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Topic:
Impact of Online Education on the Learning of University Students
Essay Instructions:
The aim of composing an argumentative research paper is not only to summarize existing perspectives or simply to inform readers about a topic. You have been developing these skills throughout the course, and you should use them to support your writing process, but they are not ends in themselves; rather, they are a means to achieve more complex rhetorical objectives. Your aim for this assignment, specifically, will be to construct a research-based argument that contributes something new to an ongoing scholarly conversation. The instructions described below are designed to guide you through this process.
Invention and Inquiry
- Identify the core problem that motivates your research;
- Revisit your research question and refine/refocus it where necessary;
- Gather together the resources you have developed throughout the semester;
- Note the different perspectives represented in the conversation you have defined
- Consider where you stand with respect to core problem and competing perspectives;
- Draft a thesis statement in which you position yourself within the conversation (based on the research you have completed, the evidence you have gathered, and what contribution you hope to make to the scholarly conversation).
The Composing Process
- Introduce your topic and define the scope of your paper;
- Provide background on your topic and why it should interest to your audience;
- Use the sources you have gathered to position yourself in a scholarly conversation;
- Add your own research findings based on the evidence you have gathered and analyzed;
- Draw a conclusion about the topic that adds something new to the conversation
- Conclude your paper by reaffirming the importance of the issue and pointing toward additional research and/or analysis that can be done to better understand and potentially act on it.
Your paper should:
- Articulate and develop a clear and compelling thesis;
- Position your argument within a scholarly conversation
- Fully integrate a minimum of 8 sources into your argument;
- Be written in a clear, precise, and active prose style;
- Include a title that reflects the spirit and scope of your paper;
- Be 10-12 pages in length (double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman or Garamond typeface);
- Be uploaded to Canvas as a Word document by the deadline (consult your course syllabus and schedule for details).
The work of joining a scholarly conversation is neither simple nor easy. As you have learned throughout the semester, it requires that we learn about existing scholarship and find ways that we can contribute to it through our own, independent research. It is difficult to work, but if done well, you can use your writing to join conversations and help to address important problems both in the academy and in the context of work and community life. Please write or stop by my office (or both) if you have questions about this assignment or anything else related to the course.
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The Impact of Online Class on University Students
Introduction
The traditional physical classroom is on the edge of losing its dominance in the place of education. With the prevalence of the Internet, significant changes occur to various aspects of our lives, including a globalized economy, social networks, news, and learning (Nguyen 310). Further, the Internet enables the idea of online education to stand out. For tutors and researchers, the interest in online learning is driven by the need to enhance and improve student learning outcomes while combating the reduction in resources, especially in college and university education.
Furthermore, the demand for online learning is on the increase from students all over the world. Given the exponential growth of online education and its potential in higher education, it becomes imperative that scholars look at the effectiveness of online learning in educating students compared relative to the face-to-face learning (Yang and Durrington, 348). The paper addresses the question of “To what extent does literature on online education show its effectiveness in educating students?”
Definition of concepts
Online learning refers to a form of distance learning, which has been in force within the American education system. In recent years, it becomes the largest sector of distance learning. For this literature review, both hybrid or blended learning and purely online learning are considered to be online learning as much of the literature compares these two formats against the traditional face-to-face (Nguyen 310). Strictly online courses are courses delivered entirely over the Internet, and hybrid or blended learning combines conventional face-to-face classes, learning over the Internet, and knowledge supported by other technologies (Mersotis and Ronald 13).
Two approaches to online learning have emerged: synchronous and asynchronous learning. Synchronous learning is instruction and collaboration in “real time” via the Internet (Poe and Stassen 5). It typically involves tools, such as: live chat, audio and video conferencing, data and application sharing, shared whiteboard, joint viewing of multimedia presentations and online slideshows. Conversely, asynchronous learning methods use the time-delayed capabilities of the Internet. It typically involves tools, such as: e-mail, threaded discussion, newsgroups and bulletin boards.
Literature Review
Trends in Online Education
In 2012, an annual survey of over 2,800 academic leaders was carried out as a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board (Florida National University np). The College Board is an association composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations that develops and administers standardized tests and curricula used by K-12 and post-secondary education institutions as part of the college admissions process. The complete survey report, “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States”, looks at many aspects of online education and how it has changed.
The 2012 Survey of Online Learning reveals that the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed 6.7 million. The study’s co-author Jeff Seaman said that the rate of growth in online enrollments remains extremely robust, which is somewhat surprising given that overall higher education enrollments declined during this period (Florida National University np). While overall higher education enrollments have declined, online education is a growing area of higher education. Indeed, the study found that thirty-two percent of higher education students now take at least one course online: over 6.7 million students were receiving at least one online course during the Fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students over the previous year. MOOCs: What, How, Why, and When?
