By Araina Bond, TLS freelance writer
In the short time that Paloma Raggo has been teaching at Carleton, she has certainly been on an adventure.
An Assistant Professor of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Raggo came to Carleton in July 2013 with a newly broken ankle and a mandate to develop courses for her program, the first of its kind offered in Canada. Suffice it to say, she had her hands full.
“The first online course was a methods course, which is already a difficult course. Students can be intimidated,” she explains. “I was dealing with the double challenge of building this course online and reaching out to the students, many of them non-traditional students who hadn’t been in school in a long time, so I wanted to make sure I could connect with them and support them throughout the process.”
Raggo rose to the challenge and, in 2014, she was awarded Carleton’s Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award for her efforts in combining complicated course material in a new, online format that was both engaging and challenging.
“Sometimes people get intimidated by the technology, but it’s important to think outside the box. If there’s something you can imagine, there is a way to make it happen,” she says.
Raggo adds that the online format has many advantages that are only now being recognized. She feels that there are misconceptions about online courses because they can be perceived as impersonal and hands-off, when the opposite is often true.
“It’s almost ironic. In my research methods course, I get to interact much more with the students who are struggling,” she says. “Some students just really get it and are able to move through at a faster level. I’m able to adapt my interventions to each student. It’s a win-win.”
Though Raggo admits her courses can be challenging, she has former students telling her they keep their research methods textbook on their desks at work. Other students tell her, when they finally meet her in person, that they feel like they already know her.
“I’ve noticed I actually have more one-on-one interactions with students in online courses than in courses I’ve taught in person,” she says.
Raggo is enthusiastic about the opportunities technology continues to provide for the accessibility and advancement of education.
“I feel very privileged,” she says. “The fact that my colleagues in my department and at Carleton trusted me to teach these new courses in this new format, and it is working out so well for both teachers and students, is so rewarding.”