Katie Bushey

Mr. Borowiak
ENG 111
December 11, 2014
Online Education: Leading the Way to the Future
The 21st century continues to bring with it some of the greatest advances in technology,
research, and education. From digital textbooks to paperless classics, the use of technology in
schools and colleges has become inevitable. In recent years, colleges have incorporated a new
way of learning. This innovation is an online education. Online courses can include anything
from Chemistry to Calculus. Not only does this advance in education create more options for the
working adult, it allows students to participate in a learning environment that produces vital
skills for a future full of technology. However, the scrutiny behind distance education has
continued to cause students to shy away from the opportunity. Some believe that online learning
is harmful to both the students ability to process material for learning and face-to-face teacher
interaction that many students need. I personally had always agreed with the traditional way of
teaching students in a classroom face-to-face, because I saw online education as a more difficult
and isolated approach to learning and many students I know have had the same views. After I
began my own online English 111 class, my views drastically changed. Online learning offers
students an opportunity to complete classes according to their own schedule, yet showers them
with responsibility. It also prepares them for a future in which our society is dependent on
technology, and to become more involved in their studies, therefore, this academic tool should be
utilized.

Once I began completing assignments for Mid-Michigan Community College (MMCC), I

realized how easy and flexible online learning can be. As a high school senior, I can provide
some input on this topic. Throughout my years of schooling, I have been involved in many
extracurricular activities, all of which have kept me on my toes and busy all day long. Even after
a long day of practice or FFA events, I could sit down at my home computer and make up for
any missed hours in my class, unlike the traditional, scheduled time-period class. You can
complete assignments and tune into the classroom discussion whenever you need to. The class
was completely self-structured and it easily fit into my hectic schedule. Online learning has
allowed me to complete assignments on my own time and at my own pace. High school and
college students are not the only people who can utilize this tool.
Many adults seek an online education too. Reasons for this include the need for higher
wages, an advanced position, or even a job change. Although adults typically spend their days
making money to pay bills or taking care of children, they can opt to take online classes in their
free time. Without the option of an online education, many people would not have the
opportunity to reach these goals. A study done by Carol S. Botsch, assistant professor of
political science at the University of South Carolina, and Robert E. Botsch, professor of political
science at the University of South Carolina, shows that online classes draw a wider variety of
majors than traditional classes (137). These majors include education, business, and social
sciences. This information provides the foundation for the fact that online courses are starting to
attract more people in varying majors. Also, this shows that more adult learners have the
opportunity to fulfill their dreams of earning a degree. With many jobs modernizing and now
requiring degrees, online classes are a great option. Along with the fact that they work around
your personal schedule, online classes shower the student with responsibility.

In an online course setting, the freedom to complete assignments according to your own
schedule erases all loopholes for neglect of responsibility. W. J. Reeves, an English Professor at
Brooklyn College, City University of New York, examined this issue through a study done by
Jennifer Jacobson, who details a professors experience with attendance. Throughout the study,
the professor reported on the many excuses his students used in response to an absence in class.
One solution, as viewed by the professors, was to use click-and-brick courses (classes which
combine online and in-class instruction). If students were enrolled in an online class, or at least a
segment of their class was online, there would be no room for excuses regarding attendance, or
lack thereof. This forces students to complete their assignments in a timely manner. Reeves
states, After four years, the bad habits of not being on time and attending sporadically have
become second nature. Such habits are unlikely to make for a very productive worker. (342).If
students allow themselves to fall prey to the negligence of attending class, they cannot acquire
the proper skills needed for a job in the future. Online courses are a true test of a students
responsibility and time management, due to the constant need to stay involved in a course even
though they are not in an assigned class period. However, an online education may not be an
integral part of every students education.
Although online education can yield many benefits, it may require some improvement,
and may not be the answer to all educational issues. Modes of communication in online classes
are frequently frowned upon. According to Faux and Black-Hughes, many students want more
instructor feedback and auditory stimulation than what online classes offer (98). They performed
a study in 2000 that showed that students perform better from pretest to post-test in traditional,
face-to-face classes. Faux and Black-Hughes also found that 41.7% of students didnt feel
comfortable in learning through an online course (98). Not all students have the motive to engage

