Is online learning for everyone?

Online courses/work must be integrated, in varying degrees, into all levels of the educational system. At lower levels of the educational system, I believe the online component needs to be less than at higher levels, when dealing with older, more mature students. While I fully support online education, the extent to which it is integrated into student's education should not be based on a cookie cutter approach.

Online education requires specialized pedagogy -- online teachers need to be specifically trained for the cyber classroom and the curriculum must suit the different learning environment. Without this, online courses will fail to live up to expectations. Thankfully, educational institutions are now recognizing that online learning is not face-to-face learning simply transferred to the internet.

Having said that, online learning is clearly gaining in recognition. In fact, in 2013, 74% of chief academic officers in U.S. colleges and universities said online courses are the same or better in quality compared to face-to-face courses and the number of U.S. post-secondary students who took online course rose to a record 33.5% (Allen & Seaman, 2014). Benefits such as convenience, access, and the opportunity for constructivist learning all make online learning very appealing.

Educators should however recognize that online learning is not for everyone. Even some adult learners will struggle with online learning, so online learning for younger students must be approached wisely. Online learning, especially at higher levels, requires a great deal of motivation (Rovai, Ponton, Wighting, & Baker, 2007), combined with effective time management, and while online courses can replicate some of the social presence of the brick and mortar classroom (Cox & Cox, 2008), some students may find it difficult to handle the lack of physical presence.

In short, should your school go online? Yes, but it should be handled strategically, with attention to the varying needs of students, based on their maturity, interests, motivation, and their overall suitability for online learning.

References

Allen, I. E. A., & Seaman, J. (2014). Grade change: Tracking online education in the United States. Babson Park, MA: Babson Survey Research Group.

Cox, B., & Cox, B. (2008). Developing interpersonal and group dynamics through asynchronous threaded discussions: The use of discussion board in collaborative learning. Education, 128(4), 553-565.

Rovai, A., Ponton, M., Wighting, M., & Baker, J. (2007). A comparative analysis of student motivation in traditional classroom and e-learning courses. International Journal on E-learning, 6(3), 413-432.