Posted 2:18 PM by George Siemens
Occassionaly, a really interesting article/resource can be discovered on the Internet...Debate - Future of Online Distance Education is one of them. The link leads to a 30 minute debate (or you can follow links to short excerpts) on the value of online learning...one speaker thinks online learning is second-rate...the other thinks online learning has great potential.

So...whatever your views of online learning...this certainly gives you something to think about. You will need RealPlayer to play the audio...a link is included in the article.

Hey! Guess what?...online learning is no longer "hot"...at least according to this article: Educators Shift Stance

Quote:
"Apparently, college students don't want to take classes at home. Only one year ago, distance learning was one of the hottest topics in higher education. Schools across the nation invested millions of dollars in technology to create virtual classrooms which would allow students to take college courses from their home computers.
Within the last year, the once-promising trend has virtually fallen off the face of the academic map, with many explaining that administrators jumped on the distance learning bandwagon before the technology was ready."

Comment:
Not sure what to think of that...but here are some thoughts:
Firstly...I'll say that people were overly excited about online learning...with many ignoring functionality, and focusing instead on the "sexy" side of elearning.

Secondly...online learning requires work and investment...not necessarily appealing.

Thirdly...the people who truly believe technology enhances education will continue to work at it, making this new medium thrive (at least that is my opinion).

Fourthly...Online learning has been "done" so poorly, that it is little wonder that students have not been thrilled with course offerings (and after students lose interest...so do administrators)...