Online Teaching during Crises and Its Possible Impacts on Higher Education
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The document discusses the evolution and implications of online teaching in higher education, particularly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the growing acceptance of online degrees, their comparative quality to traditional education, and the societal perceptions that still stigmatize them. Overall, it suggests a significant shift towards hybrid models as technology enhances accessibility and affordability, while also highlighting the challenges and limitations of online education.
Online Teaching during Crises and Its Possible Impacts on Higher Education
- 1. Online Teaching during Crises and Its Possible Impacts on Higher Education Q. J. YAO, PH.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION & MEDIA, LAMAR UNIVERSITY, BEAUMONT, TX 77710 QYAO@LAMAR.EDU PRESENTED TO THE 2021’ ANNUAL CONFERENCE (VIRTUAL) OF SOUTHERN STATES COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION (INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIVISION).
- 2. Abstract Online teaching has been an auxiliary method in higher education for years, and its quality in comparison with traditional face-to-face teaching has been a long-time topic of scholarly examination and debate. This study aims at accessing the extent research about the comparison in qualities of online and face-to-face teachings, their practices in the ongoing pandemic period, and the possible impacts of the large-scale practice of online teaching during this COVID pandemic on higher education in the long run.
- 3. Introduction Online higher education grows speedily, and with its relatively lower tuition (Garrett, 2018), it can probably solve the severe societal concern of rising student debt (Wright, 2016). Famed higher-ed institutions start to offer online degrees at undergraduate, master’s and even doctoral levels. Is online higher education still viewed as a less prestigious supplement to its face-to- face counterpart? With the development of technology and the increasing emancipation of human nature that demands for more flexibility, convenience, affordability, and self- direction, how can we vision the development of online higher-ed vs. traditional college education?
- 4. Existing Studies: Online Degrees Are Booming A study by the Arizona State University Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group of six online higher programs (Arizona State University, Georgia State University, The University of Central Florida, Houston Community College, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and Rio Salado Community College) confirms that online learning can make quality higher education more adorable and efficient, and to retain more students (Lieberman, 2018). Online higher-ed programs also make education more accessible to people with needs, as evidenced from their higher enrollments than the enrollment of equivalent traditional programs (Goodman, Melkers, & Pallais, 2017). With such benefits and potential, several states whose governments feel the shortage of education funds, like Florida and California, have started to promote online higher education programs, and some experts believe that the future of universities may depend on at least a blending of online and face-to-face education (Bonvillian & Singer, 2013). More colleges, including large state systems like SUNY, plan to enter the online-degree market (Busta, 2019). According to statistics available, up to 2017, 13% of all undergraduates in the U.S, or 2,250,000 students, pursued degrees fully online; in states like New Hampshire, almost half undergraduates were fully online (Garrett, 2018). States with fewer online programs on par with out-of-state online programs also lost their residents: for instance, between 2016 and 2017, Texas online programs lost about 100,000, or 500%, of undergraduates and graduates to, than it gained from, out-of -state online programs (Garrett, 2018). During COVID, almost every degree program is online.
- 5. Existing Studies: Quality of Online Education A metanalysis of more than a thousand of empirical studies about online learning from 1996 to 2008 shows that, in average, students in online sections “performed modestly better” than those in the face-to-face sections. Blended learning has a larger advantage to face-to-face learning than did purely online learning (Means et al, 2010). Some studies also find that pure online courses make students with weaker academic preparation and those from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds constantly underperform (Sprotopsaltis & Baum, 2019), Students cultivate their self-identification with the online higher- ed brand mainly from inside their online programs, such as through online classes, as well as from the perception from the external public, the social norm (Ha, 1998).
- 6. Existing Studies: Reputation of Online Degree Still Suffers But online education is still not fully recognized by the society, and more importantly the recruiters. Although many HR managers gradually accept online degrees, some even weighting online degrees more and taking them as evidence of the self- discipline of the online students, who need to juggle between life responsibilities and the educational pursuit, still about a fourth recruiters treat online degrees, together with degrees from unaccredited institutes, as products of the “diploma mills,” an viewpoint even more prevalent among HR managers and executives in 2009 as revealed in a survey then (Haynie, 2013). A 2005 survey of HR directors or designees in Texas who were responsible to hire administrators for school districts also demonstrates that they were not willing to hire holders of pure online degrees, although hybrid degrees were slightly more acceptable (Cortez-Rucker, 2016).
