Length of the Course is critical
I'm having great trouble understanding why the length of the course is not considered critical. I am referring to the 4th question of the first quiz.
"Which of these is not critical to successful online learning?
Answer:
A Instructor support
B E-learning being the student's preferred mode of learning
C Readily available technical support
D Duration of the course
I chose B. I can't see how that is a factor unless the student actually hates the Internet. Even then, I don't see why a student can't learn in an environment that he does not like. As proof, I offer any high school in America. Most students would prefer not to be there, and yet they learn.
The correct answer is D which means that the duration of the course is not critical to successful online learning. If the duration of the course is not critical, why not just cut each course in half? On the other hand, why not double the length of the course?
I'll tell you why you wouldn't do that. If you cut the course length, you cannot cover the subject in depth, and if you double the length, your enrollment will drop substantially.
Our school faces the second problem. Our field offers very high salaries, but it takes a loooong time to graduate a student. We lose students and prospective students because the length of the course is daunting.
The students who withdraw are sometimes our best students. They just don't want to face years of schooling. They have the physical and mental tools that are needed. They just don't have the stamina to devote the amount of time necessary when they can go down the road and enroll in a much shorter course.
Personally, I can teach anybody who wants to learn, even if E-learning isn't their preferred mode of learning. But I can't teach anybody who loses interest or drive.
The duration of the course will always be our most critical factor. Our school meetings revolve around how to graduate students faster.
Show me how to cut 20 percent off of our courses, and I will graduate 4 times as many students. Cut it by half, and I will graduate perhaps 15 or 20 times our present graduation rate.
Stephen:
I will reconsider the options of this Question. It is quite true that students pursue online programs, with courses of a shorter duration than traditional classroom courses, even though the fees might be higher. Some institutions use the shorter duration as their high selling point.
The issue of graduating students earlier is an interesting one; and I certainly have my own opinions about that; and while they might be a possible solution, they are extremely controversial. Since I do not know the educational curriculum indepth, let's say for high school, I cannot offer any suggestions. I often reflect on the many useless things I learned in school; but I came from a British colony, and wrote British exams which werre marked in London England. Examples of useless information are calculating the coefficient of linear expansion of metals in Physics,balancing chemical equations, the life-cycle of a horse-chestnut tree, growth of major cities in North America, and th elist goes on and on. Nevertheless, my personal siutuation may not apply to the typical North Amwerican student population.
Satrohan
One cannot consider individual "course" length without knowing other factors. Does the student take only one course at a time? Does the student take a "full load" or are they "part time"? Is it a freshman course or second year master’s level course? I think a full time student, under any modality, should be willing, and required, to spend AT LEAST 30-40 hours per week on course work, discussion, studying, papers, exams, etc. This is what the typical student invests in taking 3 or 4 "ground" courses in traditional modality. This would mean AT LEAST 10 hours per week, per standard quarter/semester course. If this student is taking said "course" in less than four weeks, or 12 courses per year, this should be a full load. If they are taking 4 courses at a time, the individual course should last at least 12 to 15 weeks. If a student is able to complete a 4 or 5 credit hour online course in 15 to 20 total hours, the course would be highly suspect of seriously lacking rigor. The school may be guilty of over awarding credit, a serious accreditation and Title IV issue. Online MUST not be a short cut to a degree! While I fully agree that an associate’s degree need not take 2 full years, I seriously doubt the possibility of doing so in 9 months online.
Jim:
Thank you for shring the metrics with us, as well as your viewpoints on course length. When all is siad and done, your main point is the bottom line----Online must not be a short cut to a degree.
Satrohan
I will have to agree with you. I did the same thing on the quiz and was surprised at the correct answer. I believe that the key word is "critical". The duration may not be "critical", but in my opinion, it is a factor. The preferred mode of learning of the student, I don't think, is a factor at all. If that is a fact, and I would love to see some data to confirm that, then most students who prefer traditional courses should struggle in any online course and I don't believe that is the case. Just my thoughts.
I will have to agree with my colleagues about this quiz question. I too got it wrong, choosing B, that E-learning being the student's preferred mode of learning was not critical. I say this because a lot of my online students have expressed concerns about the online environment. Many are only taking classes online because they do not have a school close to where they live. Others simply can't get the time off of work to take traditional courses. They didn't want to take classes online, but they had too. However, they still succeeded. They might have preferred the traditional classroom, but they adapted and discovered how to be successful e-learners too.
I am looking at the question a little differently than you are Kelly. Students that enroll in online learning may have a variety of reasons for enrolling in an online class, but because they are selecting the online class, it is their preferred method.
However, your point is well taken and I will certainly look into the question further--if anything rewording it so it is clearer. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
