There are no shortages of students looking for online college degrees; however, the tough sell is to get professors interested enough to actually offer their courses online. Despite some heavy coaxing in the form of lucrative grants to produce their course offerings in online format, many professors still are highly reluctant to create online courses, as they see the trend as leading to the "Walmartization" of education.
No Shortage of Students Interested in Online College Degrees, But Where are the Professors?
There are no shortages of students looking for online college degrees; however, the tough sell is to get professors interested enough to actually offer their courses online. Despite some heavy coaxing in the form of lucrative grants to produce their course offerings in online format, many professors still are highly reluctant to create online courses, as they see the trend as leading to the “Walmartization” of education.
Fifteen years ago, when the Web was younger and broadband access far more limited, it would have been extremely hard logistically to have anything like a real classroom experience online.
Now, with high-speed Internet access commonplace, with laptops and smart phones and iPads, with users more at ease with the kinds of video images we see on Skype, it’s not just early adopters who are comfortable with the idea.
Just as companies and organizations that formerly sent a lot of staff members to meetings have begun to see the cost- and time-saving abilities of video conferencing, so educators are right to explore all the online possibilities.
And yet educators are also right to be skeptical. There is simply no replacing or overestimating the importance of traditional social interaction on a college campus. By no means should cyber-ed ever fully replace college or graduate-school education.
Online College Degrees–Ideal for the Real World
In an ideal world, everyone would have equal access to face-to-face classes with their professors in real time. Unfortunately, the reality is that for many, sitting in a classroom on a schedule they have absolutely no control over makes attending traditional classes a near impossibility. While professors have a right to their concerns, they should also open themselves to the possibilities that offering programs online opens doors to many individuals who have been shut out of on-campus programs because of the sheer logistics involved with enrolling in classes: Working adults; parents of young children; and seniors.
As for concerns about an increase in cheating in online, students have cheated for centuries, and seldom got away with it. The very technology that makes cheating possible also makes catching cheaters easier than ever before.
Online delivery also has the potential to make classes more affordable for all. Professors need to come into the 21st century and embrace the possibilities of online college degrees instead of focusing solely on the negative aspects.