I n B r i e f A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF ONLINE LEARNING By Jeffrey Bathe The recent growth of online course offerings has Use of the Technology progressed in a similar fashion to this country’s west- ward expansion during the 19th century— at a rapid The use of technology in educational environments pace without regard to all of the real and potential con- has been expanding in recent years. According to Green sequences. This is especially troubling since there are (2000) and The Campus Computing Study (CCS), more many more casualties (e.g., withdrawn and failing stu- than 55% of courses use e-mail as a communication dents) than with traditional methods of education tool. The CCS study also showed that over 40% of (Bathe, 2001a). However, with caution and examina- courses utilize Internet resources (e.g., web-enhanced tion of the processes at the student, faculty and admin- and online). One reason for the increase is the range of istrative levels, there are opportunities to effectively potential uses. Black (1998) noted that online learning use online teaching technology while avoiding pitfalls can provide for asynchronous collaborative learning and maximizing student success. and self-paced learning, as well as synchronous com- After consideration of anecdotal reports on alter- munication. native learning at area community colleges, I deter- However, with the use of technology there is a cost. mined that the following areas merited further study: Kilian (1997) reported that it is not cheaper or easier the role of online learning; faculty concerns and train- to teach online, that it is not for everyone, and that is ing; administrative/institutional issues; and student at- does not provide for the nonverbal communication that titudes and performance. some faculty see as essential. Kerka (1996) reported that “learning at a distance Issues Related to Online Learning can be both isolating and highly interactive.” A major challenge is the lack of non-verbal cues; however Kerka Online Courses as an Educational Tool (1996) argues that the development of communication protocols can assist in developing relationships. In fact, Despite all of the media hype and discussion, online courses can provide new opportunities for col- Milliron and Miles (1999) reported that the Internet laboration leading to the expansion of social skills. has not changed what works in education; instead it has enabled further development of these concepts. Digital Divide According to Milliron (1999), Internet-based methods can be used to improve and expand learning opportu- De los Santos and de los Santos (2000) argue that nities as demonstrated by innovative instructors who community college students need access to the tools are embracing both modern and traditional strategies that allow them to critically evaluate the mass of infor- to create a hybrid learning environment. For example, mation that is available. A 1999 National Telecommu- a psychology course may blend interactive television, nications and Information Administration report dis- online discussion and course CD-ROMs with applied cusses inequities in students’ ability to do this, given problem-solving situations to enhance learning. the fact that over 75% of households with incomes over $75,000 have at least one computer, as compared with and compensation are computed needs to be re-exam- less than 32% of households with incomes between ined (Allison & Scott, 1998). Stocker (2001) argues $25,000 and $35,000 (de los Santos & de los Santos, that the potentially negative impact on students and 2000). To further compound the problem, those with the loss of human relations are among the concerns lower incomes have even less access. that faculty have in relation to technology. In addi- The presence of a racial/ethnic divide is particu- tion, time constraints and preference for traditional larly evident in the income gap, as illustrated by the methods are also factors inhibiting participation (Betts, fact that in households earning between $15,000 and 1998). Faculty interest might be expected to increase $35,000 a year, 32% of whites owned computers, while if there were more information available about the for- only 19% of blacks and Hispanics did so. This margin mat and if ample training opportunities were provided. had grown 8% over a five-year span, showing a poten- Finally, financial incentives and release time were tial worsening of the problem. (Guessoum, 2000) deemed essential in encouraging participation. Faculty Issues Faculty Satisfaction with Online Teaching Betts (1998) reported that reasons for faculty sat- Changing Faculty Roles isfaction with distance education included an ability to reach new audiences, the opportunity to develop new Online education is actually changing the role of ideas, and were also associated with personal motiva- teaching staff. Roe (2001) reports that some faculty tion to use the technology. In addition, some faculty members are concerned about administrative pressure saw learning new skills as an