- 7. LinkedIn Discussion I (544 Comments)
- 8. Other Suggestions Parents don’t feel the same value for online college as for traditional college. Online teaching are not adaptable for lab classes that require facilities and materials. Lab training is not conveyable. Traditional students are not used to online learning, home online learning has no context, space, and scheduling. Online learning is the future. Miss the F2F lessons, but online is here to stay. Online learning (synchronically) is challenging across different time zones and decreased the opportunity to learn from leading scholars Hybrid online/in-class is the most recommended. Online education doesn’t fit small private universities that value a feeling of family. Yale’s mission is also about in-person residential education. Brown president Paxon believes noting can replace in-person education and online teaching has less intellectual discourse. On-campus encounters are also learning opportunities. Online education may be as effective and efficient, but students have little access to campus experiences, resources, and supports. Online learning is to pay high tuition to teach yourself. Certain things need to be learned by physical touch and cannot be conveyed online (wielding, etc.). Online education doesn’t provide campus life (sports, clubs, sororities & fraternities, etc.), which students desperately need. Online learners feel disconnected. It is hard for practical and hands-on classes. Traditional classroom is not the best place for learning to occur, leaning on mobile devices is. Students wants personalized learning opportunity and interactions with teachers and peers. F2F can get points and passion across much better than online. COVID brings a chance to reflect upon higher education. Some students actually prefer online learning than F2F learning. Some dropped because courses are online. Professors are not trained for online teaching. Classes are not designed for online teaching. College education provides hirability and brand reputation. With bandwidth and video conferencing tools, online will be the new norm. Online teaching has special benefits for students too, such as video interviewing skills. A shift in higher ed paradigm is predictable. (a data-science student) not feel dedicated to online lectures. Discussion quality is lowered online. Networking effects is diminished. Online learning help students working, with disabilities, with long commutes, and no rescores for dorms. Universities benefitted from better student-teacher ratio, more housing and space, and more equitable student access. Allow students to make choices about when, where, and how much they are willing and able to do.
- 9. LinkedIn Discussion III (526 Comments) Suggestions: Tradition and convention determine where to acquire a degree. I believe higher education is beginning to experience a fundamental shift from our traditional system of a residential-based experience to one that will heavily rely on the hybrid/virtual and online delivery modalities. The Competency Based Credential has replaced the degree as the most sought after credential employers are looking for. The residential experience frequently associated with undergraduate education may not be as valuable as it once was, with the transition of the workplace to largely being online in the new “normal”. Higher-ed will continue it's transition to online delivery and instruction. Brick and mortar will remain relevant, but only for those with the economic means to access (or those willing to take on large debt; unless there is significant govt. intervention). The benefits of technology are huge and will continue to grow and help democratize education for those seeking to add skills and experiences to their portfolio. The essence of education is never simply about acquiring a degree, a certification, or a piece of paper that proves that you're capable of receiving an education; rather, it goes beyond the 'physical gain' through encouraging building networks, testing out theories, experimenting new methods within a confined space (campus) and a defined period of time (four-years).
- 10. LinkedIn Discussion II (597 Comments)
- 11. Other Suggestions Online learning increases the feeling of isolation. freedom from location is one ancillary benefit of online instruction. Online courses need to be more transferable and recognizable. Stigma for online degrees still exist and makes sense. Higher ed will be totally or at least partially transferred to online. No stigma about online learning, which can be rigorous too, particularly at reputable schools who are also jumping online. Online courses are not well-prepared. The pandemic (as unfortunate as it is) will help move this absurd stigma. Different does NOT equal bad or less. Online degrees are no less robust, challenging and competitive than traditional F2F, but in many ways better suited to arm today's learners for the evolving work-place. Engagement is key! Online teaching/learning/degrees are inevitable part of the future as much as mobile phones and automobiles have become the necessities of modern life, but they were made possible by the invention & refinement of those new product offerings. Some preference of F2F teaching is about educator’s prestige. COVID is changing the stigma and normalizing online rigor. I wish Ph.D. programs are available online, I cannot afford not to work full time and go back to school. There will always be a place for traditional, residential, on-campus educational experience with formal and informal interactions, particularly for the 18-22 cohorts. Online education won’t flourish in areas that need human interaction (social work, lab, arts). The value of college education is curation, guidance, certification, and prestige, all can be done online. Online learning allows students to study at their own pace, faster or slower, and not restrained by the class pace. Just as online shopping, online learning offers speed, convenience, and personalization. It is not about the modality but about the quality of commitment, engagement and relevance. It’s all in the design. Networking, interpersonal relationships, on campus facilities, exhibition spaces, and human interaction are all important parts of the higher education experience particularly for undergraduates. City life is also missing. A student attests that online programs being more rigorous. Online degrees from for-profit universities have low requirements.
