Online learning can be a blessing and a curse. Despite its convenience, students are missing out on learning experiences that can’t be replicated outside of the classroom.
After students around the world were forced to transition to online learning in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person learning has never been the same.
Post-pandemic, in the fall of 2021, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, “61 percent of all undergraduate students were enrolled in at least one distance education course.”
Flexibility and convenience are undeniable perks of distance education. Whether a course is completely self-paced or offers instruction via video, its appeal is understandable.
Though this style of education is appealing, online students aren’t getting the same experiences as students attending in-person classes.
One of the problems with online education is that it takes students away from hands-on learning. Activities like class discussions and peer reviews aren’t just to pass the time; they are key elements of learning that are hard to replicate solely through digital platforms.
In many online classes, professors will create discussion boards or collaborative assignments to encourage students to interact with their virtual peers. Building communication skills like listening, responding and disagreeing are important for any student’s future career endeavors. Those skills aren’t being built through commenting on a classmate’s post once a week.
Not to mention, being graded on your response to a classmate’s discussion post is an obligatory task that does not allow for natural banter within conversation. The voice students are given in a classroom to express contradictory ideas, and interpretations of the material lose authenticity when formulating written responses.
For example, public speaking classes are offered online. The entire point of a public speaking class is to learn how to speak in front of others. Instead of speaking to the class, students are being asked to record themselves speaking to family and friends at home. Giving a speech to your mom and a speech to a classroom of 40 strangers are two very different things.
Access to professors is different as well. Writing an email, then having to wait for a response, is far less productive than students raising their hands in class and immediately having their questions answered.
A college workload can be daunting; without pressing due dates and demanding professors, the only thing holding you accountable is yourself. Which, for many, can be a challenge. Researchers at the Institute of Higher Education, University of Florida, found that students enrolled in completely online programs are less likely to complete their degrees than those who attend in-person courses.
With the rapid growth of AI, how can professors be sure their online students are actually doing their work? Not having in-person or proctored exams gives students plenty of room to cheat and never actually learn the material.
Professors determine students’ readiness to pass a course. Online students aren’t being held to the same standard, yet they walk away with the same degree.
One could argue that online school is better, according to the Education Data Initiative, a year of online classes “costs $6,765 less than a year of classes on campus.”
However, college is an investment in yourself and your future. Once you earn your degree, there is an expectation of knowledge you should have gained in your area of study. That knowledge is costly and should be acquired without shortcuts.
The flexibility of distant learning isn’t worth missing out on the benefit of the classroom experience.
Every school should require students to complete at least one in-person course in order to obtain a degree.