Running head: TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

Technological Impact to Online Learning

Linda S. Davis
Liberty University Online

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

Abstract
The field of education constantly changes. Using new technologies, teachers and
students bring new information into the class through the Internet. Teachers design their lessons
around these current events allowing students to conduct research from the classroom. More
research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this approach to student learning outcomes.
Studies conducted in England and China investigated the effectiveness of online instruction
based on socioeconomic status and gender. Educators are not prepared to make this the one size
fits all approach but research reveals this approach provides students with another option to
meet the demands of learning and a different approach to the classroom learning environment.
Educators believe further research will reveal areas of weak instruction to help make
improvements in the delivery of online instruction and prepare students to meet the demands of a
technology-based workforce.

Keywords: Gender comparison, Distance education, Online education, Distance learning,

Online learning, Online student, Distance student, Online learning outcomes

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

Technological Impact to Online Learning

The Traditional Education
To understand the changes in education one must look first at the start of education as we
know it. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding" (Proverbs 4: 7, King James Version). Our nations educational system was
founded on biblical principles and moral values. Our forefathers believed that the Bible
provided students with the necessary tool to become productive members of their society. The
society of that time was simple and provided childrens education by a public teacher in a one
room schoolhouse where multiple grades were taught throughout class time. The courses
basically consisted of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Students lived by strict societal standards
and rules.
Technology Integration into Online Learning
In exploring technology integration we find that radios and television were incorporated
into education as a supplement to early correspondence courses. These courses started in Europe
during the mid-nineteenth century with the United States joining the correspondence movement
shortly after. Correspondence courses were designed and created to align with the growing job
market. This gave students another option in pursuing a higher education and helped the field of
education to increase its correspondence market. As correspondence courses increased it
evolved into the online environment known as distance education. This is one of the largest and
fastest growing areas in education today (Mahle, 2007). However, currently the term online
education is much preferred over distance education because distance is not relevant as much as
preference. These early correspondence courses allowed advocates of technology to address and
adjust to the technological needs of the changing global market of a more technological society.

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

The response to these courses brought a greater demand for other educational offerings leading
to the distance education movement.
As the distance education movement evolved learning management systems (LMS) or
course management systems (CMS) software programs were created to aid in the organization of
online educational courses and help instructors with course management. These systems help
track students progress and although they are the primary tool for online education they are used
quite frequently to assist face-to-face classes. These systems help the teachers manage the
course, assignments, tests, quizzes, and activities as well as create threads for discussion forums.
Students using these systems have access 24/7 anywhere they can access the Internet. Some
describe this type system as an Internet-based program used to follow student performance and
supervise enrollment of students as well as distribute and create course content. Some of the
widely known CMS software is Blackboard and WebCT (Simson, Smaldion, Albright, & Zvacek,
2012).
Online Learning Demands
Many higher education institutions have begun to investigate the type of student
preferring online courses and the various technologies available in producing these online
materials and courses. These institutions must consider the demands involved in meeting the
needs of the students as well as a more advanced society. Students must receive information on
the different traits, skills, and characteristics needed for online learning instead of considering
online learning as an easy way to take a class. Many misconceptions exist among students
believing that online learning offers an easier way of learning because of its work at your own
pace approach. Students with this perception often receive low grades resulting in dropping the
course (Taormino, 2010).

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

Another popular misconception exists in a degree earned through online education is not
viewed as well as one earned from a brick-and-mortar institution. Although research in online
education is fairly new, research is being conducted to investigate its effectiveness as well as
student achievements. Research in Chinas poorest elementary communities was conducted to
investigate the benefit of online education for its low socioeconomic populations as opposed to
those with higher socioeconomic status. Another study in England investigates the benefit of
online education as opposed to a pencil/paper approach.
The first study in Chinas elementary schools determines that boys and girls gain equally
from online learning. The study used a random field experiment utilizing the CAL computer
program. The study involved 9,356 students from three regions in China. The findings reveal
that among Chinas disadvantaged students gender made no difference in the students learning
outcomes (Yang, Zhang, Zeng, Pang, Lai, & Rozelle, 2012).
The second study in England involving online learning and a pencil/paper approach
determines through the survey and analysis approach that boys prefer digital reading materials
whereas girls prefer paper medium for reading. One reason this was true was the ability to take
notes. The study also revealed that boys spend more time on the Internet surfing than do girls.
The study discovered a noticeable difference in male and female selective reading and sustained
attention. In addition, the study helps educators to understand the difference between males and
females providing a better understanding of the changes in reading behaviors often seen in the
online environment therefore aiding in the development of more efficient digital readers (Liu &
Huang, 2007).
In comparing the two studies the author could not establish that one approach was better
than the other. The author did determine that more research is needed to determine student

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

preferences, such as differences in ages, elementary versus higher learning, and socioeconomic
status divides effect on achievement and online learning delivery methods.
Technology in the Classroom
As the classroom shifts from the traditional classroom to the online environment
educators must ensure that students receive the proper instruction to obtain a good learning
experience. Students must consider social issues involved with the online environment and take
into consideration their own learning preferences as well as the future implications of
technology-based education. Students should carefully choose online learning after investigating
the characteristics and traits needed to become a successful online learner. Younger students may
experience technologies in the classroom that are not afforded them outside the classroom. To
successfully integrate technology into the classroom educators must prepare for students who
have no technical experience. This necessitates time for students to become comfortable with
technology and develop skills in its use before requiring online task completion. Students not
properly trained in technology may develop resentment leading to rejection of instead of
embracement of technological learning experiences. Younger students allowed to grow with
technology have a greater embracement of the virtual learning experience. As students become
comfortable with technology they gain the confidence and ability to demonstrate their skills in
the classroom through different approaches. Online learning allows the student to benefit from a
lack of constraint in the teaching environment. Students further benefit from the ability to use
technology anytime, anywhere.
To meet the growing demands of a future technological workforce the online learner must
develop expert technical skills. New technological standards along with a greater emphasis on
integration of technology, engineering, and science in the classroom led advocates of online

