There’s been some serious debate in recent years as to whether or not everything can be learned online. This had brought up a series of questions in regard to higher education, career advancement and personal development. Do people have to even show up to class? Is formal higher education even necessary? Is it needed for personal development? Do we have to show up to the office? A regular contributor of Grad Meets World decided to look further into the debate.
About the author: Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in technology and social media articles. Lindsey is currently completing work on her graduate degree
In the hyperbole-stuffed headlines of cyberspace, traditional education and e-learning share one common distinction; they’re imminent demise has been repeatedly reported for years. From the value of education, to the unprecedented changes in technology and culture, both pure delivery models—brick and mortar and online learning—have partisans who proclaim in absolute terms their brand’s virtues and the unqualified hopelessness of the other. Even cherished sub-institutions such as the textbook have been drawn into the debate which, at its center is the fundamental question of contemporary relevancy of attending school in the first place.
A bit of history
When evaluating the worth of traditional school in the age of the Internet, a little perspective is in order. As you’re reading this, you’re probably not consciously marveling at the development of the Internet; it’s as familiar as automobiles. However, this everyday technology languished in near obscurity for a quarter-century, accessed only by academics and a few civil servants. Only the combination of innovations in the mid-90s catapulted what we now recognize as the worldwide web. There are parallels in the world of education, an industry that has, sometimes kicking and screaming, embraced technology.
Own that “cellular” phone, do you?
Those parallels between the Internet and changes in education can be extended to other common advances and their present day value to consumers. Cell phones, initially called cellular phones by those few who carried the hulking, expensive equipment in the mid-80s, were widely seen as the punch lines to many a joke by the majority who avoided them in droves. Responding to market demands – here’s the take-away – manufacturers and carriers adapted and the “cell” phone is now ubiquitous, and more to the point, highly valued. Online education has followed a near-identical path.
The jury is in on value
Just over a year ago, the U.S. Department of Education released a commissioned study that turned more than a few heads in the debate over educational quality. The findings of the meta-study, spanning a dozen years and evaluating ninety-nine independent studies had this conclusion: “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.” The operative terms of this conclusion are both average and better, putting an end to any serious blanket charges in the quality debate. The jury is effectively in on that point. But what is it about the court that really counts – student demand?
All the other kids aren’t doing it
Don’t look for the hallowed halls of higher education to crumble anytime soon. Students taking online courses still amount to what is technically a minority – about one-in-three - though it’s unlikely that status will remain for long. Remember the term “average” from the landmark study? Not all students are the same and many working adults, those who may have taken traditional classes before work and family requirements interrupted their schooling, find online learning very appealing. As mentioned before, even the love-hate relationship with textbooks has changed with students, further evidence that diversity of preferences is present in the debate over traditional versus digital education.
E-books in flux
All-nighters, cold pizza and rage at textbook costs are also common college experiences for most students. Conventional wisdom would have us believe that the ability to get the exact same content as a conventional textbook in digital form and for as much as half the cost would trigger a stampede out the doors of most campus bookstores. The reality is, however, that the very fact that students expect more than an electronic duplicate in a digital textbook has resulted in e-textbooks amounting to a distinct minority of sales among campus bookstores.
Who doesn’t love a good smorgasbord?
In the end, the debate about online versus traditional college education defies all attempts at an either/or resolution. Not surprisingly, many accredited online universities also offer onsite locations to accommodate the appetite degree seekers who want variety of choice. The book bag and the lecture hall may be the best testimonials in the great debate over modern education as both are filled with a mixture of the very familiar and the soon-to-be familiar. Hybrid education – an option overlooked in the old debate – is likely to prevail as the winner in a debate that, like its topic, is and will continue to adapt.
What do you think? Should we just scrap schools and offices and take it all to the web?
I dislike too much of an over dependence on the internet to get things done. This is because it ignores the human element of interacting with classmates and sharing ideas. Even though many champions of the internet may think otherwise – I’d have to say that classroom discussion in real time, right now is better than stuff online. Even on blogs, twitter, FB – chatting with someone on the phone (or even skype) surpasses it. There’s almost no comparison.
I, personally, wouldn’t have wanted to take my undergraduate degree online. Even though I didn’t like my college experience socially, that doesn’t subtract from enjoying going to class, living on campus and being away from family. That’s a part that can’t – nor should be – overlooked. Also, people are desperately overlooking the fact that not everyone HAS access to the internet. This is very much a class issue (which then, almost always, becomes an issue of race).
In fact, I don’t think an internet focused education is the next step in the conversation about college. I think the next step should be on how to change higher learning so that it DOESN’T have to become primarily online. And so that many people can afford it. It’s different if you’re trying to go to school while doing other things, but many people don’t have a problem with living at school and making that their main “life” as it were.
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