ABSTRACT
Online learning can generate both excitement and fear; it is safe to say not all faculty are eager to embrace the approach to teaching. A leading recent survey by Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman about online higher education found a relatively low perception of value and legitimacy about online education, even as the number of faculty involved in online instruction is increasing. In 2007, the university’s alumni association had offered an online outreach course on Russian history using archival lectures from Russian historian Michael Petrovich. The creation of a similar course on a topic in research area, French and Francophone women authors, was thus within reach. The efficacy of online threaded discussions has been demonstrated in several studies: instructional benefits include energetic interactions between students and instructors, active and collaborative learning, increased engagement, and increased ability to deal with controversial topics.