- 12. Other suggestions continue Online degrees on any level demonstrate a stronger work ethic, superior time-management skills, and show initiative, because those students typically are juggling other priorities such as full-time jobs, kids, etc. without any in-person oversight. Secondly, in my experience, sometimes getting timely feedback from professors or classmates was much more difficult in the online setting. Online teaching may not provide personal connections with professors. Different students learn better in different modalities. online learning can, in many ways, out-pace traditional accreditation learning. Our goals as educators are to provide venues for knowledge acquisition, talent development, deep thought, problem solving, critical thinking, and most importantly communication capabilities. Both online and in-person can serve. Online teaching is easier to cheat on tests. A student wants to see the combination of online degrees with professional certificates. I am thinking of say an introductory chemistry class with a lab component. Is that hands-on experience really so essential? And we are seeing ever more sophisticated simulations, virtual reality, augmented reality etc replacing the traditional hands-on experience. As far as the intellectual aspects, I see no reason why an online education is fundamentally inferior to the traditional one. With the accountability of proctored testing in person, it has become easier to verify that the person is whom they say they are. Online degrees need: 1. high quality, well-designed, interactive courses; highly motivated and well disciplined students for success. Online learning avoid social interactions, for good and for bad too (bullying, bad attitude, etc.), and they are as rigorous. a recent HBS study suggests that students prefer an on-campus experience because of the social, spontaneous, collaborative, and experiential learning experience I have found that online degrees can be of the same quality as onsite degrees. Sometimes they are even better, with more teaching tools and evaluation data, but the instructor needs to be engaging, imaginative, and creative. A high-quality education often results from opportunities for close student/instructor interaction, a good balance of theory and practice, access to quality learning resources—such as libraries and groundbreaking technology, reasonable class sizes, and qualified instructors. This is true both online and in-person. Face-to-face, campus-based educational experiences do offer unique value, because they best support sociocultural influences (e.g., networking, both formal & informal). However, traditional accreditation relies too heavily on historically academic values rather than relevant outcomes (e.g., impact on entrepreneurial start-ups and/or influence on organizations & institutions). Online degrees may still have a stigma but will gradually raise. Online courses on datacamp, superdatascience, and udemy cost much less and have much better quality and teachers. moving forward, the reputation of an online degree will largely depend on the accreditation of the program and reputation of the issuing institution or platform. It is the middle private and state college where the greatest transformation in online training. Employers don’t care if your degree is traditional or online, unless you hold an ivy league one. A Socratic seminar online is even more engaging. Our success is driven by (in no particular order): Being a first mover - our program is 10 years old Conferring the same diploma across all of our MBA formats High admission standards - our original ad was "The online MBA program you probably can't get in to" Small class sizes (12-18 students per live class) Our best faculty and our best content.
- 13. Key Points From LinkedIn Discussions Online degrees have little stigma and are norms in some areas already (MBA, etc.) Some elite private colleges will remain residential and face-to-face for tradition, campus & city life, and personal connections (like in a live show) as a luxury version of higher ed. Others will go more online. Technology advancements such as bandwidth and video conferencing will make online degrees more flourishing. Online teaching provides freedom from location and more, easy and affordable access to higher education. Almost all informative functions of traditional face-to-face teaching can be fulfilled online. Even hands-on or lad teaching can be online with VR, AR technology. Fac-to-face learning may become an auxiliary method. Online courses need to be better designed to take advantages of technology and meet students’ learning needs and style. HyFlex degrees may be a better option during the transition to online. Accreditation and evaluation need to be adapted to the trend and more outcome-based.
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