4 Things Most Schools Don't Tell You About Online Education

Many aspects of distance-learning get overlooked until too late, equalling more drop-outs. Here's what the serious student needs to know.
by Paul Richlovsky

Online education and distance-learning are not all puppy dogs and ice cream. True, being able to get a quality education on your own time while holding down a regular job can be liberating and empowering. However, don't think you're trading commuting and the classroom for cocktails and the Barcalounger. While the "go-to-school-in-your-pajamas" aspect is seductive, there are certain things you need to know if you're serious about taking legitimate online courses.

Web-based interaction

In some cases, distance-learning demands more interaction, because you are required to make daily contributions to cyber-class discussions on blogs, wikis, or forums. In the absence of (or supplement to) classroom time, professors may expect you to take the networked interaction everywhere you go. As Ian Reilly, former teaching assistant (full disclosure: also a friend) at the University of Guelph in Ontario, told his students upfront about the online components of his courses,  "Be ready to work harder than you ever have in your life. If you're not exhausted from the amount of work I'm challenging you to do, then you're not going to pass."

correct computer posture
Big downsides

Other potential difficulties exist. Terri Pepper Gavulic, former distance-learning MBA student at the University of Florida, outlined several in The Economist's just-published “Distance-learning special 2010″ (PDF):

  • "Working in a virtual team made it harder to hold teammates accountable and resolve conflicts."
  • "The curriculum was modified after we’d started and we didn’t have a few promised classes ..."
  • "Balancing family and work can be daunting."
  • "Our schedule was rigorous. We went for 27 months straight with no breaks at all—not even one day off."

She also writes at length about the benefits, so be sure to read her entire "Distance-learning diary" on pages seven and eight.

The power of posture 

Gavulic's comment about the rigorous schedule evokes another reality to be mindful of: spending hour after hour, day after day on the computer. If you're not sitting correctly--and taking breaks to promote circulation--you could find yourself in a world of hurt. Read more about proper computer posture and general computer fitness.

Quality of learning

Despite what naysayers claim about the quality of learning in online classes, a quantitative meta-analysis (PDF) commissioned last summer by the Department of Education showed the average percentile ranking in tested performance for students doing some/all of a course online ranked higher than the average classroom student's (59th vs. 50th percentile) for the same course. These 99 particular studies were taken from a 12-year period. The most successful results appeared to come from the effect of online learning blended with classroom learning where other "instructional elements" and supplemental learning time was experienced by students who didn't get the same learning time in the control conditions. Even if the online component by itself doesn't solely account for the improvement in tested performance (as the study's abstract maintains), the fact that it was integral to the blended learning does help to answer some reservations about online instruction's perceived inferior quality. 

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If you're still eager for online education and want some more tips for making the most of it, check out our "Essential Back-to-School Survival Guide: Online Student Edition."

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Photo courtesy of Kare_Products via Flickr.