themselves properly in a course online and therefore lean towards the more direct instruction in a
face-to-face classroom. Also, in more hands-on classes such as art, woodshop, or gym, online
classes could be the enemy. In subjects such as these, physical instruction is necessary. The same
idea can be instituted when considering technical courses such as cosmetology, auto technology,
or the culinary arts. No student can acquire the proper hands-on skills in these careers without
physical reference. Many technical centers that offer these courses have a purpose to train a
student and send them out into the workforce directly after completion of the class. If these
classes were to be instructed through a medium other than one of immediate interaction, students
would not learn in the proper manner. With that being said, online classes are best used in
moderation and may not be useful to everyone.
Caroline Haythornthwaite, professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information
Science at University of Illinois, feels differently about communication in online classes. She
believes that online classes have been underrated at the college level. Since online classes are
very interactive, she can have a discussion with a student many times per day, as opposed to one
or two times a week in a traditional class. Haythornthwaite also stated that online learning is
more structured around the student rather than based on a lecture like a traditional classroom.
Online classes are a perfect example of this and provide many opportunities for discussion and
interaction in comparison with traditional classes.
Many people believe that traditional classes provide a better understanding for the
material than online classes. However, mode of instruction makes little difference in students'
gain of knowledge in a study done by Botsch and Botsch. Web classes also did not produce
higher grades or higher dropout rates than traditional classes (Botsch & Botsch). In contrast, The
Sloan Consortium, one of the first professional organizations in online education, would question

this statement by arguing that 77% of academic learners rate the learning outcomes in online
education the same or better than traditional classes. They also said that 61.9% of academic
learners believe that online learning is critical to their long-term strategy. Online classes are an
effective way to learn and a positive addition to high schools and colleges. They also provide a
foundation for necessary skills that 21st century students should acquire.
The world is evolving and more technology is present every year. Many jobs that will be
available in the future have not even been invented yet. Online learning will prepare the younger
generations to work in a world where technology is taking over. Shaw, who authored,
Information Inundation Imperils Our Children, once said, We live in increasingly complex
times, and unless we teach our children how to read about, watch, interpret, understand, and
analyze the days events, we risk raising a generation of civic illiterates, political ignoramuses,
and uncritical consumer (Young and Bush). The national Council of Teachers of English
would agree with this statement. They promote the development of literacy, and state in a study
of students literacy skills, Students in the 21st century need interpersonal skills in order to work
collaboratively in both face-to-face and virtual environments to use and develop problem-solving
skills. When learning experiences are grounded in well-informed teaching practices, the use of
technology allows a wider range of voices to be heard, exposing students to opinions and norms
outside of their own. (157). Educating our generation by taking classes online will best prepare
them for a future filled with technology.
Online education is a controversial topic that has been pushing into the world within the
last decade. While some find it tedious and not education, others find online learning beneficial
and convenient. It allows students to complete coursework on their own time, provides them with
necessary responsibility, and long lasting benefits and skills for the future. Online education

could be a futuristic innovation or a disconnected learning disaster. Soon enough, this problem
will have to be solved altogether as the age of technology continues.

Works Cited
Allen, Elaine, and Seaman, Jeff.Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in
the United States.The Sloan Consortium.Pearson and The Sloan Consortium. N.d.
Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Botsch, Carol, and Botsch, Robert. Audiences and Outcomes in Online and Traditional
American Government Classes: A Compartive Two-Year Case Study. PS: Political
Science and Politics. 34.1 (Mar. 2001):135-141. JSTOR.Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
College Isnt for Everyone, by W.J. Reeves, reprinted by permission from USA Today
Magazine, May 2003. 5 Dec. 2014.
Haythornthwaite, Caroline, Beteramn C., Richard Andrews, Michelle Kazmer, Rae-Anne
Montague, and Christina Preston.Theories and models of online learning.First
Monday 12.8 (2007):n.pag. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
Shaw, and Xiaoming Ling. Teaching Courses Online: A Review of the Research. Review of
Educational Research 76.1 (2006):p 98-99. JSTOR. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.
Young, Carl, and Bush, Jonathan. Teaching the English Language Arts With Technology: A
Critical Approach and Pedagogical Framework. CITE Journal 4.1 (2004):pag. Web. 5
Dec.2014.