Is Online Education as Effective as Traditional Classroom Education in Higher Education
It is as Effective
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It is not as Effective
Side Score: 19
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Although I see the benefits of both paths of education, online education is revolutionizing the availability of achieving higher education. In 2008, Allen and Seaman reported 3.9 million college and university students enrolled in at least one online educational course which was up 12% from the previous year. In contrast, traditional education was only up 1.2% that same year. According to our lecture this week, online education has increased to 5.8 million in 2016. That in itself is a success. It is superior to traditional classroom education in it's accessibility and availability. On the topic of effective education. I think it is fair to say that it is not the mode of Online that makes the education process ineffective but rather the facilitator of the education. Online education houses endless options for presenting educational material and stimulating active learning. It is the facilitators responsibility to become efficient at these methods and apply them accordingly to make the course effective. This is the same as with traditional classroom education. The classroom setting can also struggle in the same ways as online education if the facilitator is ineffective at applying teaching methods that stimulate learning. However, traditional classroom education has obviously been utilized for exponentially greater amount of years than online education, and facilitators have had more education and training in this environment. Therefore, I do not believe online education is any less effective than traditional classroom education. It takes a facilitator who is eager to learn news methods to stimulate learning in different ways than what the classroom experience gives. Students can participate in motivating activities such as competitive research, real life experiences and application of learned material, and use of technology that allows them to communicate through written, auditory, or visual modes (Kasworm, Rose, & Ross-Gordon, 2010). Allen, I.E., & Seaman, J. (2008). Staying the course: Online education in the United States. Need ham, MA: Babson Survey Research Group (Sloan Consortium). Kasworm, C. E., Rose, A. D., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2010). Adult and continuing education. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. Side: It is as Effective
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With the increase in offerings of online programs, there is also an increasing number of studies which support the benefits of online education and provide evidence of its effectiveness being comparable to face-to-face classroom education. According to Nguyen in 2015, there are statistically significant findings which indicate that online formats do provide positive learning outcomes such as improved test scores, student engagement with the course content, improved perception of learning, stronger sense of community among students, and reduction in withdrawal or failure. Some purport that online learning is beneficial only for those who are already well-educated. David Chandler in 2014 reviewed a study across several cohorts by Pritchard and colleagues which showed that even those who were least prepared were able to learn as well as everybody else. These results also showed improvement among online students equal to or better than previously studied traditional classes. While I do acknowledge that traditional classroom education could very well continue to be the gold standard in higher education, I believe online education allows for improved access and flexibility in achieving higher education goals. When executed properly and effectively, online programs are beneficial to its students as well as the institutions offering them from both learning and financial perspectives. I do acknowledge the caveat that perhaps certain types of students are more likely to be successful with online programs than others because of essential personal characteristics, such as organization and time management skills, according to studies (Xu, 2013). Nonetheless, there is a growing body of evidence that support online education being as effective as traditional classroom education. As technology improves in the future, I imagine that online education will continue to grow in a positive direction. References Nguyen, T. (2015). The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Beyond No Significant Difference and Future Horizons. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching,11(2), 309-319.
Chandler, D. L. (2014, September 24). Study: Online classes really do work. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from news.mit.edu/2014/
Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2013, April). Examining the Effectiveness of Online Learning Within a Community College System: An Instrumental Variable Approach[Scholarly project]. In Columbia University. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/ Side: It is as Effective
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Myra - You make some interesting points and arguments in favor of online education. Additionally, I agree that technological advancements have certainly influenced access and availability to online education. Like you, I found many articles with supportive results for some measured aspects of online instruction and several papers of high level evidence (meta-analysis or systematic review) suggesting the use of blended learning and instructional methods. The more I review the evidence, however, the more contextually dependent and student dependent I think the success of these programs may be. Considering models of development, such as Dreyfus and Dreyfus, online instruction may be very effective for the novice or advanced beginner who needs rules, structure, and boundaries for their learning. More advanced levels of development (proficient, or expert, for example), may require more real-world, experiential or contextual application of concepts to facilitate situations with more ambiguity and uncertainty. Much like our treatment plans, we luckily have many options available, and finding the right mix or dosage is key to clinical success. I think blending these constructs of traditional and online instruction with opportunities for asynchronous reflection and peer interaction gives students the "best of both worlds" and may speak to larger sample of learning styles. Side: It is not as Effective
