Online Learning - Benefits and Challenges

Introduction
There is a conscious shift in the 21^st century use of the word distance learning to Virtual schooling. Virtual schooling system is therefore growing rapidly to meet up the speed of growth in technology. Every year, research shows alarming increases in rate of student’s enrolment due to changes in technology. People are more incline to change as change is a constant factor to everything. Clive Thomson, the author of the book on “Smarter than you think” in a 3minutes youtube video highlighted the way technology has revolutionized things in the past and still making waves today (see video). Hence the reasons for the rapid growth in enrolments for virtual schooling in the 21^st century.

Virtual schooling kept up with the pace of this growth until recent times, when research and studies of this system of education intervention began to show a decline in completion. Increasingly, researchers were beginning to view the trend in the area of its benefits and challenges and not just counting the possibilities therein. One would wonder that with the rate of growth in enrolments, there should be a corresponding increase in completion rate, no? This is however, note the case (although retention rate has been silent in most of the researches), completion rate drops as enrolment rate increases wherefore, causing concerns for the sector.

Why this study is important

Typically the traditional school systems records similar trend in some instances based on challenges, , therefore, lack of details on the traditional schools completion rate may note be ruled out completely. Nevertheless, the role played by teachers in both systems seem different; the methodology and approach differs. but with same message on learning outcomes; According to Garrison & Arbaugh, (2007), in the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, where he looked at learning experience within the context of teacher’s interactions and the role of the teacher. The role of the teacher is therefore fundamental to learning experience as indicated in my popplet. The Virtual Online school  is shaddled with the responsonsibilty to:

• develops motivational ways to keep students attention span; 
• possess in-depth knowledge of online usage; 
• understand how to design instructions that clearly translates to meaningful lectures/lessons; 
• willing to constantly establish contact with student either via email, telephone to mentor and support students and improved learning; 
• the virtual school teacher must know how to use virtual board and work extra hour and maybe including weekends.

However, Michigan K-12 report on virtual learning effectiveness as analyzed by David Nagel (2014), indicated that "despite the enormous tasks of virtual school teachers, there are several challenges ranging from; teachers struggle to find meaningful presence with the student and a feeling of disconnect; teacher peoples ratio; the load of students work; and the fragmentation of teachers role which prevents them from having a sense of professional identity as indicated in another research articles by Abigail Hawkins; Charles R. Graham and Michael K.Barbour in “ Everybody is their own Island”: Teacher disconnection in avirtual school; Vol 13 No.2. pg.140 (2012).

If these tasks above are the responsibilities of an online educator, why should there be problems with completion rate? What has been the policy reaction to this dwindling effect? The draft research article by Jered Borup and Mark Stevens,  on factors influencing teacher satisfaction atan online charter school, the study dived into interesting issue about the confluence between teacher satisfaction, Student satisfaction and student performance. Therefore, each of this actors stimulates each other to achieve learning experience. The study also indicated the teacher influencer or stimulants and reiterate the need for teacher professional development.

Doug Valentine in an online journal article -Distance learning Administration, Volume V, Number III,fall 2002; examined the promises, problems and possibilities of Distance learning and drew some conclusions that “not all students are suited to this type of learning and not all subjects are best thought via this medium”; also similar to this was a research by Threkeld and Brzoska, (1994), they examined that a successful student must be able to tolerate some form of ambiguities and flexibilities. These are changes that are not easy to come, therefore creating bottlenecks to achieve successes in enrolment, retention and completion.

How can I use this information

In my views, creating a culture of change is difficult, and accepting that change is inevitable is challenging. It will therefore me that in other to address the reluctance to the changes experienced wiht the virtual online interventions, there will be conscious efforts by all, to adapt to the new development realities. Hence, gate keeper’s intervention is key to stabilizing the education system.  Policy advocacy should be enhanced such that is tailored towards effective learning experience with the five “ W” and “H” of a learning curve as mentioned by Jered Borup and Mark Stevens.

Citation: Pixabay on Questions?

1. What - Instructional Material: Creative learning materials to increase retention rate.
2. Who - Student/Teachers: Teachers utilizing the one to tone advantage to provide needed learning experience.
3. Where - Learning Environment: Make learning fun, involve the community and colleague, form a network of professional in the particular subject.
4. When - Time: The value of quick response and great feedback from teachers and structured arrangements for better communication.
5. Why - Learning outcomes.
6. How - Strong Policy oversight. 

Going forward, I will like to see more policy oversight on the issues of virtual schooling if this is intended to achieve the primary goals of a “No Child left behind” . The need for advocacy of creative innovative ideas for retention rate rather than enrolment rate. Integrating the curriculum into the traditional school curriculum and focusing of targeted course for greater impact. Instead of viewing Virtual schooling as an alternative to Traditional schooling system, it is important that the target audience should be student and not students who have lower academic scores as observed by Jemey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of MVU.