ONLINE EDUCATION

Hot Topics Project: Online Education

Fitti Kolbe
College of DuPage

ONLINE EDUCATION

Hot Topics Project: Online Education

Definition
Online education is generally defined as the approach to teaching and learning
that utilizes Internet technologies to communicate and collaborate in an educational
context (as cited in Palloff, 2014, p. 6). Such technologies supplement traditional
classroom procedures. However, there is not one specific form of online teaching,
instead the format much depends on the subject being taught, as well as the age and
experience of the students. Younger students may be involved in an educational math
game on addition, whereas older students may enroll in an entire algebra class online.
Commonly integrated in online education are the use of online textbooks and reading
assignments, discussion boards, and learning activities. So called Web 3.0 technologies
are gaining increased popularity these days and refer to the educational use of phones,
tablets, social media and blogs. In the strict sense, however, online courses provide
material entirely online, and the communication between instructor and student is
entirely online as well. Such communication could be synchronous chat sessions
through mobile technologies i.e. Skype or Google hangout (Palloff, 2014, p.29). Other
forms are blogging, email, asynchronous discussion boards or simply e-mail (Palloff,
2014, p. 7).

Who does it impact?

Certainly, educators and learners are the ones who are the most impacted by
online education. However, to a further extent, changes in the traditional learning
environment also impact state politics and administrators.
Especially in community colleges online courses show increasing popularity for
its online classes, which can be attributed to the extremely diverse student population
and the benefits that online education promotes for this population (Perry, 2011, p.97).
According to Mark Aspillera on worldwidelearn.com students can be positively impacted
by the flexibility and conveniece that online education brings, as well as its enriching
communcation advantages (Aspillera). At the same it allows for teachers to get engaged
in an individualized, more in depth learning experience and improved peer-to-faculty
interaction (Proulx). Further, even though students experience way more independent
education, the instructor needs to act as guide to ensure the students learning
progress (Palloff, 2014, p.37).
Timeline of the trend
When perceived as a form of distance education, the history of online education
can be traced back into the nineteenth century when the first foundation of
homeschooling was established (Caruth, 2013, 142). Obviously, there are big
differences between the two, yet, what both have in common is the ability to achieve
knowledge in a non-academic environment. Online education is not all that new. In fact,
already twenty years ago, people in higher education noticed the trend towards
increased use of technology. Ronald Phipps from the Institute of Higher Education
prognosed in 1999 that former poor and unwelcome child of online education would

ONLINE EDUCATION

have a profound impact on colleges and universities in America and around the globe
(Palloff, 2014, p.5). What started as educational television, merged into learning on the
Web around 1995 (Perry, 2011, p.95). According to Perry whose article Online
Learning was published online in 2011, there were 1.6 million students enrolled in
online courses in 2002. In 2008 more than 25 percent of higher education students were
taking at least one class online and percentages have increased since then.
Online teaching has gained increasing popularity through new advances in the
smartphone industry, which allows students and instructors to be online around the
clock (Palloff, 2014, p. 5).
Virtual online schools also exist for K-12 and generally one can distinguish
between three main models (Palloff, 2014, p.17). Blended models are popular for
charter schools and homeschooling. Typically, students complete most of their work
from home, but they also meet face-to-face with an instructor once a week (or as
scheduled).
The supplemental model allows students who participate in a traditional
classroom environment to take additional, supplemental classes online in example
when these cannot be offered due to a budget cut. Lastly, there is the classroom-based
model which is the approach to integrate online courses and programs into the
traditional classroom in order to enhance and engage the students learning experience
(Palloff, 2014, p.17).
Significant people involved
A key player in online education is Eric Mazur. He obtained his Ph.D. in the
Netherlands and is now a Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard
University. Throughout his career he achieved many awards and prizes and further
gained great popularity through the foundation of Learning Catalytics (Profile on Eric
Mazur). Now owned by Pearson, Learning Catalytics is designed to attract students to
take part in a virtual, live and online learning session by ones instructor. What is handy,
is that students can access this session from anywhere they are simply with an internet
connection and any kind of device, such as smart phone, laptop or tablet (Learning
Catalytics for in-class learning). Mazur has even been awarded the Minerva Prize for
Advancements in Higher Education for his significant contributions to improving higher
education. According to research, peer instruction and the immediate feedback that
Catalytics provide help to improve the students performance (Harvards Physics
Professor [...]). Michael Chasen and Matthew Pittinsky are important for online
education, as they were the founders of Blackboard Inc. in 1997. On the companys
website they claim their goal to make learning more desirable, accessible, and
meaningful for learners, which perfectly describes the general intents of online
education (Who we are).
Significance of the trend
Much of our own personal and professional lives is already occurring online: we
often shop online, we may apply for jobs online, but we communicate online almost
constantly. This why it is crucial to review the importance of education being facilitated
online. Undoubtedly, two major benefits are the flexibility of location and timing. It is no
secret that some night owls prefer doing their homework at times when others sleep,
whereas others may have to acquire knowledge while their children are at school. The
internet further allows for instant information sharing and easy access to course material