Why not take the stance that online and in person education when blended together make provide the best opportunity to utilize a variety of teaching techniques than what one alone can do. At my job, we are required to re-certify CPR every two years. The first of the process is to complete online tutorials and even clicking the mouse to the beat of the compressions. The second part of the education is in person training to fine tune the technique and evaluation. This allows the learner some freedom on when to complete the training and complete it at their own pace. Several post professional graduate programs are also provided in this manner. Mostly online, but they do require some on campus time. Although this was not feasible for my schedule and life, it may be the better option for ensuring the best eduction when completing distance learning. Side: It is as Effective
I do agree that a blended option may provide the best of both worlds. I am still not sold that online education is as effective as classroom education. I do believe that it could be as effective, however, I do not think that the majority of educators have been well trained and are well prepared to teach online courses. I also feel that some educators tend to put online courses on the side as compared to in classroom courses. If educators would follow the suggestions as noted in this weeks power point, utilize the rubrics for online education, and adjust courses as needs arise, online education could improve. I am on an academic appeals board, and I see so many students fail online courses. Several students tell us that they were just not able to keep organized and would fall to far behind. If students are struggling academically, we do recommend they take the course on campus as they have so many other supports easily available to them. Kara Side: It is not as Effective
Kara, I appreciate you sharing your experience with the review board. I think it is really interesting that more students fail online courses, but I would agree that it takes a lot of organization and dedication. The worst thing to me about online courses is trying to follow the D2L site (maybe others are better?? but I've only used D2L). It is confusing and at times you can miss things. It can become messy if it is not designed correctly. While I have never been able to experience building a course in D2L, I get the impression that it is not easy. When professors give information in a video, it can be really difficult to find it again. There are so many videos and sometimes they will give a course review in the beginning. If you want to hear them describe an assignment in week 8, you have to sift through the video to find the information. It can be really frustrating! I've also had professors that made a ton of technology errors, which is understandable, but as a student is really frustrating! All that being said, I'm still supporting online ;-) Nicci Side: It is as Effective
I appreciate the experience that I had in the traditional classroom setting as an undergrad and graduate student but there is no doubt in my mind that I would not have been able to further advance my education if an online format wasn't available. Having online educational options has enabled individuals to participate with higher education without having to disrupt their home lives because of the flexibility and adaptability that it offers (Jones & Lau, 2010). Since the format of the courses are more asynchronous there is an investment and collaborative effort by the adult learner to participate in the courses (Barcelona, 2009). I can relate to this information directly because I have a direct personal investment in the courses that I am participating in, I feel more motivated because of my life and professional experiences, and I am more organized as an adult learner to be able to engage in course material while managing a full time career and busy household. Angie Barcelona, R. J. (2009). Pressing the online learning advantage: Commitment, content, and community. Journal Of Continuing Higher Education, 57(3), 193-197. doi:10.1080/07377360903262218 Jones, N., & Lau, A. S. (2010). Blending learning: widening participation in higher education. Innovations In Education & Teaching International, 47(4), 405-416. doi:10.1080/14703297.2010.518424 Side: It is as Effective
I do think that online courses are effective. I wish there were online options when I was going thru undergrad and Masters 11+ years ago. It is a different type of commitment and I feel more in control of the content because I have to commit the time differently, I don't just have a scheduled lecture to go to, I have to schedule the time and do it on my own. Angie Side: It is not as Effective
Angela, I agree! Continuing my education would not have been possible without online courses. For this reason, I have to support online courses as "as effective!" I would also like to pose an argument from personal experience. I was not half the student in undergrad that I am now! While I think that I put maximal effort into graduate school, undergrad was a different story. I always got good grades, but I didn't dedicate myself the same way in undergrad as I am now. I also had amazing and terrible professors in undergrad (all in a traditional classroom) the same way I think a professor could be great or less desirable online. I can think of a specific professor who has shown me that online courses can be as effective, if not more effective than a traditional classroom. Nicci Side: It is as Effective
I believe we were supposed to give our opinion on who "won the debate." While there were great arguments on both sides, I think Kara has proven (against her own argument) that a good professor can be as effective online as in person! Great work Kara! I really enjoyed your topic! Thanks, Nicci Side: It is as Effective
