Gus Stevens A4

Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
Online learning environments are courses taught via the internet. Students enrolled in
online courses are rarely personally taught by a teacher, rather course lessons are downloaded
from archives. Distance learning courses have been around since the 1840s; however, until the
rise of high speed internet, correspondence courses (early online courses) have been looked upon
negatively. These days with the accessibility provided by online schools, students find them to be
a very attractive course alternative. Online courses can be great for a fraction of the populations
students; however a majority of students will fail to progress in online courses, this would
negatively affect society. Online courses appeal to students because they have very flexible
schedules. Students also find online courses preferable because online colleges can cost less than
the traditional college. This only applies to colleges. Some online high schools can cost as much
as private school tuition, unless the state education agency funds online programs, allowing free
access for the students of the state. (An Online High School Vs. a Traditional High School
Diploma: Some Pros and Cons)(Stephanie). Some problems with online learning are that without
the physical interaction and motivation of a teacher some students will fall behind in coursework.
Online environments also lead to student misconceptions on grading, giving students a false
sense of grading that is different from grading practiced in traditional schools.

Online colleges are not taught like traditional schools with set meeting times, online
schools have archived lectures and lessons allowing for a very flexible schedule. The website
Education-portal.com proves that this is so because online courses can be easily accessed
through internet connection. You can study take classes from anywhere that you have a
computer and internet connection (An Online High School Vs. a Traditional High School
Diploma: Some Pros and Cons). A major contributor to online schoolings success is its

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
convenience. Because online schools are internet based this benefit allows a highly ductile
course. As long as the student has a laptop he or she can take part in a virtual learning
environment at all times, allowing for a course to be taken at any free moment of the day. This is
a very important factor for working students that dont have time to attend in person classes.
Kamala Appel, who has taught online and real time classes knows that this may apply to some
students. Online courses may be their only option if they want a degree. Online classes may be
the only option for people re-entering the workforce, single parents, and others who cannot
dedicate themselves to a full program. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online Education)
(Appel). Because online courses are very flexible they allow people that work throughout the day
to get a degree without having to make sacrifices. With the flexibility of online courses more
people are capable of obtaining a degree, leading to a larger workforce of college graduates.

Even though an online course may cost close to the same amount as college tuition, due
to some of the online courses attributes, online classes save students money. When comparing
prices of online courses and traditional courses, the online college recommendation site degree
directory.com found that online courses benefit the students wallet, due to certain course aspects
not found in traditional schools. You may actually save money in the long term due to other
aspects of this type of course delivery. Going to college online allows you to have more control
over indirect costs associated with college. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online
Education). Some expenses online colleges are the cost of the course and the need of a computer.
However the aspects of the course that saves a student money is the fact that the school is virtual
and can fit into a personalized schedule. This flexibility means a student can maintain a job
during their online years, granting online students the potential for a steady income. As Benjamin

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
Franklin said, A Penny saved is a penny earned. Thus some students may find online courses
as a beneficial, money saving alternative to college and high school. Pam Foreman a former
guidance counselor states that for some students this is true. Online courses may solve part of
the problem for some students such as cutting the cost on traveling to school or living on
campus. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online Education) (Foreman). Online students do
not need to commute from living space to campus to attend classes, this aspect of online courses
saves gas and parking fees, and other transportation costs. Also if the student can find cheap
housing or lives with their parents the student can save up to $7,410 in housing and dorm living
expenses that a traditional student would have to pay (The Continuing Controversy Over Online
Education) (collegeboard.com). Saving money is a very appealing benefit to students that want
to get a college education but cant afford a traditional college. Cheap online schools may permit
those in poverty to get an education at a more affordable price, allowing for more skilled workers
and critical thinkers that can help our society.

In online learning environments students rarely interact with the teacher face to face,
without personal teacher encouragement students may fall behind in coursework and
assignments. Kamala Appel, a former online teacher mentions one significant flaw in online
schooling, one of the challenges I saw when I was teaching a distance learning course is that
some of the students didnt get to interact with me enough to get the help they needed with
papers or tests. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online Education.) (Appel). As a teacher of
an online course Appel noticed that a major downfall with distance learning is that the students
and teachers dont get to interact, like students and teachers of traditional schools do on a daily
basis. This affects the students learning because if an assignment is done incorrectly the teacher

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
will not be able to physically show a student how to fix it. Instead the student will have to learn
how to correct their mistakes through written instructions sent by the teacher via email. For some
students it is challenging to comprehend difficult subjects without a teacher to aid them. In a
documentation of the online student the website education-portal.com found that some students
resort to outside sources to help them learn. ...Online programs cant offer the same personal
level of instruction. Some students may consider hiring a tutor to help with the hardest
materials. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online Education). Without a teacher present
students may struggle to make certain connections that are needed for learning challenging
material. Without a teacher to walk the student through the process, it is solely up to the student
to learn the challenging material. If the material is too hard to comprehend alone then a student
may hire a tutor, or if they are unwilling to do so then the student may get discouraged and fail to
progress.

