Distance Learning? Just Say No!
Distance learning, where students essentially attend college online, seems to be a win-win for all concerned. Students get college credit from the comfort of their own home, and colleges have a high profit, high growth potential alternative revenue stream. Even make-believe colleges, like the University of Phoenix, can get in on the action in tapping into the large number of people looking for an easy degree and willing to buy the credential. I see a lot of students, especially those returning after some time in the work force, that are just looking to get their ticket punched and seeking the easiest path to the sheepskin. I can't hate them for that, and in fact admire those recognizing what it takes to advance and going to the effort to do so. The two important issues are whether the distance learning experience delivers a valuable education, and whether a distance learning degree delivers a valued credential.
On the former question, virtually all the traditional college educators and sophisticated employers I know would answer with a resounding no. It is debatable whether the content, skills, and dispositions purported to be the outcomes of traditional higher education may be acquired through the distance learning channel. Many of us would say "maybe," but have concerns about the low-level "entrance" requirements (which are essentially a pen and checkbook), and the lack of a classroom experience replete with interactions with instructors and other students. Yes, I know the claims that the chat room formats and email access variants are claimed to do the same job, but we don't believe that canned presentations (or even those live streamed) with chat yields a comparable result. This is not a defensive posture germinating from a desire to preserve our jobs and the status quo; quite the contrary, distance learning (and for some, even web-ct, i.e., distance learning lite), would make our jobs immensely easier. We are philosophically against it, and see it as a matter of ethics and efficacy.
From another, perhaps even more important perspective, no campus presence means no campus experience. Going to college means a lot more than just going to class. The interpersonal and other learning gained through the college experience perhaps overshadow the academic learning. To obtain a degree online is to avoid that college experience and robs the student of invaluable "life" learning.
Yet there are many who could care less about the "college experience," and are content with a barebones academic experience as long as it results in the credential, which gets us to the latter point. Is a distance learning degree really an equivalent academic credential? Perhaps in some circles it is, but generally it is not. When we get applications from those with distance learning degrees, for instance, they are immediately discarded. Many of the employers we talk to have the same perspective, and in fact a distance learning degree is sometimes viewed as worse than having no degree at all. This is because a college degree is a signal to the employer not so much of a level of knowledge (90% of what you need to know will be learned on the job most of the time), but of a level of maturity, motivation, and character. The college graduate has demonstrated not only a willingness to work, but to work in the right way and get the job done. A distance degree signals sloth with the faint scent of artifice, a desire to take the easy way out.
I can see where small private colleges, facing severe economic challenges, may hear the siren call of distance learning and its promise of easy money. Even other colleges are being lured by this potential cash cow, particularly as some graduate degree income streams are being challenged. However, I hope that colleges can resist the temptations of the reputation-cheapening distance learning option, as pandering to those seeking a credential rather than an education does not fulfill your mission. And for those students who seek only a credential rather than an education through distance learning, be careful what you wish for.
On the former question, virtually all the traditional college educators and sophisticated employers I know would answer with a resounding no. It is debatable whether the content, skills, and dispositions purported to be the outcomes of traditional higher education may be acquired through the distance learning channel. Many of us would say "maybe," but have concerns about the low-level "entrance" requirements (which are essentially a pen and checkbook), and the lack of a classroom experience replete with interactions with instructors and other students. Yes, I know the claims that the chat room formats and email access variants are claimed to do the same job, but we don't believe that canned presentations (or even those live streamed) with chat yields a comparable result. This is not a defensive posture germinating from a desire to preserve our jobs and the status quo; quite the contrary, distance learning (and for some, even web-ct, i.e., distance learning lite), would make our jobs immensely easier. We are philosophically against it, and see it as a matter of ethics and efficacy.
From another, perhaps even more important perspective, no campus presence means no campus experience. Going to college means a lot more than just going to class. The interpersonal and other learning gained through the college experience perhaps overshadow the academic learning. To obtain a degree online is to avoid that college experience and robs the student of invaluable "life" learning.
Yet there are many who could care less about the "college experience," and are content with a barebones academic experience as long as it results in the credential, which gets us to the latter point. Is a distance learning degree really an equivalent academic credential? Perhaps in some circles it is, but generally it is not. When we get applications from those with distance learning degrees, for instance, they are immediately discarded. Many of the employers we talk to have the same perspective, and in fact a distance learning degree is sometimes viewed as worse than having no degree at all. This is because a college degree is a signal to the employer not so much of a level of knowledge (90% of what you need to know will be learned on the job most of the time), but of a level of maturity, motivation, and character. The college graduate has demonstrated not only a willingness to work, but to work in the right way and get the job done. A distance degree signals sloth with the faint scent of artifice, a desire to take the easy way out.
I can see where small private colleges, facing severe economic challenges, may hear the siren call of distance learning and its promise of easy money. Even other colleges are being lured by this potential cash cow, particularly as some graduate degree income streams are being challenged. However, I hope that colleges can resist the temptations of the reputation-cheapening distance learning option, as pandering to those seeking a credential rather than an education does not fulfill your mission. And for those students who seek only a credential rather than an education through distance learning, be careful what you wish for.
posted by Dead Man Blogging at
11:16 PM
4 Comments:
Just wanted you to know that I keep stopping by to read your thoughts. I personally wish I could have afforded to stay in college for more than 4 years- not just for the classroom learning- but for all the other interesting experiences it afforded me.
You sir are an unprincipled bigot and cretin. You also are distinctly unable or unwilling to support your arguments.
As a courtesy, I am informing you that I have addressed the many errors and malicious assumptions in your post, in a retort which actually does some homework. The article may be read here.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
There is something to be said for "distance learning". Anyone with enough dedication, a library card and a few dollars in over due book fines, can obtain an adequate education. One that would allow for career advancement/opportunities as well as the personal pride that comes from higher learning. But, this vehicle of learning assumes that the learner is truly dedicated to "learning". In today's fast paced, "drive through" society; there are those who obtain these "quick study" degrees for the sole purpose of advancement and not for the educational value. I’m sure there are many reasons why one would seek a more comfortable learning arrangement but, how credible is the quality work produced by these people. There are those, who attend Medical School abroad, but, as it turns out, are inadequate clinicians. This could also be said of say, Harvard or Tufts or other University Medical schools, but, I would bet they would be an outlier. In my opinion, the more conventional setting of a classroom allows for more suitable controls, better guidance, and a quality education.
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