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Christa Lane
UIS 350 E-Portfolio Item 4

E-Portfolio Item 4
Christa Lane
UIS 350

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Christa Lane
UIS 350 E-Portfolio Item 4
Since distance learning has become such an integral part of education in this day and age,
finding some very interesting articles relating to the subject was fairly easy. In the three articles
chosen for this assignment, it will be discussed how online learning may impact dropout rates,
what is being done right with this tool, and what needs to be examined to promote efficient and
thorough learning. With this research, the need for distance learning should be clearly addressed.
According to Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., students drop out each year so much so that it has
been labeled a crisis. Out of the thousands of students who drop out, only some of them return to
get their General Education Development certificate. It is estimated that only just about 70 to 75
percent of students actually graduate from high school, while 1 in 4 students drop out (Ferdig p.
5). There was an estimated 1.2 million students taking kindergarten through 12th grade classes
online last year which is proof of how much this technique has grown since it was introduced in
the mid-1990s (Ferdig p. 9). In fact, According to a recent report, 45 states now have a state-led
virtual school or online initiative, a full-time online school, or both (Ferdig p. 9).
It is theorized that distance learning can contribute to the reduction of drop outs because
of a few different reasons. The first being, online coursework may be the best and only option for
the students who face things such as long-term illnesses within their selves or families, teen
pregnancy, and the need to earn an income. Personalized instruction is another pro for online
learning. With an individualized curriculum, teachers would be able to address each students
needs while the student would get the full attention of the teacher. Finally, Online learning is
now being seen as a legitimate way to extend learning in the schools (Ferdig p. 9). This method
allows students to take what they have learned in the classroom, and study the areas they struggle
with at home. I would venture to say that if many of the students who have dropped out of high

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Christa Lane
UIS 350 E-Portfolio Item 4
school would have had the opportunity to get a more individualized lesson, that would be worked
around their schedule and circumstances, the rate of drop outs would dramatically decrease.
In these next two articles, the concept of online learning is examined by how the method
works, the different ways in which it works, and what needs to be done differently in the research
of the subject. What Works in K12 Online Learning discusses how online learning may help
some students with disabilities in the classroom. Students with disorders such as cerebral palsy
will usually have difficulties engaging in group discussions, but with the technology of distance
learning they may be able to join in through online chats (Patrick p. 3). Likewise, this method
may help other students who feel bullied by other students because they would be able to
complete their schooling at home, without the fear of being tormented by their peers.
In Michael K. Barbours Researching K-12 Online Learning: What Do We Know and
What Should We Examine?, the quality of research on this subject is questioned. According to
Barbour, While the use of web-based or online learning at the K-12 level has been practiced in
the United States since the early 1990s, the literature and particularly the published research
has not kept pace (p. 1). Unfortunately the research available for online learning is based on the
classroom versus online and articles describing the characteristics of the teaching/learning
experience (Barbour p. 2). Barbour believes that future research should be focused on how to
use virtual learning to improve teaching and learning on the k-12 levels.
Based on these three articles it is my belief that online learning is essential to educators.
As a future teacher, I understand the impact of students having access to school when they have a
lot going on in their lives, or they have impairments that make it hard to learn in the classroom. I

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Christa Lane
UIS 350 E-Portfolio Item 4
know that the more we use this technology, the better the research material will become. This
will only make me a better teacher.

References
Barbour, M. (2010). Researchin g K - 12 Online Learning: What Do We Know And What Should
We Examine? Retrieved December 12, 2015, from
http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=ced_fac
Ferdig, R.E. (2010). Understanding the role and applicability of K-12 online learning to support
student dropout recovery efforts. Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Virtual University.
Patrick, S. (2007). What Works in K-12 Online Learning (C. Cavanaugh & R. Blomeyer, Eds.).
Retrieved December 12, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/k12oll-excerpt.pdf