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

learning to believe students will become better prepared for their futures after high school. This
will require more research to prove that the new standards effectiveness with successful
integration into the school districts throughout the United States (ISTE, 2000).
Online Education Today
The current debate in the field of education involves various views on the best practices
and approaches in classroom instruction. Advocates of online learning believe that online
education provides better opportunities while others believe online learning is not the best
method of delivery for achieving appropriate instruction but technology should be used in
addition to traditional methods. Some do not believe that online education has lived up to the
promise to reform the classroom and make online education more lucrative (Reisman, 2004).
Many believe traditional classroom teaching demands more than online teaching.
Educators believe they do more preparation for in classroom courses. Others believe they do
more preparation for the online programs with little training. As society becomes more inclined
toward technology the greater the demands become for technological courses. Concern for
proper ethical behavior in these online environments causes concern by facilitators in the online
community. To promote good ethical behavior institutions need to provide ethical training for its
online facilitators (Simonson, 2012).
Research shows that online courses require as much forethought during development of
the course as does the traditional classroom course. This research further reveals that teacher
assistants and faculty take twice as long to develop their online courses as they do for their
classroom courses. This proves the value of an online course equals that of a traditional
classroom course (Bender, Wood, & Vredevoogd, 2004).

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

Security becomes an issue in any online environment. Universities and schools must find
ways to incorporate safety into online courses to help students learn safe practices. K-12 schools
need to incorporate blended learning into the classroom to better prepare students for future
online learning after high school or as job preparation for professional development.
The Future Face of Online Education
The rapid increase of virtual classes and online learning will require more use of
technologies by students and teachers in the future. These diverse educational opportunities will
increase online learning among students of all ages opening doors for online students who do not
believe the traditional classroom provides the best approach for their personal learning. This
allows online learning to revolutionize the way students learn and the methods of material
delivery (Al-Bataineh, Brooks, & Bassoppo-Moyo, 2005).
Today opportunities to earn a higher education degree through online learning have
become reality. Teacher implications involve the fact a teacher can easily adjust coursework to
new learning environments by mindfully applying collaborative learning, active learning,
communication, and reflective practices. Students must shift their thinking to maximize
knowledge attainment. Institutions are encouraged to broaden their visions to discover new
techniques to utilize online education. Research shows that students benefit greatly from the
technological experiences of their online coursework (Al-Bataineh, Brooks, & Bassoppo-Moyo,
2005).
With the advent of more Internet applications medical schools have integrated automated
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology. Consequently, a good many PBL methods
inaccurately demonstrate situations in an actual medical circumstance, therefore interpreting the
worth of these as learning tools as insufficient. Research analyzed automated PBL teaching

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

cases by taking into consideration how to best present a clinical teaching case to students. This
research desired to develop a Web-based PBL method to simulate a real clinical situation where
the student could determine the actual patient condition for a particular time by instituting a
theory of time sequence in the case-based lesson. The researchers created a prototype for
testing purposes at Taiwan Medical Center which provided feedback confirming the
effectiveness of the system. Research reveals a system allowing medical students to exhibit their
medical proficiency in authentic clinical situations identifying areas of weakness throughout the
duration of medical diagnosis. These types of simulation methodology provide good practice for
Web-based PBL courses. Medical schools throughout the United States use simulation
technology more and more making it a large component in the field of medical education.
Medical schools like other areas of education are moving more and more of its course work to
the online environment (Chen, Cheng, Weng, Chen, & Lin, 2009).
Online learning allows more options for students to interpret and view information. As
technology advances throughout the world, the need for society to adjust to more technological
approaches and provide technological upgrades to stay current becomes a necessity. This
requires continuing software upgrades to meet the demands of online courses and student needs.
More and more classrooms will provide Wi-Fi connectivity to use with tablets, iPads, iPods, and
Smartphones. With technological advances in the classroom tomorrows students will have the
opportunity to do more with less. Pencil and paper approaches will become obsolete changing
the traditional classroom to meet the demands of the student. Advocates believe that online
learning will continually improve the field of education as well as those who choose to opt for
the online learning approach.

TECNOLOGICAL IMPACT TO ONLINE LEARNING

10

Conclusion
With the advancement of technological educational standards as well as the move of
traditional classrooms to blended learning approaches, online learning will continue to pave the
way for the future of learning. More research is needed on the online learning approach to
establish ways of meeting diverse student needs. Research in England and China revealed how
information remains unconvincing. Although the data provides some information into the impact
of online learning and programs, the findings did not demonstrate that students desired one
technique of instruction over another. The field of education cannot get a full vision of the
effectiveness of online education without further research. Further research to compare and
study findings is needed to make certain that online education is worth pursuing in our
classrooms and in the global education market. Educators continue to pursue the best
approaches to improve student learning outcomes in their classrooms as well as their online
courses.

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11

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