that does not mean that all online courses follow the same methodology. Similarly, the Open University and its equivalents around the world have done a fine job in attracting a wider public to adult education, but their approach is far from the benchmark.

在线教学“我因为生活在农村地区交通不便而不能去上课”或“我负担不起面对面的教学”都没有。 像可汗学院这样的机构可能就是这种情况，它们擅长于事，并在某些市场中起着非常重要的作用，但同样：这并不意味着所有在线课程都遵循相同的方法。 同样，开放大学及其全球等效组织在吸引更广泛的公众接受成人教育方面做得很好，但是他们的方法远非基准。

Here’s the thing: online teaching does not have to be cheaper if more resources are invested in it than in its classroom equivalent. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: a face-to-face class is prepared, an online class is produced. And “producing” is more complex, involves more time and effort and provides more opportunities for higher quality content and delivery than simply preparing a face-to-face class. It’s up to teachers and their schools to decide whether to put in the time and effort, but it can be done. I can vouch for that.

问题是：如果在线教学投入的资源比课堂教学的资源多，那么在线教学并不一定要便宜。 我已经说过了，我再说一遍：准备了面对面的课堂，制作了在线课堂。 与简单地准备面对面的课堂相比，“制作”更为复杂，需要更多的时间和精力，并且为更高质量的内容和交付提供了更多的机会。 由老师及其学校决定是否要花费时间和精力，但是可以做到。 我可以保证。

And no, online teaching is not boring. In fact, methodologically it offers more variations than in the classroom, where, unfortunately, things are still largely being done in ways our grandparents or great-grandparents would understand. A well-produced online class can (and should) have more bidirectionality, more (and better) surveys and questions, more (and better) guests, and many more materials than can be used in a classroom, in addition to alternating asynchronous methods (forums), that provide depth, with synchronous methods (video conferencing) that provide proximity.

不，在线教学也不乏味。 实际上，从方法上讲，它提供了比教室更多的变化，不幸的是，教室中的事情仍然主要以祖父母或曾祖父母会理解的方式进行。 除了交替使用异步方法之外，与在线教室相比，制作精良的在线课程可以(而且应该)具有更多的双向性，更多(更好)的调查和问题，更多(更好)的客人以及更多的材料(在课堂上可以使用)(论坛)，以提供深度，并采用同步方法(视频会议)来提供接近度。

Neither is online teaching the like of “I’ve prepared the session, stuck it on a website page and that’s that”. That’s self-learning, which is not what online teaching is about.

在线教学也不像“我已经准备好课程，将其粘贴在网站页面上那样”。 那是自学，这与在线教学无关。

Online learning doesn’t hinder students from forming relationships. Students and teachers can (and should) be in closer contact through an online environment than in a face-to-face one, and above all, the experience will be much richer. I can assure you that I know many of my students who I have taught online better than others who have simply sat in my face-to-face classes and barely participated. While presential classes are usually limited to class time and tutorials, online learning can involve instant messaging, forums, and even one-on-one video conferences in certain cases. Obviously, this does not mean that as a teacher you have to be available 24×7, but it does mean that you can be in contact more easily, without leaving your home. And when the class is over, students are still connected through messaging and social networks, and they talk and interact non-stop. Sure, seeing each other face-to-face is important, but what we get out of learning depends on the context and circumstances, and in the midst of a pandemic, we’re just going to have to accept some restrictions on contact.

在线学习并不妨碍学生形成人际关系。 与面对面交流相比，学生和教师可以(并且应该)通过在线环境进行更紧密的联系，并且最重要的是，体验将更加丰富。 我可以向您保证，我认识的许多学生比仅仅坐在我的面对面课堂上而几乎没有参加的学生在网上教学的情况要好。 虽然演讲班通常仅限于上课时间和辅导课程，但在某些情况下，在线学习可能涉及即时消息传递，论坛甚至是一对一的视频会议。 显然，这并不意味着您必须24 * 7全天候可用，而是意味着您可以更轻松地联系，而不必离开家。 课堂结束后，学生仍然可以通过消息传递和社交网络联系在一起，他们可以不停地交谈和互动。 当然，面对面的交流很重要，但是我们从中学到的东西取决于环境和情况，在大流行中，我们将不得不接受一些接触限制。

My experience shows that online teaching provides greater depth, the use of better materials, more complete explanations and better quality. The reason is obvious: in a classroom setting, both teacher and student draw on the resources they have in their head or in a book, and they express themselves through speaking, with the obvious restrictions on time: a student cannot ask for more than one or two minutes, and teachers have to respond with what is in their heads at that moment. Online, students can formulate their questions in a written forum, extend them, think about them, document them with links or videos, and the teacher then has many more options and possibilities when answering than when in a classroom. When you add it all up, the only conclusion is that the online medium is richer. In short, given the right means and conditions, online teaching is better than its face-to-face counterpart.

我的经验表明，在线教学可以提供更深的深度，更好的材料使用，更完整的解释和更好的质量。 原因很明显：在课堂环境中，老师和学生都利用他们头脑或书本上的资源，并且他们通过讲话表达自己，但时间明显受到限制：学生不能要求一个以上的资源。一两分钟，然后老师必须用当时的头脑回应。 在线上，学生可以在书面论坛中提出问题，扩展问题，思考问题，通过链接或视频记录问题，然后老师在回答问题时比在教室里拥有更多选择和可能性。 将所有内容加总后，唯一的结论就是在线媒体更加丰富。 简而言之，只要有适当的手段和条件，在线教学要比面对面的教学要好。

The relevant factor in all this is that online teaching requires the right equipment and good bandwidth. Teaching online may not be simple or cheap, but it can be done. It’s not rocket science. If you like teaching and are offered a different way to do it, then go for it. If you like to teach, you will teach in the format you are given, and as soon as you try online education, you will see its infinite possibilities. My best discussions on complex concepts have not been in a classroom, they have been in an online session.

所有这些的相关因素是在线教学需要正确的设备和良好的带宽。 在线教学可能不简单也不便宜，但是可以做到。 这不是火箭科学。 如果您喜欢教学并且可以通过其他方式来做，那就去吧。 如果您想教书，则将按照给定的格式教书，尝试在线教育后，您将发现其无限的可能性。 我对复杂概念的最佳讨论不是在课堂上，而是在在线课程中。

One of the best ways we have of turning this pandemic into an opportunity for all parties is to develop online teaching properly. Forget the myths and platitudes and let’s see it for what it really is, and develop it as it deserves to be developed, as something that we should continue using even when the pandemic is under control, on the many occasions when we will be unable to attend class. If we don’t, not only will we failing to fulfill online teaching’s huge educational potential, but possibly aiding a second wave of the disease.

我们将这种大流行变成各方机会的最好方法之一就是正确开发在线教学。 忘记神话和陈词滥调，让我们看一下它的真实含义，并按照应有的发展来发展它，因为即使在大流行控制之下，在许多情况下，我们也应继续使用它上课。 如果我们不这样做，我们不仅将无法充分发挥在线教学的巨大教育潜力，而且可能会助长该病的第二波爆发。

This article was previously published on Forbes.

本文先前已在《福布斯》上发表。

(En español, aquí)

( Enespañol ， aquí )