I do not believe that this can happen because if it did then think of all the funding which will be lost by Universities', their dorms, cafeterias etc. but on the other hand since work is becoming a more difficult thing to obtain, kids moving back in to their homes after college, and more people are going back to college, it is gaining ground. I do not know what the statistical data is but I think they are getting closer year after year.
Michael
Herb,
To me this is a very volatile topic. I sincerely hope that online education does not grow to overtake ground education. It will be a sad day. I do not believe this will ever take place. There is absolutely no substitute for the aforementioned lab 'value' and practical applications of knowledge gained.
Steve
Rachelle,
Blended or hybrid classrooms are quickly becoming the norm at ALL levels of education. You are correct, the research shows that online offerings are still growing, but the BIG change will be the continued integration of online tools and technologies in to the traditional classroom experience.
Herbert Brown III
I believe the answer to this question is both yes and no. As the technology changes and develops, face to face instruction for some content could replace the traditional classroom. For example, classes that cover content that does not require practice or hands on activity.
Also, the use of online technology depends on the student and his or her competencies. I used to teach special education and some students were more successful with the immediate feedback and independent nature of online instructions. On the other hand, some students need the face to face interactions. Today many states are offering an online alternative to high schools because of many factors (such as student behavior issues, home schooling, and so forth).
Many of my online adult students feel online is better for them because of their work schedules and family responsibilities. It is easier to attend an online class and complete work on his or her schedule than to attend a campus class on a specified time or day.
The growth of online schools and the technology will make online an alternative to traditional classes. However, they will always be some content that requires face to face interactions.
Greetings:
My friends that have younger children are seeing their assignments posted online, grades are delivered online and the assignments are submitted via online. What I see is a blending of what is considered online and on ground creating a hybrid experience of learning. I believe we will continue to see this.
Technology is changing the way we are doing many things. Students have to be ready for that and by blending the learning experience students get the best of both worlds.
Rachelle
Diane:
I agree and we are already seeing this, even in elementary schools. Technology is being integrated in the on ground classroom to help students prepare for the work environment. I think that is very important as technology isn't going away and students need to be prepared for it so that they can be successful in the workplace.
Rachelle
Greetings:
I often hear people say this but I disagree. Online just isn't for everyone. It doesn't meet the needs of all learners and it lacks the social connections that many students need. I believe younger students especially need to have that social interaction with one another and with the faculty and other members of the University Staff. Also having the experience of "College Life" is important for the younger learner who is transitioning from their parents home to being independent.
I believe there will always be a place for both ground and online learning. Also it is difficult to say what technology will bring in the future. I don't think online learning is going to be what it is today in ten years. It will continue to evolve and change.
Rachelle
I do not believe that online learning will replace the traditional classroom.
Some students will prefer face-to-face interactions with faculty and fellow students. Face-to-face instruction is the best way for these students. As technology develops, online classes may become more popular, by adding some videos and simulations.
For some courses, online learning can’t replace the traditional classroom, for example lab sciences, which needs hand-on experience.
Thanks.
Simon,
Some skills based courses would be more difficult, such as how to draw blood virtually. Interesting point you make about introductory courses and size. Some administrators are pushing 1000's of students in MOOCs for introductory courses. What do you think about online classes with 1000's of students in one course?
Herbert Brown III
I think it will replace some, but not all of traditional brick and mortar classrooms. Course such as introductory courses in particular majors can be good candidates for online course formats as demand for these courses tend to be high (i.e. auditorium size). Online course format would be good for classrooms that get too big and are basic core courses. They may not be as effective for specialized courses focusing on the particular major's topic.
MaryCatherine,
The growth of online learning technologies in to the traditional classroom has created a boom in hybrid classrooms. As you mentioned, this trend is likely to continue. The students benefit from the merger of these technologies and the best of both.
Herbert Brown III
The online learning mode of instruction will not likely ever completely replace the traditional grounded classroom. However, online learning will continue to evolve into a more integral part of most traditional classrooms. This is becoming more and more evident as traditional schools of higher education are offering ever increasing numbers of courses available online.
I do not believe online learning will replace the traditional classroom. Why? Two things: the "cave-man principle" and (albeit a more cynical reason) money.
The "cave-man principle" refers to our basic need for face to face interaction. Now, I do think the traditional classroom will become more of a hybrid, mixing online learning with traditional elements. Online learning will become an important tool in enhancing the traditional environment and will also provide greater flexibility. Both the online classroom and the traditional classroom are here to stay. The traditional classroom, though, will become more of a hybrid
I inform students that in my younger days if I was unable to attend classes on campus I could take correspondence courses, everything was done via mail.
PBS in its early stage because providing courses via TV.
Online began, but until accreditation was achieved it really did not (and many still do not accept) become acceptable especially in earning a recognized degree.
Today with all the technology, oversight, platforms, expectations (student and faculty) online has become somewhat a norm.
I along with others in this thread do not see online replacing in-class. As said by others there are students that seek out and need face-to-face courses. However, again as indicated by others, in-class courses are using many of the tools we utilize in our online courses.
Maybe the days of 400 students in a classroom will be gone, especially with technology making it possible for students to view via their computer, or video conferencing etc. As mentioned in the module much will depend on how the instructor communicates with the students--responsiveness for instance.
As we move forward in the age of technology, yes the online learning will replace the traditional classroom. Our youngest students starting out in elementary school are maybe not being taught with ipads but they most definitely have their hands on it. Most households have at least one ipad or tablet. This being said, that technology is being brought into the classroom more and more. We know it is at college level and high school level and soon to be at the mid-school level. We do however, have to make sure that our instructors in these lower levels of education become qualified to meet the needs of the on-line classroom and that obviously needs to be done at the college level for our future instructors. Although, the students at college level are well versed in forum already and this probably will be an easy transition for them to replace traditional learning to on line learning. I positively feel that there will be values that are taught with traditional classroom that will be lost when replaced with online learning.
NICOLE,
Excellent point that the demographic of our online student is often very different than our traditional student and that needs to be taken into consideration. Another growing area is hybrid instruction taking the best of online and the traditional classroom. We will continue to see widespread growth in this area as well.
Herbert Brown III
Angela,
I am not saying that online will replace traditional and unfortunately College Football teams will be one of the determining factors. The amount of money tied to College and professional sports is so large it cannot be ignored as a serious factors in these scenarios.
Herbert Brown III
I believe that a large majority of people will eventually want to do online learning. I do not think that it will completely replace the traditional classroom. There will always be students fresh out of high school who want the traditional college learning experience and that will have the ability to do so. More and more, though, we are seeing working parents or working students who have busy schedules and an online environment is more sustainable for them. As online instructors, it is vital that we realize that the student in an online environment is probably obtaining education this way due to other obligations in their life. We need to be understanding of these type of needs.
Although I think the popularity of online classes is growing in all fields, I find many people focused on all online courses are professionals who already have a degree and are working on post graduate degrees. They tend to be more prepared, better at time management and the classes allow more freedeom for their "real life". The brick and mortar schools will still be present but these are more dedicated to young people coming out of high school. My sons attend these type facilities and tell me a lot of the class work is still done on a computer at home and many of their teachers do not even know their names. Some of those courses they have upwards of 200 students in one class so it is not more personal than online. (We still need college football teams!)
not even close...although there have been estimates by the year 2020 50% of higher education courses will be *available* online, online will never replace the traditional classroom. The reason is quite simple: Besides the social interaction component of the traditional classroom, especially at the K-6 level, at the higher education level, the traditional university environment will continue to flourish. Although traditional classroom attendance may decline, universities offer much more to the maturation process than simply occupying a seat in the classroom.
