While I wouldn't rate this week's readings as the most exciting I have read throughout my graduate coursework (no offense, Dr. Major :), it definitely was thought-provoking. I have never given any thought to state's having to regulate their institutions using distance education and online learning, but it certainly makes sense. I do think that it is a difficult thing to oversee, especially as the different forms of online learning continue to grow. Forgive me for using a college football analogy, but it made me think of the NCAA and their inability to make sure that every athletic program is following every recruiting rule in the rulebook to a "T". The really good coaches and recruiters know how to push the boundaries of the rules and operate in a gray area where they technically aren't breaking a rule. I can see the same happening over time with online learning. Colleges want to increase their enrollment and tuition dollars. So instead of being restricted to only their geographic service area or state, online learning essentially makes anybody who is living and breathing a potential student. Over time, I think college decision-makers and administrators will try to find ways to recruit the student(s) who lives on the other side of the country, and even the other side of the globe, if it means increased enrollment figures and more tuition revenue coming into the university.
I also echo the sentiment in Dr. Major's blog that "the primary question at hand is whether online learning has or will be able to provide meaningful access to higher education to those who need and want it." Before starting in my new position as an Advisor at Gadsden State Community College a couple of months ago, I was essentially a Recruiter for GSCC. I helped many high school seniors fill out admission, scholarship, and financial aid applications online. I would often ask students if they had Internet access at home, in case we couldn't finish the online application we were working on. Far too often, the student's answer was "no". And, it's not just about having a reliable Internet connection in order to take an online class in college. I taught an Orientation to College 101 class at GSCC for several years, and often I would have students who did not have basic software applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. In short, while access to higher education has certainly increased with the development of online learning, it is still an unlevel playing field, and honestly it probably always will be to some degree. As soon as those who are technologically behind catch up, there will be other technologies that will be required to take online courses that they may not have (i.e. webcams, App Store apps, etc.).
Matt, I still teach ORI 101 and I wholeheartedly agree with you about the playing field being unlevel when it comes to the digital divide issues. Due to my classroom being the math departmental computer lab, more often than not I would have several students staying behind after the rest of class left to finish up their assignments to submit via Blackboard. I did not ask them why; I just know by the way they were learning how to use the Blackboard, Word, PowerPoint as they were working on their assignments.
ReplyDeleteI did share with my students that there are computer labs available for use such as the library or in Student Life offices. However, the computer lab hours are not exactly feasible for them to catch up late at night. Since you also work here in Gadsden, are there any other places you know of (other than GPL) that offer public access to a computer? Maybe the cafes such as Flip Side Café can set up a couple computers...?