The Cons of Online Education
Even though online education was dubbed “a 21 st Century education” by a report conducted at the No Child Left Behind Leadership Summit, it does face various limitations. Establishing a solid online education program takes time. It can take years before a model is perfected or before the program matures. During the program's development, its creators may be forced to adjust policies and practices, which can interfere with the coursework of enrolled students. If you're considering enrollment in an online institution, first consider the following shortcomings of an online education.
Reduced Program Funding
Online programs are extremely expensive to create, therefore funding often poses a problem. Because online courses physically separate students from the classroom, online programs do not meet the traditional criteria for outside funding. For instance, under state educational regulations students are often allowed to earn credits from online courses, but due to seat-by-seat funding formulas, online institutions lose the corresponding funding. Additionally, online learning formats—especially some forms of digital content—have inconsistent budgets, which can lead to further funding issues.
Lackluster Policies and Accreditation
Inconsistent and substandard policies are another obstacle associated with online learning. They may prevent an online school from earning accreditation, which is very important for the institution and its students. Accreditation is traditionally granted on a regional basis, but regional variations can present problems for online institutions. For example, the number of school days in a regional academic calendar can vary widely among an online institution's students, and attendance policies may be difficult to enforce if students are offline while “attending” their online class. In the future, state lines might even become barriers for educators who are teaching students via the Internet in states other than where the teachers have certification. Better, more stringent policies need to be developed and enacted in order to bolster the credibility of online programs and give them a better chance at becoming accredited.
Decreased Quality of Course Offerings and Instruction
The overall quality of online education is often called into question. One major issue is that online learning can suffer from subpar instruction. Teachers are often required to take on new roles, learning non-traditional teaching methods and continually updating their knowledge as technology evolves. If a teacher is not adept at picking up new technologies, or tailoring lessons to work well in an online learning format, this can be a recipe for disaster. Additionally, the course content may not be as rigorous as the content taught in traditional face-to-face institutions.
Compared with traditional face-to-face courses, online students interact less frequently with their educators and peers. What's more, their limited social contact is generally lower in quality. Experienced educators observe that some interactions which take place in the traditional classroom cannot be replicated online. For example, teachers cannot see the expressions on their students' faces, and are therefore unable to gauge how well the material is being received. Similarly, online educators do not have the option to use classroom theatrics to intrigue their students.
Students of online institutions may also face limited course offerings. According to Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions , a report conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, 27 percent of the institutions that offered online courses in the 2000-01 academic year offered 10 or fewer courses. Another 25 percent offered 11 to 30 courses, and only 15 percent offered more than 100 online courses for students to choose from.
Technology Problems
The technology used in online learning formats may have negative effects on an online student's educational experience. Digital materials can experience glitches, making it difficult to participate in online courses. Plus, if a student is unfamiliar with a new program or wary of using new programs, his or her perceptions of the online course might be swayed. What's more, a student's inexperience and/or frustration with a new online tool or course will undoubtedly affect the quality and depth of his or her learning.
Students who enroll in online education will inevitably face some, if not all, of these limitations and challenges. If you are considering an online course, it would be wise to contact current students to find out about the pros and cons of the specific program to which you plan on applying.
Article Resources:
Evaluating Online Learning: Challenges and Strategies for Success
Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001
Preserving Principles of Public Education in an Online World