Combining the best of in-person and online instruction is the likely future of education

<p>“Much of my research has focused on the kinds of learning that students are doing in social media and online spaces, like the kinds of communication practices they're doing and the kinds of community building and interactions they're having with other students and with their teachers in these online spaces,” says Greenhow. <br> <br> “I've both taught online and in person. I've looked at how different online technologies like video conferencing and robot technologies can be integrated into students' online learning for more effectiveness. I look at the ways we can marry the technologies that are available to us: social media, online platforms, and robots - with the kinds of learning and teaching needs that we have today.”<br> <br> What are some challenges and opportunities for faculty and students as they transition to online-only instruction?<br> <br> “There are a number of challenges in just making sure that your students have access to high speed internet and devices like laptops and iPads that are going to work for online education. One challenge is just figuring out who has what and then getting resources to the people who need it. But a second layer of challenges is if teachers and students have no experience with online learning, you can't just take your in-person class and put it in an online setting. You have to rethink your goals for teaching. What is it you hope your students will learn? <br> <br> “It's not just about putting your textbook online and expecting students are going to have the same level of engagement and learning as they did in a face-to-face class where all of that student-to-student interaction and student-instructor interaction are baked in. Now you have to be more thoughtful about how you are going to get students to interact in small groups with you, the instructor. What kinds of things do you have to rethink to make the learning as engaging and effective as possible?” <br> <br> How effective can online learning be?<br> <br> “Online learning can be as effective as face-to