Tag Archives: online education

Online education: The biggest hurdle for online learning

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Contributor Charles Choi

Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring the pros and cons of online education, which is important if you are considering taking an online course. And even though there has been an increase in the number of people taking online courses, Monica Mogilewsky says online and distance science learning still has a stigma attached. “The University of London Distance Learning Programme has changed its name to the University of London International Programme, and I do think a large part of this is a feeling within academia that online and distance learning is less rigorous than a traditional classroom setting,” Mogilewsky says. “When I say I have my masters degree, on my CV it says I was part of the University of London Distance Learning Programme, but I don’t especially emphasise that I got my degree online.”

Mogilewsky emphasises the great value of distance and online science learning. “I think it’s a powerful thing – I really appreciate how online courses make learning available for more people, helping support democracy of education,” she says.

And while pursuing a doctorate has left her little time to take any more online courses, “I would consider it in the future, for specific training such as non-profit management or social media – I think it could be fun and helpful,” Mogilewsky says. “I would also consider teaching online, and I think I’d be better at it than someone who’s never taken an online course.”

Online education: The rise of virtual labs

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Contributor Charles Choi

One weakness of Monica Mogilewsky’s online science education was a lack of hands-on experience. “A class that didn’t work well was on environmental impact assessment, which was about how to monitor the industrial and agricultural human impact on different ecosystems,” Mogilewsky says. “Learning from home, I didn’t have access to a lab, so how things worked all became very abstract. So those kind of classes fell flat, and I don’t feel I got as much as I would in a traditional classroom setting.”

Online programmes are increasingly trying to compensate for this weakness with hands-on experience. “In one of our courses, we ship the materials to students for them to build circuit boards, and they upload video of them building them,” Chip Paucek, CEO of educational technology company 2U in New York says. “In another example, students who want a masters of science in midwifery from Georgetown University don’t deliver virtual babies – we arrange placements in their local areas.”

Lori Grant is currently at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies studying to be a midwife via their online course. She has been able to work with under-served populations across Arizona. “This is not uncommon for clinical rotations in health fields, but what is uncommon is to reunite weekly with my cohort of students and to learn from them at their clinical sites that vary from birth centers in California and Washington to labor wards in Pennsylvania and Florida,” says Grant. “I am able to hear how the Midwest manages a certain condition and compare that to my current practice.  What better way to share knowledge.” Continue reading →

Online education: Recognize how you learn

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Contributor Charles Choi

The online MBA program CEO of Sustainable Ethanol Technologies Julie Goodliffe took is supported by 2U, an educational technology company in Landover, MD, and from her point of view, one of its strengths was its support of a wide variety of learning styles.

“I learn best listening and recording for myself,” Goodliffe says. The videos the instructors recorded were ideal for her. “I could watch and listen to University of North Carolina professors teach whilst writing my own notes, pausing the video to collect my thoughts and record them better than possible in any in-person lecture, and digest the material.”

The synchronous sessions, where instructors and students interacted online in real-time, “were great, but were likely for a different type of learner than me,” Goodliffe says. “They allowed for human interaction and close-up student-teacher relationships, and also forced us to do the work. These sessions were necessary for learners who need instant feedback, in-person challenging, and questions answered.”

In addition, the extensive homework and casework of the programme was great for readers and book-learners, Goodliffe says, “and also reinforced the concepts for someone like me who might ignore such book work if not forced to do it. Those three aspects of every course in the programme – asynchronous videos, synchronous in-person sessions, and extensive book and case homework – seemed to encompass all educational needs.”

“An online programme that teaches solely through emails and text chats has no chance of educating someone like me,” Goodliffe added. “I need challenging material to watch and listen to. I need excellent professors to quickly move through material, illustrating concepts as they would in a lecture, demanding my attention and respect through obvious experience in the subject matter and in teaching it. MBA@UNC does that very well, and also addresses the needs of other types of learners.”

Online education: Face time

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Who are you calling slack?

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Contributor Charles Choi

A lack of human contact is a big difference between online and distance learning and traditional classroom settings. “You are kind of learning in isolation,” Monica Mogilewsky says. “You get lots of textbooks, journal articles, recorded lectures, and interactive material. For the most part, you spend much of your time learning on your own, and that takes a lot of self-discipline. It’s difficult not having people you can see, people you can have a gripe-and-drink session with.”

The challenge of staying disciplined in isolation may be a key reason why the average completion rate for MOOCs is less than 7 per cent, according to data compiled by UK doctoral student, Katy Jordan, at Open University. Taylor concurs: “Not many students make it to the end of MOOCs”.

From experience, Lara Hutson, a research assistant professor at the University of Buffalo, has seen that “the students who do best in online courses are those who are very self-motivated, regardless of subject matter.”

When looking at successful examples of distance learning programmes, “you often also find online learning is augmented with forums, discussion groups, and face-to-face interactions, peer interactions that can help students stay the course,” says Chris Taylor, engagement manager at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

Online education: The role of reputation

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Contributor Charles Choi

As well as convenience, credit and cost, reputation can also influence a student’s choice of online science courses and programmes. Monica Mogilewsky particularly liked the University of London “because it had the oldest distance learning programme in the world, so they seemed like a good choice because I figured they had got the kinks worked out of distance learning. Also, I found out later that Nelson Mandela graduated from the University of London Distance Learning Programme, so I was in good company.”

“The reputation of the institution offering an online course is paramount,” says Chip Paucek, CEO of educational technology company 2U in New York. “It’s why students attend a school – it’s why we partner with top-tier colleges and universities to help create online degree programs for students. What’s important is getting a degree from a great school, regardless of whether you attended online or not.” Continue reading →

Online education: Credit and cost are critical

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Contributor Charles Choi

As well as the convenience of an online course, key to a course’s viability is whether the institution offering it is accredited. “I have students email me from all over who, for whatever reason, can’t take biochemistry at their own institution and are looking for alternatives. Because the University of Buffalo is an accredited institution, other institutions are willing to accept students taking our courses,” says Lara Hutson, a research assistant professor at the University of Buffalo.

The issue of accreditation is a significant consideration when it comes to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered by companies such as Coursera. MOOCs are typically free, offering a whole curriculum of written material and online videos. However, they usually do not offer credit.

“MOOCs are a huge growth area across the world, but it remains to be seen how much of that experiment is going to work out,” says Chris Taylor, engagement manager at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom. “A key issue when it comes to MOOCs is how assessment of students will work and the accreditation given to them. They don’t give rise to any recognized higher-education qualification.”

If someone does want to learn only through MOOCs, they should consider whether they want academic credit for professional development, Taylor explained. “No-one wants students to spend time on something that doesn’t get them wherever they want to go.” Continue reading →