Demands of the Virtual Classroom :: Teaching Education

Demands of the Virtual ClassroomPreparing online courses is non easy. In a study by the NEA, 53% of participating instructors admitted that courses online put in more time to prepare and deliver. Much of that time is devoted to each week e-mail contact, a task that 83% stated is part of their regimen. seldom is additional remuneration given to compensate for the heavier workload. (Newsgroup Message 6/23/00)The additional trend on the part of the instructors does not necessarily assuage the process for the students. Successful participants moldiness be disciplined, able to work on their own, can deal with uncertainty, and are not easily distracted. (PCC)(Kleiner) In addition, students must be prepared to endure setup difficulties, hardware malfunctions, and Internet profession (Neal) in addition to the burden of the acquisition of the required technology.The question of whether the drive out of the student and instructor efforts is worthwhile remains unanswered. To date little existential evidence exists that proves that electronic technology improves learning. David Noble, a technology historian from York University in Toronto, avers that identity formation is a process that can only make pass face-to-face. (Neal) In fact, research has shown that the social interaction in traditional residential programs contributes to the intellectual and ethical development of undergraduates. For the simple dissemination of information where cognition is passed hydraulically from instructor to student, Internet instruction seems to be an unsuitable methodology. (Neal) such theories seem to prove out in a retention browse that varies anywhere from 20% to 97%.(Kleiner)Considering the CostsWith such doubtable leave behinds emanating from greater effort on the part of both student and teacher, the question arises about why Internet classes are becoming so popular. The push seems to come from a joint effort on the part of software developers, legislators, and college a dministrators who are desirous to be known for their technological strides. The resulting trends are demanding that many schools jump on the bandwagon to cater to the non-traditional students. The University of Phoenix has an enrollment of 68,000 students from 15 states, more than Princeton and Duke combined. That figure is anticipate to triple by the year 2002 and includes only students who are at least(prenominal) 23-years-old and employed.(Marcus, A Scholastic Gold Mine) Peter Drucker has predicted that such trends will result in the end of the university within 30 years. (Neal). On the contend side, however, the National Center for Educational Statistics has predicted that the investment may not break the results that Peter Drucker forecasted.