Does teaching and learning art online mean art without tactility?

Several question came up this week in one of my online doctoral courses, as some people believe that there are subjects that cannot be taught online. What experiences are left out when teaching and learning online? I say, “None!”

I believe that all subjects can be taught to all students effectively online. The nearing future may dictate that all of education head in that direction. I also believe that effectively teaching online desperately depends on having a quality teacher/facilitator in the course. I do NOT believe that students can get quality education via software alone.

One of the most common questions asked of me is, “Polly, how in the world do you teach art online?” A few years ago I published an article answering that very question. Click here to read more. Most people are comfortable with teaching and learning about art history online, but not studio art. What do you think? Does teaching and learning art online mean art without tactility? With webcams, web conferencing, digital cameras (video & still), and more…are we really missing the hands on approach to teaching art? “Online” is basically where the teacher lives, but that doesn’t have to be the home of learning. Students can still create art at home much like they would in the traditional classroom. In fact, I would argue that (facilitated properly) students are likely to feel less inhibited to express their ideas at home, then they are at school- ESPECIALLY middle school students.

I googled “Art Education Online” which resulted in over 6,000,000 links. Most of the links to actual online art ed. programs were from higher education organization, the rest were to art resources housed online. The Academy of Art University has a video of how art is effectively taught online. Their philosophy is much like what I highlighted in the article mentioned above. Why aren’t their more K-12 programs? What is keeping “Art” from moving in this direction?