There are a few challenges that concern me about virtual schooling. The first is motivation/or lack of motivation of the institute that is providing the virtual schooling. It seems as though many of the virtual schools offered online are not very serious about the students they are teaching. As long as the student pays for the course, the institution moves on to the next enrollee. I am aware of many instances where people are enrolled in a course and someone else is taking the exams for them. This alone is an issue in itself. How is a student supposed to effectively benefit from an online course, if he/she is not even taking the courses?
The second concern is the follow-up process of these schools and the teachers. Of the cases I have heard of, it is very rare that the school follows up with students to see how they are doing and/or addresses the concerns of the students. Again, as long as the student pays for the course they really don’t care. Sometimes I wonder if there are actual teachers at the other end who are held responsible for the progress of these students.
The third concern is the accreditation of these institutions. Can a student really get a valid high school diploma from completing a few tests online? Whatever happened to the other factors that are considered in a traditional school, such as participation, attendance, completion of assignments, etc? How do we expect our students to be successful in college and hold down a successful career when we are basically spoon-feeding them and teaching them that being irresponsible and careless is ok, as long as you no one cares?
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Re. "motivation/or lack of motivation of the institute that is providing the virtual schooling." This is a relevant point. Once we enter the for-profit arena, the landscape is looking very different from traditional schools with PTAs and teachers who have first name relationships with the parents. Can we expect the same kind of dedication we have come to expect from teachers and school systems when the bottom line becomes so important? School systems can run deficits and stay in business until money becomes available. Will profit oriented companies that provide some of the online learning do the same?
ReplyDeleteThat is my point exactly. Many of these companies are in business to make money; they don't really care whether someone benefits from an online course or not. In my opinion, unless a company is not directly linked to a school that follows up with the students, then the students will not really benefit much.
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed with the Anatomy class that was offered online and featured in our reading. Classes like that offer an excellent opportunity for a gifted student. I think that online schooling really depends on the program and the student taking the class on whether a class will be successful or not. As far as money-making opportunities, any institution can be vulnerable to the greed of unscrupulous business professionals. You can see that with some Charter schools. Overall, I don't think you can deny the technology at this point. Online schools remind me of my first trip to EPCOT at Disneyland. The display showed kids going to school and communication with different friends who were stationed at space stations, etc. the time is here, we need to look at new ways of doing good things.
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