Problems and Opportunities of Distance Learning

 

In a recent issue of COMMUNITY COLLEGE WEEK, the entire issue was dedicated to the problems and opportunities of Distance Learning. Numerous articles underlined the issues of drop out rate, efficacy, costs, and recruitment of students. At my school, as Vice President Terry Moran noted , Kirkwood Community College has been involved in distance learning for nearly three decades. Further, our courses are thought of in terms of support courses for a student who is attending rather than an option of building a degree entirely composed of off campus courses.

 

Additionally, Ridley and Husband* tested for another issue raised about distance learning...grade inflation.

 

The fear is that students seek out what they call online courses because they are easier. Using the usual research protocols, they compared similar courses with different delivery systems. Using their terms, off-line (face-to-face classes) and on-line (internet, correspondence and related courses) they found that distance learning was more rigorous.

 

Dr. Linda Alien and I compared two sets of students. The first group (off-line) attended lectures and completed the necessary requirements and the second took the course on-line. They had the same instructor, same textbook, same time limit, and took the courses during the same time period (1994-1996.) The independent variable was which courses delivery system the individual student chose (off-line vs. on-line) and the dependent variable was the number of students who passed either system. Our findings to be published in the JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY strongly support that on-line, distance learning is more rigorous than off-line courses. The number of students in this purposive sample was 473.

 

Parenthetically, we discovered on an anecdotal basis that those who dropped on-line courses became attracted to off-line courses and were more likely to attend a class on one of our campuses.

 

At this time, it would appear that distance learning has the function of helping students get courses that they can not get by attending class in any particular semester.

 

On the other hand, we do not know what the future holds. It could be that young students who have come of age with computers may find on-line courses attractive and have the stamina to complete the courses with a passing grade and earn a degree or most of a degree by distance learning.

 

Prof. Joel Charles Snell

Kirkwood Comm. College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2068

319-366-0063

319-398-5532

jsnell@kirkwood.cc.ia.us

 

*Ridley, Dennis R. and James E. Husband (1998) On-line education: a study of academic rigor and integrity, Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 25, #3, September.