intellectual challenge and to incorporate technology into their courses. Kilian used it to improve their own job satisfaction. Inman et (1997) suggests that if there is going to be real online al. (1999) found that the more experience instructors access, there is a need to avoid rushing into ill-con- had in the traditional classroom, the less initial satis- ceived projects that lack the planning and support faction they experienced in an alternative format. needed to be successful. The instructor is still the content expert in the online Administrative Issues instructional model. However, unless the instructor is also technically skilled, there is a need for the assis- tance of others. No matter how good the quality of the Pressure to Go Online content and design, a course cannot be delivered with- out the correct use of technology. This can be prob- With the push for the use of technology in teach- lematic for some faculty, since working with someone ing and learning, pressure is placed upon community outside of their discipline can be seen as a challenging colleges to stay current in their offerings. Administra- experience (Meyen et al 1999). tors need to remain aware that there is no one way to In preparation to teach online, faculty need to de- approach the expansion into the online environment, velop specific competencies, including the ability to and at the same time be cognizant of successes and utilize e-mail, send attachments, understand presenta- failures at neighboring institutions. It is important to tion software, and ideally, experience teaching in a tech- plan for change in these arenas with input from the nology-assisted class (Gellman-Danley, 2000). Bathe faculty and support staff in order to ensure that there (2001b) reported that having experiences using tech- is effective use of the technology and that it promotes nology in teaching prior to undertaking online instruc- student and faculty learning and fulfillment. tion is essential to success. He found that faculty with this background had a clearer understanding of the time Financial Considerations commitment involved with online teaching, and were better prepared to design quality coursework (Bathe, To fully implement these initiatives, administra- 2001b). tors need to make available incentives for faculty and to provide information about the benefits of the format Faculty Workload and Compensation (Betts, 1998). Also, faculty already involved with dis- tance education need encouragement to promote the As the role of faculty changes due to the utiliza- format and to serve as a resource for those getting tion of this technology, the way that faculty workload started in the effort. Villadsen et al. (2000) stressed the importance of Summary administrators providing training and professional de- velopment opportunities for faculty in addition to mon- If handled properly, online instruction can expand etary incentives. During an era of tightening budgets, learning opportunities and the skills of learners taking this is difficult, but still critical to ensure faculty sup- these courses. If faculty are allowed to take advantage port and their attainment of critical skills. of training opportunities at their own institutions or There have been concerns about the costs of pro- those provided by state-wide organizations, such as the viding online instruction, but Berg (2000) has found Illinois Online Network, they will have a broader un- that 90% of distance learning programs are profitable. derstanding of the technology and build better relation- Whereas the majority of these programs are making ships with those who are most important in this dis- profits at rates of less than 30% (61%), there are other cussion, the students. groups that are making 31- 50% (13%) and greater Administrators have many issues to address in this than 50% (13%). This profitability results in large rapidly changing environment. Providing financial re- measure from the reduced space requirements, and to sources for training, materials, and faculty compensa- the flat-fee structures for many course management tion, in a time when resources are scarce offers a chal- systems. While the upfront cost related to the develop- lenge. While not all students benefit from the new learn- ment of the online infrastructure can be substantial, ing modalities, it clearly meets the needs of many. Such the potential benefits and long-term cost reductions advantages as flexibility of time and place and varied generally justify the expense. learning formats make online learning an educational experience that will be valued by many students in the Student Issues coming years. Performance and Preferences References Allison, R. D., & Scott, D. C. (1998). Faculty obligations and com- Reports indicate that increasing numbers of stu- pensation: The necessity of a new approach triggered by tech- dents are learning online (McClenney, 1998). Research nology integration. In Anandam, K. (Ed.), New Directions for has shown that students perform as well or better in Community Colleges, 101, 