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This isn't as easy as a yes or no answer because there are too many variables. I'm willing to grant that for some people the online may even work better. Yet here are scenarios where it would not: 1) Anything involving "lab" or a hands on component. 2) Most "group" assignments. Although tech may be robust enough for it to work I simply don't believe enough people (and schools) are advanced enough yet to pull that off. 3) Enrichment from learning environments. Meaning shop does best in an actual shop, science in a science lab, band in a band room, etc. 4) Presentations/interpersonal skills. Giving a speech in front of your computer really does not adequately prepare you for what it's like to give one at work or in an auditorium some day. 5) Accountability. Potential for cheating, goofing off, spacing off, texting your friends, etc, increase exponentially with distance from an actual face to face teacher who can catch you doing it. Anyway, I list all these things, but I do know on-line education is the wave of the future, especially considering cost savings. It's not as effective in many ways, but we're going to be doing it anyway. Side: It is not as Effective
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Although we are all engaged in an online education program, I do not feel that online education is as effective as traditional education in certain circumstances. Any program that must incorporate skill acquisition and performance would not be effective as a pure online program. There is not way to teach and assess specialized hands on skills that are required of many healthcare professional careers. One article I found examined the online versus traditional learning and found the following: - Establishing social presence among students was ineffective. Open communication and group cohesion were two primary areas that were not present in the online learning portion of the experiment. "Students simply did not engage when opportunities were presented" (Thompson, Miller, & Franz, 2013, pg. 248). - Online learning may be most effective for non traditional students who present certain characteristics and can cope with the multiple life and academic challenges present (Thompson, Miller, & Franz, 2013). As cited in ... "online instructors should employ as many as, if not more, hands-on, authentic instructional approaches that foster active learning while enabling students to master content than face-to-face instructors (Boling et al., 2012; Diaz & Entonado, 2009). This strategy must be carefully done as many students chose online programs for connivence and are juggling multiple life events that can increase the complexity of furthering their education (Thompson, Miller, & Franz, 2013). In the study examined, 2/3 students failed out of the online learning portion of the experiment and had to complete their studies in a face-to-face environment (Thompson, Miller, & Franz, 2013). I continue to feel that online learning is not as effective as traditional education, especially for programs in the healthcare field that require hands on skill development and patient interaction skills. Thompson, N.L., Miller, N.C., & Franz, D.P. (2013). Comparing online and face-to-face learning experiences for nontraditional students: A case study of three online teacher education candidates. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 14(4), 233-251. Side: It is not as Effective
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Lora - I agree with many of your comments regarding the discussion of online versus traditional instruction for health care providers, especially regarding practical application and hands-on instruction. While there may be great ways to encourage reflection-on-action and reflection-for-action, for future encounters in an online platform, it fails to provide authentic experiential learning that is key for the learning process. Additionally, considering that failure is such an important aspect of learning, a traditional classroom environment with live patients, for example, provide a more representative context to fail, reflect, and improve. Side: It is not as Effective
While there are positives and negatives for online learning, I have to support online learning as being as effective as in-person learning. According to Chandler, online learning is as effective as in-classroom learning (2014). I think the most important part of this is it reduces the travel and time constraints that classroom learning have. Especially for students who must work a full-time job or have families, sometimes online courses are the only viable option. According to Hess, 38% of those enrolled in higher education are over the age of 25 years and 25% are over 30 years of age (2011). 32 percent of undergraduate students work full-time (Hess, 2011). According to Chandler, even the less prepared students make significant gains in understanding in online classes (2014). Even students who fail the online course are making a statistically significant gain in understanding the content (Chandler, 2014). There are other advantages of online courses: variety of courses/programs, lower total cost, more comfortable learning environment, convenience and flexibility, more interactive and greater ability to concentrate, career advancement, continue in your profession, avoid commuting, improve your technical skills, and transfer credits (Open Education Database, 2017). According to the US Department of education, "students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction (Means, et al, 2009, p. xiv)." I believe when the pros and cons of online education are weighed, the pros outweigh the cons because online education is giving people who were previously unable to participate in college courses the opportunity to learn from wherever they are at a time that is conducive to their lifestyle. I think online courses allow motivated students to succeed in a course or program that would be inaccessible otherwise. It also forces students to be accountable for their own learning experience. As online education matures, I believe it will be important for educators to learn what makes an online course the most effective. Chandler, D. (2014) Study: Online Classes Really Do Work. Retrieved from http://news.mit.edu/2014/study-shows-online-courses-effective-0924. Hess, F. (2011). Old School: College's Most Important Trend is the Rise of the Adult Students. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/old-school-colleges-most-important-trend-is-the-rise-of-the-adult-student/245823/. Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practice in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf. Open Education Database. (2017). 10 Advantages of Taking Online Courses. Retrieved from http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/ Side: It is as Effective
