Online Learning: The Answer For What Ails Higher Ed | From the Bell Tower
Like it or not, we academic librarians need to rethink the negative perceptions we have of online learners Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian, Temple University, Philadelphia, PANov 11, 2010
To read some of the latest news coming out of higher education, one might come to the conclusion that students are bored, uninspired, and that the 20th century model is in need of a major overhaul. Critics of what's happening in the classroom need do little more than point to the abysmal retention and graduation rates at the majority of our colleges and universities. At least that was the message heard at a recent TIAA-CREF Institute's 2010 Higher Education Leadership Conference. I was surprised to hear it coming from Mary Spilde, president of Lane Community College, who flat out said "Today's students are pretty bored with what we do."
While most brick-and-mortar schools are in no immediate danger of seeing their traditional supply of students dry up, the growing availability of online learning—especially at bargain basement pricing or via DIY opportunities—may radically change the higher education system.
The tide may be turning
Distance education is nothing new. The Chautauqua movement, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, provided adult learning sessions in tents by educators who traveled around the country. For great segments of the population without access to the existing network of higher education, much of it elite and off limits, this early form of distance education was the only means to advanced learning. In modern times, distance learning has taken a backseat role as the much ignored, low quality sibling to traditional face-to-face learning. That may all be changing with far more colleges and universities taking online learning seriously.
Indicators of this shift can be found in a recent edition of the Chronicle Review, which was dedicated to online learning. While there are still a few naysayers, the number of institutions taking online learning seriously is no longer in question. The real question may transition to "why isn't our institution offering online education?"
Why the future is bright for online learning
Put simply, online learning is working. While there are still some uncertainties about its quality, research seeking answers to the "how does it compare" question all seem to point to the same answer-students in online programs perform about as well as students in F2F programs. Each new study removes student, educator, and employer doubt about the effectiveness of online learning.
The point that higher education needs to move beyond the debate about what's better—F2F or online—is well made in an essay by Mark Milliron. Focusing on postsecondary education for the Gates Foundation, he reminds us that American higher education is rapidly falling behind our global competitors while we fail miserably at educating those most at risk, the low-income, minority, part-time and adult learners.
The articles in the special issue provide insight into how online learning is rapidly evolving into an affordable, effective, and accessible form of higher education that can help raise the education standards of our nation. Online learning is not for everyone, but it's a sensible solution for those who could not otherwise access or afford F2F higher education.
Online out of necessity
For some institutions, online learning is a necessity, not an alternative. The University of Florida (UF) is a good example. Enrollment in large lecture classes can easily exceed 1000 students, and there's no way to fit them all into a single lecture hall. They now assign a segment of the students to online sections. The students are literally sitting in their dorm rooms learning in an online world. Some like it, but some feel they are being cheated out of the traditional college experience. The bottom line may be that like it or not, the next generation of students will experience some degree of online learning, whether as a full-time online learner, one who takes hybrid courses, or one who picks and chooses online and F2F courses from multiple institutions to weave together the curriculum and mode of learning that best suits individual needs.
We already see a new strategy emerging that builds on the older "start with two years at a community college" model, in which students seeking convenience and low cost take all introductory courses via inexpensive online providers which then prepares them to take the F2F courses that are more important to their career plans.
What about missing the true college experience? If institutions like UF are going to push students into online courses anyway, why bother paying for all the amenities when you get the same thing online at far lower costs?
Online has revolutionized LIS education
Suggesting that LIS education is suffering from some of the same ills as higher ed in general is perhaps no great revelation. We routinely encounter students who express dissatisfaction with the curriculum and the teaching, and a general sense of disappointment. Here's an example I came across recently:
I'm not having the greatest time at [LIS program] and the things I'm interested in (emerging tech, research, the digital divide), they aren't very keen on. If I survive my studies here, what can I do after I graduate to immerse myself in these topics and become the awesome librarian and information professional I want to be?
I can't say that this student is typical. I've also known students who say they've gotten a great deal out of their LIS education. Where I've encountered some of the most enthusiastic students are in the online courses I've taught in the past. Many of them are already working in a library in a para-professional position. These students see the American Library Association-accredited MLS degree as a professional certification, so they seek to move quickly through the online program capturing the credits they need to obtain the golden key that lets them open the door to a better paying job among the ranks of librarians. For our next generation of librarians, online learning has created great opportunity as most of these librarians-in-waiting would otherwise have no access to an on-site program nor would it fit their hectic life schedules.
Your future employee or colleague is an online learner
I have no official figures, but what I've heard is that as many as 75 percent of current LIS students are earning their MLS entirely online-and many on-site students take one or more online courses as they move through the program. We professionals used to worry about this, because the perception of online LIS education was one of low quality and poor preparation for the workplace. What we are now learning about online versus F2F is that the quality of programs is not as different as we may have imagined—and if you need to convince yourself get a hold of the Chronicle's special report on online learning. Those of who employ librarians better get over any aversion to graduates with online degrees. The way things are looking, there may be no choice.
Steven Bell is Associate University Librarian, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. For more from Steven visit his blogs, Kept-Up Academic Librarian, ACRLog and Designing Better Libraries or visit his website.
