I teach mostly online, but I still grace the campus with my illustrious presence. I noticed as I was grading essays that the students in fully online courses tend to write on more religious subjects. When my students see my face, they tend to leave god out of their writing. Both groups are given identical parameters. The first essay in this batch was about being Christian. Unfortunately for her, the essay with rife with misinformation. There is at least one essay about being Mormon in the group. (Over half the essays were about religion.)
So now I'm curious. Why is there a higher percentage of students writing on religious subjects in an online class versus a face-to-face class? Are there more overly religious students in online programs? Do their religious beliefs make them not want to step foot on an campus? Do they feel safer at a distance, free from religious persecution? Or is it just the anonymity that emboldens them? Most people are more snarky when online because of the detachment. Maybe this applies to religion, too.
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