I am all for the online learning environment and there are definite advantages to this method of learning and these feelings are supported by the NY Times article assigned this week and the US Department of Education report contained therein. I do believe it takes a very regulated and disciplined person to be successful in these types of classes, but even people who are innately that way would still have a period of adjustment. Albeit there is the easy temptation to slack off and it is not hard to fall behind quickly in assignments, but those can be worked around. The advantages I see, and that are supported by Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia and Jones in 2009, as well as what I have experienced myself are as follows. First, you are able to "go" to class when you want to, if there is not an assigned time slot, which I find to be beneficial. This allows you to devote the time you need to get the work done because you are doing it at a time that is available to you. This will probably increase time spent on the assignments or lessons. In addition, there is no travel time associated with this type of learning, unless one has to get access to the technology. (That would be a huge disadvantage, I guess as another part of the debate). You are also able to use different modes of learning to make the experience much more complete and satisfying. If the instructor is one who makes themselves readily available and part of the lessons. That is a huge advantage as well to ensure the flow of the course and the learning process. The instructor would be available in an anonymous way to help struggling students, as necessary. Additionally, rigid office hours would be negated through the use of blackboards or email.
Chapter 9 of the Moreno (2010) textbook dealt mainly with students and their anxiety levels in class and factors that may negatively impact student learning or motivation to learn. The online environment can combat some of those anxiety issues, as well as remove any socioeconomic or cultural differences that may prevail in classroom affect (Moreno, p. 358-359). Students who are shy about speaking up in a class may find themselves much more apt to freely become involved in the ongoing discussions throughout the lessons. There may be the instance in a face-to-face setting wherein a student is regularly able to “hide” by not participating in lessons and their brilliance is being missed because of their shyness. In an online environment, the students are all required to speak up and their input will be treated respectfully and equally. In addition, what I learned from the reading was there is a greater opportunity for self-assessment and reflection because that can be built into the lessons that are on line, which was found to be a part of better success by Shen, Lee and Tsai in 2007 (as cited in Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia and Jones, p. 45). This was a new advantage for me, as I had never thought of this as being an available part of an online lesson and one that can actually improve the academic success of students in these programs. One last advantage, which as I previously stated can also be viewed as a disadvantage, is students will learn more about technology through online lessons and materials. This gained knowledge will increase the students’ research skills at an earlier age and that should help them succeed in higher education (Donlevy, p. 120).
References:
Donlevy, J. (2003). Teachers, technology and training: Online learning in virtual high school [Electronic version]. International Journal of Instructional Media, 30(2), 117-121.
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidenced-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Washington, DC: US Department of Education.
Moreno, R. (2010). Educational psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
New York Times, (2009). Study finds that online education beats the classroom. Accessed on September 23, 2010, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/study-finds-that-online-education-beats-the-classroom.
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