January 16, 2007
Legislation Offered To Study Distance Education
Ever the critic of distance education, Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers, Republican of Michigan, has introduced legislation that would require scientific scrutiny of online learning. The Independent Study of Distance Education Act of 2007, H.R. 412, would direct the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study comparing distance-education programs to classroom instruction. The same measure was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 but was killed during House-Senate negotiations. In an interview with The Chronicle last year, the congressman talked about diploma mills and his concern that some distance education institutions could confer meaningless degrees.
"As a scientist, I strive to base my policy decisions and voting on reliable studies and data," Representative Ehlers said in a written statement released on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, when it comes to the Higher Education Act and distance education, there is no scientifically correct, statistically valid study of the quality of online distance-education programs as compared to campus-based programs." -- Andrea L. Foster
Posted on Tuesday January 16, 2007 | Permalink |
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The accreditation boards do a good job of scrutinizing online education. Students will leave if they don’t feel their money is being spent in the right direction.
I have taught online for major institutions for almost 10 years and, if done right, the students graduating are superior to those without computer and communication skills found in online learning at reputable institutions.
— Dr. Sandra Merriam Jan 16, 07:37 PM #
There is no statistically valid study of the quality of online programs versus campus-based programs because those are not the important variables. Variables such as rigor of the material; instructor involvement; type and scope of learning activities and assessments; frequency and quality of interaction between students and faculty and among students…and so on are far more important than the mode of instruction.
— Anon Jan 16, 11:15 PM #
I wonder if Rep Ehlers has seen: Bernard, R., Abrami, P., Lou, Y., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., Wozney, L., Wallet, P., Fiset, M., & Huang, B. (2004). How does distance learning compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379-434. It seemed pretty rigorous.
— MDR Jan 17, 06:10 AM #
While online courses might be very suitable for many disciplines, I do not believe that most science laboratory courses, if taught online, would be done justice.
— science prof Jan 17, 10:29 AM #
We advise those who inquire that online education is a risky academic environment, even if the institution is regionally accredited. Is there “scientific scrutiny” applied to compare on-ground or non-traditional (usually accelerated schedules) educational experiences among traditional institutions?
— RHE Jan 17, 02:43 PM #
I must disagree with Dr. Merriam with respect to students leaving “if they don’t feel their money is being spent in the right direction.” I’ve been in higher ed for many years & my experience is that many 18 – 21 year-olds aren’t focused on the rigor or quality of the course, but rather the ease of it. For many, college is expected of them, and so they are there because they feel, well, obligated – almost like high school. Thus, if a course is poorly done and easy, I doubt there would be a mass exodus to signify a problem. In fact, I would expect the opposite. I have taught many online courses, not because I think they are the best method of delivery, but because that is the way the administration decided the course would be offered. During the courses, I do get complaints from students that a given course is too hard and have had students drop courses for that reason. I’ve never had or heard of a student dropping a course because it was too easy…
— Anon Jan 19, 01:42 PM #