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THE INTERNET SCHOOL
The need for up-to-date information, and its delivery in the form of formal courses and educational experiences, has prompted several for-profit companies to offer free and fee-based programs that resemble, in form and content, those offered by the distance learning services of colleges and universities. Among the programs are:
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Digital University. Digital University offers courses on a variety of subjects, including digital imaging applications, such as Photoshop. http://www.digitaledu.com/index.html
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Element K Corporate Online University. Element K (formerly Ziff-Davis) has hundreds of courses available on-line. The community of users, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, provides for student-to-student interaction, instructor-to-student mentoring, monitored on-line classrooms and community forums. http://www.elementk.com/
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Digital Think. Digital Think presents a broad-based curriculum, including courses in the design and publishing area. http://www.digitalthink.com/
These examples are only a small sample of what resides on the Internet. Although these opportunities are interesting, and are sponsored by industry leaders with excellent reputations, there are issues that need to be addressed regarding the delivery of instruction by, for the most part, non-accredited entities. These include:
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Can the student differentiate between valid information and a biased sales presentation disguised as instructional content? How can the student judge if the information is accurate, fair, and balanced? Can the student determine what (if anything) is being sold? What oversight body, if any, has approved the content and is monitoring its presentation and delivery?
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What support services (testing, remediation, learning accommodation, etc.) are available to the student?
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What qualifications do the sponsors of such programs have? Do their Web instructors have appropriate training, certification, and credentials? Are the instructors or course authors identified by name? Is contact information provided so questions can be addressed to the proper individual? How much personal attention can a student expect? How quickly, and with what degree of depth, will student questions be answered?
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How can the sponsor of a course be certain that the work submitted by a student is his or her own, and not someone else’s? What process guarantees the integrity of the course?
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Since students enroll by self-selection, it is inevitable that unqualified students will participate. The result of that can be a feeling of frustration, or a loss of motivation and self-esteem on the part of the student. What safeguards are in place to ensure that students do not have a negative experience?
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Of what value are certifications, diplomas, degrees, and other forms of recognition awarded by non-accredited education providers? Will potential employers be able to recognize their value when they are listed on resumes and employment applications?
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What continuity can a student expect when course offerings are presented individually, with no course catalog, program mask, or long-term schedule?
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What is to prevent anyone from opening his or her own on-line school, or offering an impromptu course? It can take a legitimate university a year or more to get a new curriculum developed and approved by all of the required oversight committees, outside advisory groups, and state certification bodies.
The situation isn’t all negative, of course. On-line instruction is relatively new, even for established educational providers. And short courses can be fun and instructive, and can motivate learners of all ages. The application of tools and techniques used by non-accredited providers is helping to establish the sophisticated channels of instructional delivery necessary to utilize the Internet in an effective and efficient manner. Web-based courses must be graphically appealing as well as informationally rich.
So, what it all boils down to is—”caveat discipulus”—let the student beware!