First Paragraph: Before and After

At the end of Summer Session A, 2007, I At the end of Summer Session A, 2007, I finished teaching what I thought was a finished teaching taught what I thought was a successful class. Students in my online successful class. Students in my online

Writing 50 class (a sophomore and junior level Writing 50 class (a sophomore and junior level class dedicated to research writing) had done class dedicated to research writing) had done good work—often very good work. I knew good work—often very good work. I knew their work intimately, I had conferenced with their work intimately, I had frequently them frequently on AIM, and I understood conferenced with them frequently on AIM, and their strengths and weaknesses as writers, I understood their strengths and weaknesses readers, and thinkers. However, there was as writers, readers, and thinkers. However, one small problem. there was one small problem.

At the end of the course, when we At the end of the course, when we met face-to-face after five weeks of working met face-to-face after five weeks of working at a distance, I had a hard time lining up their at a distance, I had a hard time lining up their names and their faces. I could do it, but it names and their faces. I could do it, but it was as if I had only “really known” these was as if I had only “really known” these students for a couple of weeks—the names students for a couple of weeks—the names were not locked into place. All of this led me were not locked into place. All of this led to question my initial assumption: that the me to question I began to question my initial class had been a success. Then, almost assumption: that the class had been a immediately after that, I began to wonder if I success. Then, almost immediately after that, might have experienced a different kind of I began to wonder if I might have experienced success with these students, and a different a different kind of success with these kind of learning. Ultimately, I’ve come to students, and a different kind of learning. realize this: that online courses can, for me Ultimately, I’ve come to realize this: that and my students, improve reading and writing online courses can, for me and my students, skills, but there are tradeoffs—many of them improve students’ reading and writing skills, having to do with a sense of community that but there are tradeoffs—many of them having can get lost in the transition from a real space to do with a sense of community that can get

(the classroom) to a cyberspace. lost in the transition from a real space (the

classroom) to a cyberspace However, new

versions of a community were available to my

students and myself.