Teaching Courses Online, Across and Outside the Country

Students attend class from the Bronx, Chicago, Iceland, Arkansas and Albany. They work full time and engage with the class at different times through the day and night.

“They watch my weekly lecture when it works for them,” said Professor Rob Heverly, who teaches Cyberspace Law online. “I send them individual comments on their assignments, respond to course messages and email, and I expect them to participate in the discussions every week, like I would in a traditional classroom.”

He releases the new weekly modules every Friday morning, a request of the students who print the materials at their offices to read over the weekend. Occasionally he assigns a student to generate the conversation for the new module, which typically includes a 30-minute lecture, with accompanying pre-reading and post-reading material.

“Many of the students have no other way to take these courses,” Mayer added. “You need to keep in mind that fact and make it the best experience possible.”

“The trick is to get them truly engaged so that they excite each other into deeper levels,” said Antony Haynes, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Information Systems, who teaches Cybersecurity Law and Policy Seminar. “This happens at about the same frequency online as it does in a traditional classroom,” he said.