More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality

[alp227]

Advocates of such courses say they allow schools to offer not only makeup courses, the fastest growing area, but also a richer menu of electives and Advanced Placement classes when there are not enough students to fill a classroom.

But critics say online education is really driven by a desire to spend less on teachers and buildings, especially as state and local budget crises force deep cuts to education. They note that there is no sound research showing that online courses at the K-12 level are comparable to face-to-face learning.

Here in Memphis, in one of the most ambitious online programs of its kind, every student must take an online course to graduate, beginning with current sophomores. Some study online versions of courses taught in classrooms in the same building. Officials for Memphis City Schools say they want to give students skills they will need in college, where online courses are increasingly common, and in the 21st-century workplace.

But it is also true that Memphis is spending only $164 for each student in an online course. Administrators say they have never calculated an apples-to-apples comparison for the cost of online vs. in-person education, but around the country skeptics say online courses are a stealthy way to cut corners.

Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/education/06online.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

This is a front-page story for Wednesday's New York Times.

[Journeyman]

1. This could be very effective for students in gang-controlled neighborhoods. . .

At last, they could attend classes without fear of assault, without having to run a gauntlet each day in hopes they don't get dragged into running with gangbangers. Certainly, there are negatives to it. But for some students, this may be the ticket to the personal enrichment denied them in non-functioning schools, a way out of an increasingly untenable situation.

Let's hope the growth in this industry happens in the right places and for the proper reasons. And use as a cheaper alternative to human interaction isn't the proper approach.

[exboyfil]

2. I agree

My older daughter has encountered several classes in which the class disruption has degraded the quality of the learning. Her 8th grade Science, even though taught by a good teacher, was so disruptive she probably covered 2/3s the material of my younger daughter's class.

My younger daughter has done Life Science I, Health, and is currently doing Biology "online" (actually it is more correspondence which I like better because I like written tests over computer tests). My older daughter is planning on doing Digital Photography this summer from the same program (North Dakota Center for Distance Education). I have to pay for all the courses, but their strategic use, along with Homeschooling some classes, and the regular coursework at the public school is improving their education.

I eventually see choice ruling for education. If classes cannot be controlled for whatever reason, then parents who care should have the option to opt their kids into other alternatives. As my younger daughter's 8th grade Science teacher says, some kids need to have some other place than the classroom because a few of them are destroying the learning for the remaining children.

I do not like the issue with entanglement with religious schools, but I do like the idea of market forces for the childrens' education. We have limited open enrollment in this state (it is somewhat checked by racial balance), so we do have several alternatives. We have very liberal Homeschooling laws, and my experience with the full-time Homeschoolers show dynamite kids that do well academically.

As a nation, if you add up the local, state, and federal spend for K-12 education and divide by the number of public school children, you come up with $14K/yr. I think the NCLB is misdirected by its emphasis on testing and performance, and the accountability is misdirected when it mostly blames the teachers, but somehow the good teachers need to be rewarded for their performance and the bad teachers need to be assisted in improving or removed if necessary. A larger component of any learning environment is the students though.

[txlibdem]

3. +1

I agree with you 100% but would take it even further. I would put all instruction on computer and allow students to study at home or at school and always at their own pace. Most importantly, all tests should be on computer with no option for local teachers or administrators to manipulate the scores.