Regina Walker

English 1123, 40667

21 March, 2003

Mrs. Moore

Distance Learning or Deprived Learning?

The Internet has helped change the way we look at and see our world today. It has expanded the possibilities of knowledge beyond bounds ever thought achievable. It has given people the conveniences they might never have thought possible. Yet in the case of online courses, there is a clear opposition of whether it is a convenience or a problem. Many people believe the Internet courses are very helpful to the students who take them, especially those who find it hard to attend class because of others engagements. Still, there are just as many students who feel Internet courses are more of an easy way of getting out of class and a cut off of basic socialization.

Many who approve of the Internet courses argue that online courses are less expensive and provide access to students who might not be able to afford a degree otherwise. Most say that Internet courses offer a practical way of obtaining a quality educational experience. These same proponents will also argue that Internet courses force students to participate in the learning process. Of these factors, the one most commonly used by the people in favor of the online courses, is that the Internet courses are adaptable enough to comply with the students’ diverse needs. Phil DiSalvio, director of Seton Worldwide, the virtual campus of Seton Hall university in South Orange, N J writes, “People are working harder and longer hours, and it is growing more difficult for them to conform to the traditional college schedule” (Distance Learning).

Opponents argue that even though online courses are relatively cheaper than enrolling in a class, many poor and minority students find it harder to access technology and are cut off from educational opportunities (Distance Learning). Even for the students who have free access to a computer at the library or local school, computer skills may still be a problem (Corriuolo). Not only can computer skills cause a problem for nontraditional student, but many are not necessarily good readers or writers. If the student is a poor reader, just following instructions can be a problem in distant learning (Carriuolo).

The problem of using libraries for secondary research can also be a nightmare for the nontraditional student who is not familiar with it. In college libraries, materials are screened to make access to information easier for the student. A nontraditional student has to use his own judgment when using public libraries. Opponents of online sources say that often institutions offering Internet programs provide student services that only support students in on-campus settings (Carriuolo). Nancy Carriuolo, a mentor of nontraditional students gives an interpretation of what Internet courses are to the nontraditional student by the following statement: “For low-income, working students of either gender, distance educations opens a keyhole, not a portal through which only the smartest and most persistent will squeeze into upper economic and social levels” (Nontraditional).

Some proponents believe that Internet courses make students actively participate in the learning process; however that statement is very debatable. Felicia Harris, a former online course student at Itawamba Community College, reveals that it did not take much actual studying to obtain a high letter grade in the course she took. She says that her tests were given online as open book tests. Not only were the exams open book, but each could be taken as many times as needed until the highest grade was reached before the score was submitted to her online instructor. Her friend, who was also taking the same online course, went so far as to write down Harris’s answers from her test and then take the test using the same answers. The idea of a student learning anything from this experience is highly unlikely. A survey conducted by the Florida Virtual School shows that while 36 percent of the students spent five to ten hours a week on their online course, 40 percent only spent two to four hours each week (Doherty). A student who had taken the course in a classroom would have spent, at the least, five hours learning and obtaining information on the course.

Opponents believe the ability for a student to actively take part in the learning process is jeopardized by the factors involved with online courses. Harris stated that it would have been easier for her to take a course on campus, mainly because there would have been actual discussion within the classroom setting. Even the best students know enough about the subject to not have inquisitive questions. Harris also stated that her two Internet courses consisted mainly of obtaining an e-mail from the instructor of pages to read and questions to answer. Reading form textbooks and answering questions are usually part of a classroom course, but that in a traditional class, there would be much more than just “busy work” going on between students and instructor. According to Harris, if any discussion about a particular topic arose, the question would have to be mailed to the instructor, and it might take as long as two weeks to obtain an answer. She believes that the learning process being put on hold is likely to be less effective that fact-to-face interaction. Harris even stated that when the online course students had to attend the college to take the midterm and final tests, many did horrible because the tests administered were not open book and could only be taken once. Furthermore, many students do not have the discipline and responsibility involved with taking online courses (Distance Learning).

Opponents of online courses argue that the courses do not teach vital learning skills, nor is information long remembered because of the lack of guidance by instructors and other peers. They believe the need for face-to-face interaction restricts the quality of these Internet courses. The classroom provides a place where students can be guided by peers and instructors (Distance Learning). Proponents would argue that the online class offers a way of being in a very diverse classroom where students come into contact with different people. According to the Florida Virtual School survey there is little, if any, contact with the online community classroom. From the survey, 27 percent of the students rated communication with other students enrolled in the class as good, the same number was rated as fair communication, but 35 percent of the students rated the communication as poor (Doherty).

Clifford Stoll, author of “Silicone Snake Oil: Second thoughts on the Information Highway” states that online courses center on gathering information almost as much as actually comprehending it. There is so much computing and finding information that the learning experiences almost seems trivial. A student can get all the information taught at a university form the Internet and a good encyclopedia without ever enrolling in a class of any type. A classroom, on the other hand, is different in that isolated facts do not make an education. Teachers and peers feed students much needed problem solving skills from experience and interrelationships, a learning tool that is virtually impossible to obtain form type on a computer screen. For instance, Stoll suggests that we ask students to think of times when their schools tried instructional filmstrips, movies, and television to motivate or educate them. Then he asks that they name three multimedia programs that actually inspired them (usually they can think of none). Then he asks that they name three teachers that made a difference in their lives (which they usually can do).

In light of the recent research available concerning Internet courses, it appears that these courses should be taken only in the most extreme cases. When at all possible a student should take the time to actually LEARN a course that is taught with guidance instead of one that limits learning. Students should not allow themselves to be cheated out of learning a subject that will be needed later in their lives. Evidence of high test grades but low midterms and finals do not add up to a quality education. Information without instructors, peers, and guidance is not a well taught course; it is only an introduction!

Works Cited