Opening the doors to online learning--CLKS mentioned in ST article today...
Sunday, November 05, 2000, 12:06 a.m. Pacific
Opening the doors to online learning
Background, Related Info & Multimedia:
by Linda Knapp
Special to The Seattle Times
Online learning has moved into the mainstream.
According to a recent poll by MSNBC and PBS, of those who've taken courses online, 52 percent rate their experience as excellent, and only 4 percent say they would never recommend it.
People seek online courses because they can work, care for children and meet other obligations while they learn. For some, e-courses make further education possible when it wouldn't be otherwise.
Online learning can be as basic as stepping through a text tutorial, or as sophisticated as interacting with an instructor in real-time using video streaming. The typical course lies in the middle: Students download course material and then discuss it in chat-room or message-board forums.
The best online learning is interactive, says Sam Herring, vice president at Lguide, a Tacoma-based company that reviews Internet courses. Good-quality courses customize learning for individual learners and simulate real experiences, he says.
At the leading edge is a virtual college campus with buildings and rooms that students can see on the screen, and real-time courses that enable classroom interactions and promote a sense of community. Check out The Virtual University, www.ccon.org/theu/index.htm, for a glimpse of what the future may bring to learning environments. For an example of today's quality e-learning without virtual worlds, try one of the free samples at Click2Learn, www.click2learn.com.
Online education encompasses almost all areas of learning, from academic courses to professional training to enrichment. Some courses cost hundreds or more; others cost nothing.
Academic programs
Many educators are positive about distance learning, reports a National Education Association study, but they worry about equal access and whether the quality of education will be compromised. Critics hold that education happens through interacting with other human beings, not machines. Some take it further by dubbing online institutions as "digital diploma mills," claiming their standards are indeed lower.
Carol Orlock, who has taught online and on-campus courses at the University of Washington Extension, has heard the criticism and begs to differ. "Suppose our educational system had started out by being distance learning and we had evolved curricula for it, when this whole new concept came along, to put people in classrooms," she says. "Would the question be asked: Is the learning being compromised?
Online students
Here are a couple of experiences from people who have taken courses online:
"When I registered for the course, I got a password that let me into the site with the lessons and assignments, which I had six months to complete. I read the lessons, wrote the papers and passed them in by e-mail. By the end, I had a complete instructor-written textbook.
"I was lucky. My teacher returned work within 48 hours, and he was always helpful and encouraging. That's important because otherwise the coldness of e-mail and a few comments on the paper can kill motivation."
- Richard Stachurski
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"In most of the classes I've taken the lessons are on the screen to be read, sometimes with audio clips or animations that add information or examples. After each lesson there's a quiz with immediate feedback about how I'm doing.
"The best classes don't necessarily have video or audio streaming. In fact, those extras can be annoying, especially if you don't have a fast Internet connection. What's more important is content that's well-designed, usually by an educator or someone who knows the subject and understands how people can best learn it."
- Denise Schmutte
"There are deficiencies and advantages to each, and I think it balances out."
In Washington, state officials are interested in incresing online learning and other forms of distance education (pre-recorded, broadcast TV, interactive TV) for community colleges and universities.
"The data says that for some subjects (such as writing) there may be quality enhancements," says Parker Lindner, a senior policy associate for distance learning at the Higher Education Coordinating Board. "Enrollments are growing and there are limitations on physical space. We have to ask ourselves where are the trade-offs with physical capacity and quality instruction."
But online learning is not for everyone. To be successful, students need to be self-motivated and self-disciplined; it may be harder for those who perform better with companionship and competition. Students also need to have strong reading and writing skills, or at least a willingness to get better fast.
In K-12 education, online learning is used primarily to support in-school curriculum. Internet-education developers such as EdGate provide teachers with software tools to develop e-lessons, and resources to support student learning. Teachers can also use the tools to assign homework as well as communicate with students and parents online.
One of the pluses of online learning is the unusual diversity of students, notes Nick O'Connell, who teaches both online and on-campus courses at UW. "I've had a football coach from small-town Indiana, and elderly woman in Hawaii, a guy stationed in Antarctica, and some Europeans in my classes," he says.
"Still, I don't think online education will ever replace the on-campus experience," O'Connell says. "There's something very special and important about being together in the same place. All kinds of things happen in class that don't happen online. But for those who can't get to campus or can't schedule a class, the online option is terrific."
Professional training
Employer-sponsored training remains the biggest market for Internet education, and estimates for the future soar to $11 billion by 2003, according to International Data Corp., a market-research company. That's still a small piece of the $60 billion that corporations spend on employee training annually, but the piece is expanding fast.
Online professional training includes everything from learning Office 2000 or Java programming language to how to sell particular products.
Companies opt for online training because it's cheaper and more convenient than classroom learning, especially for corporations that train thousands of employees and need to update training often.
"The skills employees need in an information-based economy are changing rapidly and need to be acquired fast," explains Herring of Lguide. "For example, if a company wants to have its entire workforce globally trained in a month, you can't do that with seminars. Plus, once you've bought the right to a license for e-learning, the costs go down dramatically."
Online course developers often work with companies to customize e-learning to suit their particular needs. For instance, Circuit City contracted the course developer DigitalThink to design Web-based sales and product training for 50,000 employees.
Enrichment learning
Many have adopted the theory that continued learning leads to a longer and healthier life. In fact, nine of 10 seniors say they want opportunities that will help them keep current and grow personally, according to a study by the American Association of Retired Persons.
The 50s and older set clearly want to learn, but they don't necessarily want to sit among 20-year-olds in a classroom. On the Internet, no one notices wrinkles and wider waists.
No wonder online course enrollments are going up among seniors. In fact, they're the fastest-growing group on the Internet, spending even more time online than 18- to 24-year-olds, reports research firm Media Metrix.
Of course, enrichment learning isn't just for seniors. At-home mothers (and fathers) take online courses while they're the primary caretakers of their kids. Extra-curricular learning also appeals to working adults, young adults, and anybody who can't commute to a class.
Theresa Barker, who has taken several online as well as on-campus courses, prefers e-learning.
"In a classroom you get a circle of contemporaries which is fine, but for what I want - writing instruction - the one-on-one personal tutoring of an online class works much better. I have two young children, and commuting from Issaquah to a class in Seattle would be difficult."
Linda Knapp, a Seattle-area free-lance writer, has been writing about technology for 15 years. She can be reached at ptech@seattletimes.com
.
Copyright © 2000 The Seattle Times Company
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background, Related Info & Multimedia:
How to find the right online course for you
Resources
Course providers |