Online courses lead students to expect higher grades for their work in online class, this
false sense of grading can be harmful to online students. Kamala Appel, a teacher of both online
and traditional school, notes that students in online courses develop misunderstandings of true
grading. She finds that the online student expects a better grade: ...getting a false sense of
grading or what I call grade greediness when a student expects As just for coming to class- this
is simply not the norm at a four year college. (The Continuing Controversy Over Online
Education) (Appel). Grade Greediness is bad for the online student because that type of
grading is unrealistic in real colleges. Grade greediness will translate into poor work ethics.
The student might believe that he or she can come to work, perform minimally and expect decent
results. Instead that expectation will result in the new worker getting laid off. It is true that online

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
students have misconceptions of grading. However, when online and traditional students grades
are compared the results are interesting. Students expected to receive [a] higher grade in an
online course, even though there was little difference between the grades received in traditional
courses and online courses when compared. Keramidas, Cathy Galyon. (Are Undergraduate
Students Ready For Online Learning? A Comparison Of Online And Face-To-Face Sections Of A
Course) (Reige). This information demonstrates that online students expect higher grades and do
in fact have grade greediness. However this information raises the question: is grading in
online courses easier? The study (Reige) also found that when online and traditional students
were given identical teaching methods and coursework the students received very similar grades.
Grading is not easier in online courses. Nevertheless online students expect higher grades for
their work. This false sense of grading can be harmful to online students and their employers in
the future that have to deal with an employee that expects good results for an average job.

Online courses though very attractive will have a negative and harmful effect on the host
society and students partaking in them. Although online courses may attract students with their
many benefits, the negatives will be far more detrimental than the positives good. The
convenience and flexibility of online courses is very nice to have, though students that choose a
course with flexibility will suffer without teacher motivation. As will the community that deals
with the uneducated student that failed to mature their understanding in the fields of harder
subjects. Students may also lean towards online schools because of the cheaper price. A few
hundred dollars is not worth a student that has unrealistic expectations, leading to a negative
impact on the society hosting an employee with the idealism that average work will promote
good results.

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013

Online courses will have harmful impacts on students in a variety of ways making for a
negative effect on the students community. Online schools dont have set class times that
students must attend, making online courses very flexible. Online courses aspects save online
students money that would otherwise be spent by a student in a traditional schooling
environment. Students partaking in online courses rarely meet their teachers face to face, making
it very difficult for the teacher to physically help the student. Students in online learning
environments get a false sense of grading; students expect higher grades in online courses.

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013

Work Cited
Chamberlain, Suzanne, and Rachel Taylor. "Online Or Face-To-Face? An Experimental Study
Of Examiner Training." British Journal Of Educational Technology 42.4 (2011): 665675. ERIC. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.

"The Continuing Controversy Over Online Education."straighterline.com. CAE, ETS, Excelsior

College, KNEXT, LearningCounts, McGraw-Hill Education, NROC, Saylor Foundation,
Thinkwell. Web. 20 Feb 2013. <http://www.straighterline.com/online-educationresources/higher-education-4/the-continuing-controversy-over-online-education>.

"How Much Do Online Colleges Typically Cost?."degreedirectory.org. BBB Accredited

Business. Web. 27 Feb 2013.
<http://degreedirectory.org/articles/How_Much_Do_Online_Colleges_Typically_Cost.ht
ml>.

Keramidas, Cathy Galyon. "Are Undergraduate Students Ready For Online Learning? A
Comparison Of Online And Face-To-Face Sections Of A Course." Rural Special
Education Quarterly 31.4 (2012): 25-32. Professional Development Collection. Web. 29
Feb. 2013.

Gus Stevens A4
Research paper
Saturday, March 19, 2013
Nolan, Stephanie. "Free Online High Schools in Texas."ehow.com. N.p.. Web. 5 Mar 2013.
<http://www.ehow.com/list_6154992_online-high-schools-texas.html>.

"An Online High School Vs. a Traditional High School Diploma: Some Pros and Cons."
education-portal.com. BBB Accredited Business. Web. 24 Feb 2013.
<http://educationportal.com/articles/An_Online_High_School_vs_a_Traditional_High_School_Di>.

Pastore, Ray, and Alison Carr-Chellman. "Motivations For Residential Students To Participate In
Online Courses."Quarterly Review Of Distance Education 10.3 (2009): 263-277.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.