Despite the growing numbers of online enrollments, higher education adoption of massive open online courses (MOOCs) remains low, with most institutions still on the sidelines (Florida National University np). A MOOC is an online course aimed at large-scale interactive participation and free access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.
Benefits and Application of Online Learning
One reason why there is so much discussion around online learning is that there are many purported benefits and uses of online education. Some of the most important ones are its effectiveness in educating students, as a form of professional development, and cost-effectiveness in addressing the rising cost of post-secondary education. Additionally, enabling a world-class education to anyone with a broadband connection remains necessary ((Nguyen 310).
Most of the attention for online learning is directed to the postsecondary education field. The rising cost of postsecondary education and the importance of a postsecondary degree are well documented in the literature. The lifetime earning gap between high school graduates and college graduates is continuing to widen (Nguyen 310). At the same time, the cost of college tuition is rising faster than inflation and the student loan debt is rapidly increasing. As of 2014, the total national student loan debt is over one trillion dollars (Nguyen 310). Various studies show that online learning can be a useful tool in addressing the rising cost of post-secondary education by spreading the cost of a class over a much more significant number of students compared to the traditional setting. Moreover, the marginal cost of a student in an online environment is negligible relative to the conventional context, due to some factors such as the size and availability of the physical classroom.
Intimately connected to this issue of cost and postsecondary education are the required credits to obtain a postsecondary degree. Traditionally, students have to earn most of the college credits at an institution before they are awarded bachelor degrees at that institution. The point of contention is how online classes will play a role in granting credits or credentials, and many educators connected to online learning are hoping that there will be credit equivalency for some online courses. The goals of this endeavor are to increase completion rate, reduce time to degree attainment, reduce costs to postsecondary education, and offer more access to non-traditional students. As of 2013, the American Council of Education had approved five online courses for college credit (Nguyen 311). However, there is concern over whether colleges will accept the recommendation, and there is also concern about the dilution of a traditional degree due to the transition. Last but not least, there is the hope that online learning will be able to provide a world-class education to anyone, anywhere, and anytime as long as they have access to the Internet. Some websites, such as Udacity and Coursera are built on this premise, and many well-respected scholars and businesspeople possess high hopes and expectations for online learning, particularly for massive open online courses (MOOC). Central to this particular benefit—in fact, to most of the purported benefits of online learning—is the effectiveness of the online format in educating students. If online learning is less effective than the conventional face-to-face context, then some of the aforementioned purported claims and benefits of online learning are highly suspect (Nguyen 311). Therein lies the crux of the issue, the fundamental concern of online learning and the focus of this paper: the effectiveness of the online format in educating students compared to the traditional format. Hence, the positive and negative findings on the effectiveness of online learning compared to the traditional view are examined.
FINDINGS:
i. Positive effects
There are a large number of studies that find positive statistically significant effects on student learning outcomes in the online or hybrid format compared to the traditional face-to-face form. Some of the positive learning outcomes are improved learning as measured by test scores, student engagement with the class material, improved perception of learning and the online format, stronger sense of community among students, and reduction in withdrawal or failure. In a study by Riffell and Sibley (2005), Jean-Luc, an archeologist, needed to fulfill a general science course to graduate (Nguyen 311). He had not performed well in a traditional science course, and when he saw there was a hybrid environmental biology course that included bi-weekly online assignments instead of the traditional lecture, he thought this might work better for him. He found that th...
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
The Impact of Online Class on University Students
Introduction
The traditional physical classroom is on the edge of losing its dominance in the place of education. With the prevalence of the Internet, significant changes occur to various aspects of our lives, including a globalized economy, social networks, news, and learning (Nguyen 310). Further, the Internet enables the idea of online education to stand out. For tutors and researchers, the interest in online learning is driven by the need to enhance and improve student learning outcomes while combating the reduction in resources, especially in college and university education.
Furthermore, the demand for online learning is on the increase from students all over the world. Given the exponential growth of online education and its potential in higher education, it becomes imperative that scholars look at the effectiveness of online learning in educating students compared relative to the face-to-face learning (Yang and Durrington, 348). The paper addresses the question of “To what extent does literature on online education show its effectiveness in educating students?”
Definition of concepts
Online learning refers to a form of distance learning, which has been in force within the American education system. In recent years, it becomes the largest sector of distance learning. For this literature review, both hybrid or blended learning and purely online learning are considered to be online learning as much of the literature compares these two formats against the traditional face-to-face (Nguyen 310). Strictly online courses are courses delivered entirely over the Internet, and hybrid or blended learning combines conventional face-to-face classes, learning over the Internet, and knowledge supported by other technologies (Mersotis and Ronald 13).
