A recent study by the Center for Research On Education Outcomes (CREDO) finds that online education underperforms traditional "brick and mortar" schools. Having experienced online education myself, I'm not at all surprised by these findings. Students need to connect to material, discuss it, and make it an active part of the experience. I had little luck connecting to material found in my online classes and honestly, my work was less inspired as well. The're cheap and easy to access, but online institutions lack a vital part of the puzzle, the human element. Teachers don't need to be the dispenser of knowledge anymore. Students have the collected knowledge of all humanity available in the palms of their hands. A teacher"s role has adapted to be the mediator between this knowledge and the current understanding of the students. Guiding students to the correct information in an orderly and well-paced structure is now the focus and with today's media and technology, the possibilities are exciting! Interactive presentations, web-based virtual labs, and a wide variety of social and sharing software combine to create an environment where limits are set by the teacher's imagination, not the textbook. Online education is exactly that, an interactive textbook. Sure, it has videos, tutorials, and a plethora of "help" options, but those options won't put you face to face with someone who is capable and wants to help you. Time will tell on web-based education and while I don't see the concept losing steam anytime soon, the numbers aren't looking good!
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