Review of Palloff and Pratt’s Lessons from the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching

For the IDT 545 course, Emerging Technologies and Issues in Teaching, one of the two required texts was Lessons from the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt. This is probably one of the best books that I read in the Instructional Design and Technology program at CSUF.

I should start by saying that this book is geared towards online teaching in a post-secondary situation, not in the corporate world, but there are many facets of its content that can be used in both environments. For example, the section on administrative issues and concerns spent a lot of time on academia issues such as intellectual property, tenure, and faculty compensation (which was actually fascinating), but it also discussed the planning process, which is a universal subject for learning.

The authors provided a good introduction to online learning, providing an overview of technologies and discussions of what content should be taught and who should be teaching these classes. Good examples were provided, including some that showed the pitfalls of online learning that was not appropriate or properly planned.

There was a more in-depth look at the tools of the trade, describing Web 2.0 applications and the technologies involved in providing the learning. This would not be complete without including a section on money and accessibility issues.

One important area that was addressed was the conversion of instructor-led materials to the online learning format. It is not enough to simply post the PowerPoint online and tape lectures, and there were hints and tips for making learning more interactive. This was followed up with a discussion of teaching online materials that have been developed by others.

There was also a lot of solid information about the online students, their learning styles, and why they may or may not succeed. These students will also hopefully become part of a learning community and there were instructor tips for making this happen, as well as giving warnings about things to avoid so that learners are not excluded. After reading this, I saw a lot of truth when comparing it to the online community that we formed in Cohort 13.

I guess one big question would be, “Does any of this stuff actually work?” The answer is “yes,” and it is easy to verify. As I have now completed an entirely online graduate school program, I was able to witness many of these techniques in action, and have encountered some of the problems that were discussed in the text. The MSIDT program follows a lot of this book’s advice, and I can say this the authors provide excellent guidelines for online learning.

For $38 ($22 used), Palloff and Pratt’s Lessons from the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching is a must buy, and will probably be a book that you will want to keep so you can use it as a reference. I have shared portions of it with my colleagues and they were impressed with it too!

Thank you for checking out the blog today. I will not reviewing Dreamweaver CC: The Missing Manual as I did read the whole thing but did not actually use the content very much. Next time we will start taking a look at the courses for the 5th and final system for the CSUF Instructional Design and Technology program.

Thank you!

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the virtual classroom: The realities of online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.