The Challenges of Online Education

By Jesse Whitehead

A recent study by the Sloan Consortium shows that enrollment in online education courses continues to reach new highs. The study, based on responses from more than 2,200 colleges and universities across the U.S., reports that 3.2 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2005, an increase of 850,000 more than the year before. You can read the report at www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/index.asp.

With the phenomenal rise in popularity of e-learning, the online student needs to be aware of unique challenges inherent to internet courses. Significant challenges faced by online students include the following:

• Technical problems. Computer hardware, printers, modems, routers and other peripheral devices can break down or malfunction at any time. A computer, especially an older one may be incompatible with some software required for the course. Malicious programs such as viruses, trojans, and spyware could infect a computer causing it to crash, run slowly or not run at all. A slow internet connection might cause problems logging into class, posting to threaded discussions, or retrieving and submitting assignments. Any of these or other problems could make it difficult for the student to complete course assignments. Therefore, it is important for the student to have access to a backup computer to use in case of equipment malfunction.

• Staying motivated. Regardless of whether it's a "bricks-and-mortar" institution or online class, going to school always requires a certain level of motivation from a student. In a traditional classroom setting, a student can meet with the instructor and fellow students face-to-face. Personal interaction can form a comraderie between classmates that may help boost enthusiasm and motivation for the course. In an internet-based class however, there is no live contact with instructor and classmates -- the student works alone in a virtual environment. This lack of live contact may lead to a feeling of isolation, and make it difficult for a student without great personal drive or internal commitment to stay motivated during the course.

• Self-discipline. As with motivation, a student needs self-discipline to succeed online. The freedom and flexibility of e-learning is what's attractive to so many people. There's no obligation to login to class at any particular time or place -- just go to class and do the assignments whenever it's convenient. However, this same freedom can lead a person to procrastinate. Putting off what needs to be done will certainly cause the unwary or undisciplined student to fall behind in his assignments. Once behind, it can be hard to catch up.

• Online it's difficult to improve oral communication skills. Some classes such as speech, drama, debate, teacher education and so forth that require the student to make oral presentations in front of a group of people. The online classroom is a virtual setting not a physical one, as the students are not all gathered together at one time in a room at the same time. This makes oral presentations before the live class audience impractical, if not impossible. A student wishing to improve oral communication skills may need to take these classes in a traditional classroom course.

• Classes that require lab work or hands-on component may not be available online. If a lab course cannot be simulated or practically offered online, a student will need to take the course at a local college campus or other location with the necessary facilities for completing the course work.

Students considering taking online courses need to be aware of these and other challenges, and be prepared to meet them in order to be successful online. If these challenges present problems too difficult to overcome, the student should reconsider the online option and perhaps take a traditional ground-based course instead.