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Nicci, You raised several excellent points in support of the effectiveness of online learning: cost, environment, convenience, flexibility, etc. I agree that the benefits outweigh the cons, so long as the students remain motivated. I also agree that the educator plays a significant role in keeping such students engaged through their techniques and enthusiasm for the content. Myra Side: It is as Effective
While I agree that not all courses can be substituted for online courses (there is still a place for the classroom and you gave great examples of this), I disagree that online classes are not as effective. According to Glance, Forsey, and Riley, "there is no reason to believe that MOOCs [massive open online course] are any less effective a learning experience than their face-to-face counterparts (2013, p.1)." I believe that the most important thing is not whether the course is online or in-person, but the effectiveness of the educator that makes the difference. When the educator in not engaged, the learning environment will always suffer. Glance, G., Forsey, M. & Riley, M. (2013). The Pedagogical foundations of massive open online courses. First Monday: A peer-reviewed journal on the internet: 18(5-6). Side: It is as Effective
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The numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the learning process are certainly relevant to a discussion of online versus traditional face-to-face instruction efficacy. With this is mind, it seems difficult to dichotomize this question into an argument where one method is seen as more effective than the other. However, considering the current academic lens through which I look on a daily basis, I do not feel that online education is as effective as traditional classroom education. While plenty of authors advocate for the efficacy of online instruction, I believe that success of instruction is dependent on, to some extent (among other things), the content at hand. Considering allied health education and our professions where content mastery is not equivalent to clinical effectiveness, online instruction in isolation may not necessarily benefit all domains of learning. As high levels of affective and psychomotor abilities are associated with expert clinicians, instruction must seek to develop these characteristics. Hale et al (2009), describe similar themes concerning the efficacy of an undergraduate allied health pharmacology course. In this study, while learning scores and withdrawal rates were comparable between both online and classroom groups, students in the online group were less satisfied with instructor rapport, peer interaction, and self-perceived knowledge gains. While it does not appear realistic to instruct psychomotor skills or techniques through an online platform, virtual patient training (Al-Dahir et al., 2014) and surgical simulations (Antonoff et al., 2014) have been utilized to supplement traditional instructional methods. In addition to the type of content being delivered, intrinsic factors such as motivation and inherent academic ability influence efficacy of health science online instruction. Lu and Lemonde (2013) reported comparable results of online versus face-to-face instruction for a statistics course to undergraduate health science students, only if the students were high achieving academically. Students who were considered lower performing students performed significantly worse in an online environment, as compared to a face-to-face environment. When considering content that requires additional methods to encourage affective and psychomotor domain development, and possibly benefits lower achieving students, face-to-face traditional instruction appears to be more effective. Al-Dahir, S., Bryant, K., Kennedy, K.B., & Robinson, D.S. (2014). Online virtual-patient cases versus traditional problem-based learning in advanced pharmacy practice experiences. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 78(4), 1-8. Antonoff, M.B., Verrier, E.D., Yang, S.C., Lin, J., DeArmond, D.T., Allen, M.S., Varghese, T.K., Sengewald, D., Vaprorciyan, A.A. (2014). Online learning in thoracic surgical training: promising results of multi-institutional pilot study. Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 98(3), 1057-1063. Hale, L.S., Mirakian, E.A., Day, D.B. (2009). Online vs classroom instruction: student satisfaction ad learning outcomes in an undergraduate allied health pharmacology course. Journal of Allied Health, 38(2), 36-42. Lu, F., Lemonde, M. (2013). A comparison of online versus face-to-face teaching delivery in statistics instruction for undergraduate health science students. Advanced Health Science Education Theory and Practice, 18(5), 963-973. Side: It is not as Effective
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Aaron, I am in support of online education being as effective as traditional classroom education; however, your arguments are very sound and I agree with your statements that there are numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors that weigh into this entire debate. In my opinion, you are correct that online education cannot benefit all domains of learning in fields such as healthcare, where so much hands-on experience is vital in producing competent clinicians. Myra Side: It is not as Effective
I agree with this. It is a different type of learning. You have less social interaction. For students that may be new to a university and have to have some of their courses in an online format, it may lead to increased social isolation and depression due to being further away from home and not having the social interaction (Berler, 2015). Berler, N. (2015). Online learning efficient but not always effective. Educause Review. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2015/8/ Side: It is not as Effective
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