ONLINE EDUCATION

(McIntyre, 2010). It may additionally enhance those students learning, who are introvert
students, and also foreign students who may be unsure of their spoken English.
At the same time, what is a benefit for some, may be a disadvantage for others.
Unequal or limited access to technology and internet affects the students and teachers
ability to participate. Additionally, the lack of proper training may leave both student and
instructor in a helpless situation, as they are bombarded by an overload of information
(McIntyre, 2010). Thereupon the students may also be limited due to the instructors
paucity of knowledge about the applied tools and technologies (Palloff, 2014, p.5).
Examples in education today
Online education can be found in all grade levels both in primary and secondary
education. Personal experience in a local elementary school has shown the many
benefits and advantages that the use of computers, even at such a young age, have for
both the instructor and the students. Apart from traditional lessons in the classroom,
students at Fry Elementary utilize their computer lab for pleasure on site of the students
and convenience from site of the teacher. In example, students are allowed to play
educational games after completing an assignment, which apparently motivated the
students to finish the previous assignment quickly. Further, google drive allows for a
convenient and fast analysis of the students academic progress; in example, a test
submitted online by students will automatically be revised and results can be accessed
by the instructor. The great advantage is that students can access their accounts from
anywhere with an internet connection. So if a student is absent from school the
instructor can easily share learning contents and exercises with the student so the
student does not have to miss any important learning content.
What gained great popularity and importance in the past couple years is the term
MOOC, which is short for Massive open online course. These courses are offered to
students electronically and can reach tens of thousands students at the same time. Out
of curiosity and to gain better understanding of the topic I decided to sign up with edX
and enroll in my first MOOC called DemoX.1 Demo Course. According to their
introductory video I will be offered the best courses from the best schools and
instructors at no cost at all. Overall one can say that the great selection of various online
courses has something to offer for almost anybody.
At a community college like ours, students can find a particular online course
section. These courses allow scholars to build a class schedule that meets their busy
life and work schedules. I have no doubt that online education will continue to increase
its popularity until maybe some day all learning and teaching will occur online.

ONLINE EDUCATION

REFERENCES
Aspillera, M. (n.d.). What Are the Potential Benefits of Online Learning? Retrieved
October 12, 2014, from World Wide Learn website:
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/
benefits-of-online-learning.htm
Caruth, G. D., & Caruth, D. L. (2013). Distance Education in the United States: From
Correspondence Courses to the Internet. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance
Education, 14(2), 141-149.
edX. (2013, February 22). edX -- How it Works [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh8huowqO8
Harvard Physics Professor, Learning Catalytics Co-Founder Eric Mazur Wins $500K
Minerva Prize for Advancements in Education. (2014, June 17). Retrieved
October 12, 2014, from Pearson website: http://www.pearsoned.com/
harvard-physics-professor-learning-catalytics-co-founder-eric-mazur-wins-500kminerva-prize-for-advancements-in-education/#.VDq31fldW7I
Learning Catalytics for in-class learning. (2014). Retrieved October 6, 2014, from
Pearson website: http://help.pearsoncmg.com/mastering/student/
standalone/TopicsStudent/learning_catalytics_student.htm
McIntyre, S. (2010). Why is online teaching important. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from
Academia website:
https://www.academia.edu/610248/Why_is_online_teaching_important
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the virtual classroom: The realities of
online teaching:. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Perry, E. H., & Pilati, M. L. (2011). Online learning. New Directions For Teaching &
Learning, 2011(128), 95-104. doi:10.1002/tl.472
Profile on Eric Mazur. (2014). Retrieved October 6, 2014, from Mazur Group website:
http://mazur.harvard.edu/emdetails.php
Proulx, C. (2012, November 12). 5 Ways Technology Will Impact Higher Ed in 2013.
Retrieved October 12, 2014, from Forbes website: http://www.forbes.com/sites
/groupthink/2012/12/11/5-ways-technology-will-impact-higher-ed-in-2013/
Who we are. (2014). Retrieved October 3, 2014, from Blackboard website:
http://www.blackboard.com/about-us/who-we-are.aspx
2011 Leaders to Watch. (2011). Technology & Engineering Teacher, 70(6), 32-35.