Two approaches to online learning have emerged: synchronous and asynchronous learning. Synchronous learning is instruction and collaboration in “real time” via the Internet (Poe and Stassen 5). It typically involves tools, such as: live chat, audio and video conferencing, data and application sharing, shared whiteboard, joint viewing of multimedia presentations and online slideshows. Conversely, asynchronous learning methods use the time-delayed capabilities of the Internet. It typically involves tools, such as: e-mail, threaded discussion, newsgroups and bulletin boards.
Literature Review
Trends in Online Education
In 2012, an annual survey of over 2,800 academic leaders was carried out as a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board (Florida National University np). The College Board is an association composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations that develops and administers standardized tests and curricula used by K-12 and post-secondary education institutions as part of the college admissions process. The complete survey report, “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States”, looks at many aspects of online education and how it has changed.
The 2012 Survey of Online Learning reveals that the number of students taking at least one online course has now surpassed 6.7 million. The study’s co-author Jeff Seaman said that the rate of growth in online enrollments remains extremely robust, which is somewhat surprising given that overall higher education enrollments declined during this period (Florida National University np). While overall higher education enrollments have declined, online education is a growing area of higher education. Indeed, the study found that thirty-two percent of higher education students now take at least one course online: over 6.7 million students were receiving at least one online course during the Fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students over the previous year. MOOCs: What, How, Why, and When?
Despite the growing numbers of online enrollments, higher education adoption of massive open online courses (MOOCs) remains low, with most institutions still on the sidelines (Florida National University np). A MOOC is an online course aimed at large-scale interactive participation and free access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.
Benefits and Application of Online Learning
One reason why there is so much discussion around online learning is that there are many purported benefits and uses of online education. Some of the most important ones are its effectiveness in educating students, as a form of professional development, and cost-effectiveness in addressing the rising cost of post-secondary education. Additionally, enabling a world-class education to anyone with a broadband connection remains necessary ((Nguyen 310).
Most of the attention for online learning is directed to the postsecondary education field. The rising cost of postsecondary education and the importance of a postsecondary degree are well documented in the literature. The lifetime earning gap between high school graduates and college graduates is continuing to widen (Nguyen 310). At the same time, the cost of college tuition is rising faster than inflation and the student loan debt is rapidly increasing. As of 2014, the total national student loan debt is over one trillion dollars (Nguyen 310). Various studies show that online learning can be a useful tool in addressing the rising cost of post-secondary education by spreading the cost of a class over a much more significant number of students compared to the traditional setting. Moreover, the marginal cost of a student in an online environment is negligible relative to the conventional context, due to some factors such as the size and availability of the physical classroom.
Intimately connected to this issue of cost and postsecondary education are the required credits to obtain a postsecondary degree. Traditionally, students have to earn most of the college credits at an institution before they are awarded bachelor degrees at that institution. The point of contention is how online classes will play a role in granting credits or credentials, and many educators connected to online learning are hoping that there will be credit equivalency for some online courses. The goals of this endeavor are to increase completion rate, reduce time to degree attainment, reduce costs to postsecondary education, and offer more access to non-traditional students. As of 2013, the American Council of Education had approved five online courses for college credit (Nguyen 311). However, there is concern over whether colleges will accept the recommendation, and there is also concern about the dilution of a traditional degree due to the transition. Last but not least, there is the hope that online learning will be able to provide a world-class education to anyone, anywhere, and anytime as long as they have access to the Internet. Some websites, such as Udacity and Coursera are built on this premise, and many well-respected scholars and businesspeople possess high hopes and expectations for online learning, particularly for massive open online courses (MOOC). Central to this particular benefit—in fact, to most of the purported benefits of online learning—is the effectiveness of the online format in educating students. If online learning is less effective than the conventional face-to-face context, then some of the aforementioned purported claims and benefits of online learning are highly suspect (Nguyen 311). Therein lies the crux of the issue, the fundamental concern of online learning and the focus of this paper: the effectiveness of the online format in educating students compared to the traditional format. Hence, the positive and negative findings on the effectiveness of online learning compared to the traditional view are examined.
FINDINGS:
i. Positive effects
There are a large number of studies that find positive statistically significant effects on student learning outcomes in the online or hybrid format compared to the traditional face-to-face form. Some of the positive learning outcomes are improved learning as measured by test scores, student engagement with the class material, improved perception of learning and the online format, stronger sense of community among students, and reduction in withdrawal or failure. In a study by Riffell and Sibley (2005), Jean-Luc, an archeologist, needed to fulfill a general science course to graduate (Nguyen 311). He had not performed well in a traditional science course, and when he saw there was a hybrid environmental biology course that included bi-weekly online assignments instead of the traditional lecture, he thought this might work better for him. He found that th...
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