[Vision2020] On the other hand (was: The Trouble With Online College)

[Kenneth Marcy]

On 2/19/2013 6:26 AM, Art Deco wrote:
>
> The New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> February 18, 2013
>
>
>   The Trouble With Online College
>
> <[snip]>
>
> The online revolution offers intriguing opportunities for broadening 
> access to education. But, so far, the evidence shows that poorly 
> designed courses can seriously shortchange the most vulnerable students.
>

On the other hand, there are exceptions to these problems.  For example, 
I know there are local University students who are, in addition to their 
live class attendance and homework, are listening to online lectures 
from the likes of MIT OpenCourseWare in the same subjects in which they 
are enrolled in local classes.

Even some of the locally-prepared on-line courses can be interesting and 
informative.  For example, the U of I English department's English 175, 
Introduction to Genres, seems to be well-received by students to whom it 
is mentioned, and I thought it a worthwhile on-line presentation when I 
took it.  The thick Norton anthology used as a text for that course 
continues to hold more reading material to extend the course should a 
student elect to persist with it.

After a student has some subject-matter foundation, then independent 
study may continue at a student's self-assigned pace.  For example, 
William Shakespeare wrote about 38 plays, which, at the rate of one play 
per month, a person could read, study, and enjoy over a period of just 
over three years.  Such a relaxed schedule will fit into most people's 
lives comfortably, and not seem such a duty-driven exercise as reading 
all of the Bible within a year.

On-line education has a place in the scheme of things, but prerequisite 
preparation better fosters its success, and its utility as preparation 
for subsequent autodidactic activities.


Ken
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20130219/4c844ced/attachment.html>