Too Much Distance in Distance Education?

During my high school experience, I was introduced to distance education courses. These were available in a limited capacity - to students who needed to obtain certain credits that did not otherwise fit into their schedule, or to students who were unable to physically attend school. Personally, I enjoyed this way of learning as I work well independently.

Over the past several years, I have noticed an increase in distance education. While I saw it at the high school level, I also see it at the post secondary level (the PME program at Queen's, for example). For independent learners, this flexible way of learning is great and convenient. Innovation in education has undoubtedly come a long way - students can have access to course material and an online instructor from the comfort of their own home.

For the purpose of this post, I am interested in exploring the possible implications of distance education. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Please see the following list for points to consider:

(1) Can distance education affect student success? While I thrived through this mode of learning, others require face-to-face instructor interaction in order to truly gain an understanding of difficult content. For example, my younger sister recently enrolled in college classes. She is an individual who needs "in person", detailed assistance when confused. Also, she requires a concrete schedule in order to remain motivated. When enrolling for her courses, we learned that the college has decided to now only offer these courses online.

(2) Could distance education change the future of education? With some programs becoming available as online only, is this the way in which our future will look? Does this mean less teachers? Does this threaten the success of kinesthetic and interpersonal learners?

I will leave off with the following fact, from Justin Ferriman: "By 2019, nearly half of all classes worldwide will be done online" (1).

Do you think that distance education has the potential to go "too far?" Do you think that the positives outweigh the negatives?

I look forward to reading your thoughts!

Works Cited:

Ferriman, J. (2013, December 18). "7 Fascinating Distance Learning Facts." LearnDash. Retrieved from: https://www.learndash.com/7-fascinating-distance-learning-facts/