My Daughter Hates Online University.

Yes, thank you; my thoughts exactly.

 

It depends on one's amount of internal locus of control.

 

Thumbs up

I think it really depends on learning styles, and to some extent motivation. I'm not sure that I would have done well with them as a 19 or 20 year old but loved them as a mid-career learner.

My daughter loves online classes. She's graduating a year early with her BA, even after transferring schools after her freshman year. She had a lot of AP credits, and that combined with online classes last summer will get her done a whole year early. Hooray for online!

 

Distance learning is a good option, if you are working. If you are young, it is not option as they want to enjoy the regular school with friends.

 

It is interesting if you examine the educational process from an historical process. Most professions were self educated. People read for the law and then took examinations from the professional bodies which offered no instruction. This is still the case in some countries. The United Kingdom was very strong on this model ie. the University of London. The people providing the education at universities were not the examiners. Oxford and Cambridge attendance by the wealthy classes did not necessitate getting a degree, it was more about networking.

Thomas Jefferson, in a letter (dated August 27,1786) to his nephew Thomas Mann Randolph Jr.,then in Paris, wrote: While you are attending these courses, you can proceed by yourself in a regular series of historical reading. It would be a waste of time to attend a professor of this. It is to be acquired from books, and if you pursue it by yourself, you can accommodate it to your other reading so as to fill up those chasms of time otherwise appropriated[/I
In short, Jefferson thought that you should use the professors for maths and sciences, the rest you do yourself. Self education was highly valued; it was a case of what you think, not what your teacher may think that counts. The classical educational process consisted of (1) understanding what was written, (2) analysing the content, and(3) your opinion on the topic.

I think we have moved from this model to a system dominated by the instructor. The power has shifted to the teacher and the author and the learning partnership is unequal. It has been easy for this to happen due to the speed of the world. I doubt that anyone has the "chasms of time" that Jefferson referred to, even if they did exist then for the working class at that time. A handing over of the responsibility to a professor is an easier way to go and who can blame younger people for seeking the easier route that is coupled with greater sociability? We, of course, also run the risk of group think, but nothing is perfect.

The distant learner is more aligned along the classical route of education, as the responsibility is returned to him/her to proceed and to read. The ability to read is the most critical element to independent learning. If the person has difficulty in reading and analyzing the content, then the instructor is crucial to success. The distant learner has to have considerable self discipline, if that is underdeveloped, then discipline has to be imposed externally for success. We don't let school children self determine their educational process, as a rule, for that reason.

In summary, the distant learner must be able to read comprehensively and be self disciplined for success. There is guidance in the process, but overall it is mainly self education. It is an older style of educational process that requires a maturity and independence that is perhaps unusual in a lot of young people. I didn't do it, but I would be more likely to recommend that a young person go to a college for the undergraduate degree, unless the person exhibited a high level of maturity. Networking, like the Cambridge/Oxford experience, is still important. The post graduate degree is mainly a "reading degree" where the library and self education dominate. Presumably, a young person has developed the required skills at that level for success and distance learning provides more flexibility over where and when that occurs.

 

I'm studying history and I have to agree. Working through many of my classes has certainly accelerated my learning of history (and how to approach it from a scholarly point of view), but now that I have the tools, going forward I have no problem self teaching myself new areas of history simply by self-study and reading the appropriate texts. I think as long as you know how to learn something, the rest can be done on your own.

 

You nailed it with this statement. Those who don't exhibit rapid reading ability and maturity will find that they don't like distance learning.

 

This is an interesting thread and I think it highlights the different educational markets that are starting to form. Many kids out of HS (including myself back then) would probably not thrive in an online only classroom to earn their degree. They want to attend a B&M college, live the experience, etc. even if that mean they fail some classes and generally goof off. (I did.) Older students, however, don't have time to screw around. If they are taking classes, they are there to learn the material. It seems that neither format is going anywhere. Physical B&M classrooms will cater to the younger students while online will cater to adult/older learners.

 

I would change it to "They are there to complete the program." I think it is naive to assume that adult students are in it for the knowledge--in my experience working with adult students, the motivation typically is a desire to finish a program.

 

For me, the classes I have to take for the doctorate I'm working on are of little interest; nothing wrong with them, but they are just hoops I have to jump through. The subject my dissertation will be based upon, however, is absolutely fascinating to me. So I'm a little of both of your categories above; I want to finish the program part with these ho-hum classes, but I'm in it for the knowledge about my subject.

 

True, but you aren't the typical adult student. Truthfully, any doctoral student isn't the typical adult student. Even in your case, however, at the end of the day it is about completing your program. I highly doubt that a string of unrelated classes will make much difference on your research.
With your experience and academic background, you could do the research now. Unfortunately, you wouldn't get the credential, which is why you are in the program.



From what I have seen and heard in my experience in non-traditional higher ed, the breakdown of the typical student is this:

Undergrad--needs the degree to get or keep a decent job

Graduate--needs the degree to get a promotion or to change careers

Doctorate--wants the degree for advancement or personal fulfillment

Of course there are those in each group that do it for other reasons, but it seems the majority would pursue this route.

Look at graduate programs--the most common graduate programs for non-traditional students are in business and education. I rarely see a non-traditional business graduate student who is in the program for the love of the material. There are a few, and they are typically the future doctoral students.

 

:silly:This is what some kids are missing by not doing residential college - Rice University student in prank gone awry seeks donations - Yahoo! News

 

Isn't it interesting that the kid does this damage and then is asking for donations to bail him out of the consequences of his actions.

 

And here I thought streaking was just a Seventies thing.

 

lol.......

 

:You_Rock_Emoticon::You_Rock_Emoticon::You_Rock_Emoticon:

 

I vote this to be the best Maniac Craniacism of 2011.

 

Yes, that one is awesome too. Now I'm torn for which to vote for.