One persistent issue concerning online education is the perception that it is somehow a lesser educational experience than in-class learning. But methods and software have changed during the years, and educators and advocates are now laying claim to equality on the quality question.
"The same professors who teach in class teach the same course, in the same semester, online," said Karen McDaniel of ASU’s online MBA. "It’s our actual Ph.D., graduate-qualified professors." McDaniel leads the online MBA program.
The UA’s Dan Ferritor said one of the most interesting effects he’s noticed from online education is how courses are developed by the instructors. "Instead of just going in and staying a day ahead of the students, you develop the class before it’s ever even offered," he said.
Furthermore, the university has a vested interest in the equality of instruction between online and classroom students. "In part because I think the technology is still terribly new, we really need to make sure the students are getting their money’s worth," he said.
State Rep. Ann Clemmer, R-Benton, has been a full-time university instructor for 28 years, the last two decades at UALR, and has watched the development of online learning. As with any education model where classroom attendance is not the only option, there are pros and cons to online learning. For starters, it requires a particular level of discipline from the students.
"Because the act of going to class tends to keep you more on task, kind of like the teachers who take attendance versus the ones who don’t," she said.
Clemmer teaches political science courses, including an online class. She said that there’s really no difference academically between the online and in-class offerings. However, she thinks online classes are a bad idea for 18-year-old freshmen, for anyone who is not prepared for college. But there are plenty who would benefit from it. "Obviously, it’s great for the young mother, or an older mother with kids at home, people with jobs, people with a long commute to the campus," she said.
(Traditional Colleges Embrace Online Classrooms)
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