69-78. courses that are multimedia-based when compared with Bathe, J. O. (2001a). [Classroom and alternative learning student those receiving instruction in similar lower-division retention and success at Heartland Community College]. Un- university courses (e.g., Erwin & Reippi, 1999; and published raw data. Hurlburt, 2001). However, despite some advantages Bathe, J. O. (2001b, November). Love it, Hate it, or Don’t Care: of online courses (including the opportunity to review Views on Online Learning. Poster presented at the annual course materials and independent learning), Hurlburt Conference on Information Technology: League for Innova- tion in the Community College, Minneapolis, MN. (2001) reported that students thought that the tradi- tional course was a better experience. Betts, K. S. (1998). An institutional overview: Factors influencing Hurlburt’s view is supported by other studies. For faculty participation in distance education in postsecondary education in the United States: An institutional study. Online example, Davies and Mendenhall (1998) reported that Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 1(3). Retrieved 57% of students who participated in online lessons pre- April 2, 2001, from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ ferred the classroom experience. This was attributed betts13.htm to the social aspects of the class and/or to students’ Berg, G. A. (2000). Early patterns of faculty compensation for de- better ability to remember materials that were presented veloping and teaching distance learning courses. Journal of orally. Those students that preferred the online experi- Alternative Learning Networks, 4(1). Retrieved April 2, 2001, ence stated that flexibility was a key factor. from http://www.aln.org/alnweb/ journal/Vol4_issue1/ Fredericksen, Pelz, and Swan (2000) reported that berg.htm the quality of interaction with the instructor is the most Black, D. (1998, August). The role of live, online collaboration in significant contributor to a student’s perception of learn- distance learning. Paper presented at the 14th Annual confer- ing. Further, Fredericksen et al. (2000) found that stu- ence on Distance Teaching & Learning, Madison, WI. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED 422 846). dents who had high levels of satisfaction with the help desk had higher levels of learning than those with lower Davies, R. B., & Mendenhall, R. 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(p. 13). Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College. Stocker, B. R. (2001, April). The choice not to use computers. Pa- per presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the Council for the Guessoum, N. (2000). Does the virtual classroom narrow or widen Study of Community Colleges, Chicago, IL. the educational divide?, Retrieved March 28, 2001, from http://illinois.online.uillinois.edu/mvcr/guestlectures/nidhal/ Villadesen, A. W., Kickles, M. K., & Chand, S. (2000). Administra- Educationaldivide lecture.html tors’ roles in the adoption of technology by faculty: Inside the traditional classroom and beyond. In Milliron, M.D., & Miles, Green, K. (2000). The 2000 national survey of information tech- C.L. (Eds.), Taking a look @ technology, learning & the com- nology in US higher education. [online], Retrieved April 2, munity college (pp. 69-99). Mission Viejo, CA: League for 2001, from http://www.campus computing.net/summaries/ Innovation in the Community College. 2000/index.html Hurlburt, R. T. (2001). “Lectlets” deliver content at a distance: In- troductory statistics as a case study. Teaching of Psychology, The Author 28(1), 15-20. Inman, E., Kerwin, M, & Mayes, L. (1999, June). Instructor and Jeffrey O. Bathe is an Instructor of Psychology in student attitudes toward distance learning. Community Col- Alternative Learning at Heartland Community College. lege Journal of Research and Practice, 23, 581-591. Jeffrey earned his masters degree in Psychology from Kerka, S. (1996). Distance learning, the internet, and the world Western Illinois University and has completed the wide web. ERIC Digest, Los Angeles, CA: ERIC Clearing- Master Online Teacher Certificate from the Illinois house for Community Colleges. (Eric Document Reproduc- tion Service No. ED 395 214). Online Network. He has worked in Illinois community colleges for more than five years, and is now a student Kilian, C. (1997). F2F why teach online. Educom Review, 32(4), in the Community College Executive Leadership doc- 31-35. toral program at the University of Illinois at Urbana- McClenney, K. M. (1998). Community colleges perched at the Champaign. His research interests have focused on is- millennium: Perspectives on innovation, transformation, and sues of alternative learning and higher education. For tomorrow. Leadership Abstracts, 11(8). more information, contact Jeffrey at jeff.bathe@hcc. cc.il.us. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Education . 51 Gerty Drive, CRC Room 129 Champaign, IL 61820 . 217-244-9390 Fax: 217-244-0851 Website: http://occrl.ed.uiuc.edu