Kimberly,
We will certainly see a tremendous increase in hybrid online courses in the next 3-5 years. Research is already showing strong continued trends, and everything I see shows that increase will continue. Content of the courses and programs can also be restricting factors.
Herbert Brown III
Personally I don't think the online environment will never replace the traditional classroom due to the preference of older students that are intimidated by computer technology and motivated by F2F interaction. I think the hybrid environment is a more adaptable environment for older adult learners to conform to.
While I don't believe that online learning will ever fully replace traditional classroom learning, I do think online learning will continue to expand whereas I feel that more traditional classroom environments will plateau.
I beleive that in general, as our society utilizes more and more technology in our everyday lives and we continue to have great demands on our time, the allure of learning online will thrive. Online learning for many is a way to preserve some semblence of home life while still maintaining a full time job and pursuing an education, which for some is just not possible to do with a traditional, on-site model of education. For working parents, online learning provides an opportunity for a parent to pursue their education without the burden of paying for childcare or the extra expenses of commuting. Other students find that they are able to maintain a full time work schedule, even one with "off" hours, while completing their degree, an option not feasible with the more traditional "on-site" model. I believe this flexibility, coupled with the reality that many times, online education is more affordable, is why online will continue to thrive and grow at a more rapid rate than that of traditional education.
This is not to say that I beleive online education will replace traditional education. There are many individuals who truly need that face-to-face interaction in order to feel secure and succeed in the classroom. I have heard this from students seeking associate degrees to individuals pursuing a second master's degree - for some people, regardless of how well an online instructor manages a classroom, there is a need for some physical element to learning in order for them to be successful. I had a friend who pursued two higher level degrees, one was through an online environment and one traditional. While my friend was successful in both formats, and she stated her online professor was very engaged and present, she preferred the traditional setting simply because she felt there was more accountability for her to be on site and she wanted face-to-face interaction.
In sum, I do think that ultimately, online versus onsite boils down to personal preference and there will always be individuals who would prefer the traditional classroom setting. However, I feel that we will see greater growth in online education as opposed to traditional learning as our society continues to become more technologically reliant and individuals find that online provides a venue to pursue education in a manner that traditional classroom learning cannot due to the inherent flexibility the online format permits.
Julie,
I agree that there will continue to be tremendous growth in hybrid learning environments. Most universities are tracking ONLINE and Traditional, if we also tracked closer the hybrid model, we would see a tremendous growth in the last 5-10 years in this area and I would argue that MOST coursework in the future will have SOME hybrid component.
Herbert Brown III
Julie,
I agree that there will continue to be tremendous growth in hybrid learning environments. Most universities are tracking ONLINE and Traditional, if we also tracked closer the hybrid model, we would see a tremendous growth in the last 5-10 years in this area and I would argue that MOST coursework in the future will have SOME hybrid component.
Herbert Brown III
Alfred,
There is a clear indication of continued growth in online learning; however, I agree that we will continue to see both methods as well as hybrid models in to the foreseeable future.
Herbert Brown III
Robert,
Excellent point! The online learner does need to clearly understand the rigor and expectations of an online course. It can be more challenging and time consuming at times based on the nature of the tools and learning environment. The anytime, anywhere learning environment can also be a challenge for many that might have marginal time management and organization skills and are not self-starters.
Herbert Brown III
I think that hybrid courses will replace traditional classrooms, where there is face-to-face instruction, as well as many online components. Being able to assess their progress online, access their assignments, message their classmates and instructor, is invaluable to the students.
I believe that both traditional and online classes will coexist through the future. There are students who prefer the physical classroom as it helps them concentrate and focus because there are others around them. Others like the convenience/flexibility of online classes as it is not set at a given time. And of course, some universities only offer online/traditional for certain classes.
I disagree. Online learning is a unique form of education intended to meet the needs of students unable to attend an on ground program. Having taught in both environments and been educated in both environments there are strengths to both forms of teaching and learning.
Many students want the immediate access to the instructor and are motivated by lively classroom discussion. They find it motivating and invigorating for their learning style.
As we've learned through these CEE courses there are other students who value the convenience of online learning and adapt quite well.
