I am considering taking an online course (Introduction to Historical Thinking and Analysis).
I’d like to hear from those of you who’ve taken an online course:
How well does an online format lend itself to good discussion?
Is it possible to establish a good relationship with a professor through an online course?
Would you say the experience of an online course is as good as / better / worse than taking a live course on the same topic would be?
In your opinion, do online courses lend themselves better to some topics / type of learning, than others? If so, what kind of learning is more difficult to achieve with an online course?
The reason why I would take this online course is because I am considering applying to Ph.D. programs. (I dropped out of a Ph.D. program in a different but related field more than 30 years ago.) If the course goes well, I would be looking for an academic recommendation from the professor.
They can be great. Usually writing focused and group chat comments. Graded chats with attribution etc. Not like a forum. Most feel self study and less lecture driven. But some people love that environment.
This is an intro course that freshmen take. If I were applying for a PhD program and wanted to show recent course work, I’d choose a higher level course. I wouldn’t take a survey course, but a more focused course where I’d have the chance to show my abilities in research and analysis of primary historical sources. The American Revolution, Renaissance and Revolution, something like that. Even A Survey of American Environmental History would be more likely to be something I could sink my teeth into.
HIST 101: Introduction to Historical Thinking and Analysis
History “Boot Camp.” Provides an introduction to the discipline and craft of history and prepares majors for the senior research and methods seminar. Explores a particular area of historical study and teaches the fundamentals of historical inquiry – theoretical and practical.
Seems like it is a good course to take to make sure I have those abilities in research and analysis.
I agree that you ought to have those abilities in order to get a PhD, and if you don’t have them you should take that course. I just (1) wonder why you think you don’t already have them and (2) think that taking the introductory course makes you look worse, not better, as a PhD candidate.
If I’m looking at PhD applicants, I want to see students who have excelled in upper-division courses. I’m unimpressed with someone who is better than freshmen/sophomore students in introductory courses; all of my PhD students had better be better than sophomores.
You might get a good recommendation from a professor for the courses you take after this one. I don’t think the recommendation you get from this course has much value.
I would be looking for a good writing sample and a good recommendation, which the course could provide, even if it is a freshman course.
I’m also more interested in learning methods than “any old” survey course, as I already know the angle of research I would want to pursue, and available survey courses won’t add to my body of knowledge in that area.
(Interested in your feedback, just have a different approach to the project. - not sure I will pursue this, just thinking about it.)
Point is, you’re not going to get a good recommendation of the kind you need, or a good writing sample of the kind you need, from a freshman course. I don’t think you should take a survey course. I think you should take a course on a particular topic in history, and flash your ability.
Re online coursework in general: My second master program was distance ed/online. Some classes included recorded lectures from the week before, with class “discussion” posted online in blackboard. Some had no lecture component, just lots of reading. Some classes included shared Google docs that allowed us to read and comment on each other’s work and/or produce written work together. Depending on the content covered, and the way the instructor managed things from their end (all work due by end of course vs. each week’s assignment having a specific due date), classes required different self-discipline and time-management on my part.
That program worked for me, but truly, I have to say that I prefer live classes. I like having classmates to whine to about how horrible the textbook/reading for this week is, and to go for coffee with before or after class. I like getting to know my instructor and classmates in person over time.
All that said, I was able to get to know my classmates virtually, and still have contact with some of them theough our alumni Facebook group. I also lived close enough to campus that I was able to visit in person, use the library occasionally, and meet up with my profs there and at local professional meetings.
@fendrock - Since you have very specific reasons for taking this class, and you are close enough to campus to visit when the mood strikes you, I think that mood should strike you right now. Go meet the professor. Tell them that you are testing the waters for a new PhD program after XX years away. Ask them what you would need to produce in (or outside of) that class in order to demonstrate the abilities that would let them write the LOR you will need. Find out if indeed a different class would serve your needs better.