Online has made a significant difference in the worlds of business and industry, and in higher education. It is of steadily growing importance in precollege education.

 As distance education via the Web became more readily available, lots of students had the opportunity to try out this learning environment. Results were mixed. Many students did all right, but many others didn’t. In 2001, a Website was developed to accompany the 5^th edition of Thomas L. Russell’s book “The No Significant Difference Phenomenon.“ (See http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/.)  The book and accompanying Website provided evidence and arguments that people learn about equally well in traditional courses and distance learning courses.

However, both then and now there remains a problem that more students drop out of distance learning courses than from traditional courses. It is easy to see why. Students spend years getting acclimated to the classroom environment. Each time the get a new teacher, they use their previously developed skills to “scope out” the teacher and adjust to the teacher’s characteristics.  At the same time, the teacher is scoping out the students. Eventually, student and their teacher adjust to each other.

When students encounter their first distance-learning course, it is an entirely new experience. How do you “scope out” a computer-delivered course? This is different than scooping out a teacher. And, the computer deliver system does not adjust to students in the same way that a human teacher does.

In recent years, many school districts have decided that it is educationally appropriate to make distance learning courses available. Some states have mandated that they be available. The next step that is beginning to occur is that of actually requiring students to take such courses.

The logic supporting this seems to consist of two parts. First, students will be forced to learn to learn in this environment. Second, school districts are finding that it is less expensive to teach students in this mode as compared to traditional classroom teaching.

Examples

Online course requirement advances in Idaho

State school board members in Idaho voted to give preliminary approval to a plan requiring high-school students to take two credits online before graduation. Proponents of the plan say it will help prepare students for college and cut costs for schools, but critics are concerned about replacing teachers with computers. Previous measures to require eight and four online courses both were scrapped by the legislature. (Associated Press, 9/9/2011.)

Online Education Now Required In NY State Schools

 The world of the 21st century is one in which those who hope to succeed are going to need to know how to navigate the information superhighway.  In the state of New York, education officials have some ideas about how best to accomplish this.  High school will become a virtual learning experience for more New York teenagers under a sweeping new state policy that promotes online instruction.  The Board of Regents approved new rules easing the “seat-time” requirements that spell out how long a student must physically spend in a classroom to earn course credit.

Final Remarks

Over time, students will become acclimated to taking online courses, and the online courses will become “acclimated” to ordinary students. We will also see a lot of hybrid courses, in which a course is taught in a combination of face-to-face and online mode.

My guess is that over the long run, students who learn to learn on their own and via distance learning will gain an advantage over students who are more dependent on a "traditional" teacher and classroom environment.