Most important is to determine if an online learner fully understands the rigor and requirements of the on line discipline.
I disagree. I think that there will always be certain topics that students will want a live instructor and blackboard. Upper level mathematics is a perfect example. An online environment might be able to provide videos, or a live presentation of a lecture, but because of the highly visual nature of the material and just the enormous amount of writing (through flow charts, proofs, equations)an online environment might make this course a little more difficult than the classroom in person environment.
Tim,
There are many different learning styles in our population. Do you believe that online learning will support ALL of those unique learning styles? What about skills-heavy jobs? Do you want a welder building a skyscraper that only learned ABOUT welding through videos? What about a brain surgeon...do you want brain surgery from a doctor that did all interactive multimedia surgeries? Where does that play in to the equation?
Herbert Brown III
I believe eventually Online learning will replace the traditional classroom. Many considerations lead me to this conclusion. I believe as many industries have begun . . . automation as well as required measurable outcomes will begin the trend of online courses becoming more and more common place. If you can find a team of the very best instructors out there to create the content and record the videos, the courses are much easier to maintain within a "school". Thus allowing a far greater enrollment and educating a greater number of people.
I don't think that online learning will ever replace the traditional classroom. There are different types of learners, and there are many students who prefer the face to face interaction that comes with a physical classroom. I have found the most successful classes are hybrid, a portion of time in the classroom, with specific, independent tasks completed online, this allows for the learner to explore different approaches to the subject and content of the class.
Mekia,
I have also seen this in my traditional age and non-traditional student populations. The more mature students are more likely to meet deadlines and turn in high quality work and my younger students are less likely too - as a general rule, of course there are always exceptions.
Herbert Brown III
I grew up using the traditional classroom and remain more comfortable in that type of learning environment. In contrast, my daughter will most likely feel most comfortable in a virtual/online learning environment. This is really due to a change in the educational norms in our society within the past couple of decades. I feel that online learning will grow and expand to include more course offerings, but will never replace the traditional classroom.
I have also seen this with the students that I teach in the online environment. In most cases, but not all, when older students are enrolled they are more likely to have all assignments completed on time, but are less likely to be comfortable in the learning environment. I have talked to students who express concern over submitting assignments correctly and other areas of the online learning environment.
Cally,
What do you mean by trade schools? Do you mean trades like welding, building trades, etc.? I agree that many of the skills-based careers might need more traditional hands on classroom instruction, but we are also likely to see a hybrid model develop even there. What about covering all of the technical information in building or welding online and then just conducting "labs" every week or couple of weeks to apply and refine those specific skills in a production environment with supervision?
Herbert Brown III
I don't agree that online learning will replace traditional classroom delivery of instruction. Online learning will certainly replace traditional classroom learning in some cases or for some aspects of instruction, but classroom learning will never be completely replaced for a variety of reasons. For example, some students prefer traditional classroom instruction, and these students will continue to opt (and pay) for it so long as it remains an option open to them. The other side of this coin is that some students cannot learn as effectively in an online environment as in a classroom. These students will continue to require (if not prefer) classroom instruction. Further, online instruction in certain subjects may prove ineffective or inefficient, such that traditional classroom instruction remains the only option. For example, while it's possible to delivery effective instruction in history or sociology in an online environment, some aspects of culinary arts or massage therapy are certainly difficult (if not impossible) to learn outside of a classroom. Of course, this challenge might be mitigated by drawing distinctions between instruction and assessment, between theory and practice, and so on. In sum, I don't believe that either method can or should completely replace the other.
Trade schools will definitely need to keep the traditional hands on approach, but they will still use online for backup assignments and further research for the students.
Not completely. Even though there are many advantages to online learning. I still feel as a species we are designed to gather in communities and interact with one another on a face to face level. I think e-learning offers flexibility to students, but I do think that there is a layer of interaction and community they are missing.
As a college student on campus, I found that it was my network and personal relationships, that I was able to develop with my classmate, that proved to be an invaluable tool to my professional success. I am unsure if my online students are developing this same sort of network and professional support among them, even though I strongly encourage them to.
