| I've never done an online college class, but I'm sure it would be no worse than my video-based class. I've done online technical classes and it's a perfectly fine way to learn facts or skills. What one lacks, of course, is the interaction with prof & peers that may occur in smaller classes.
A lot depends on learning style, too. Personally, when I was an undergrad I got very little out of lecture classes in sciences, math, and engineering. I found I learned far more from the textbook - by zipping through the stuff that I understood readily, and pondering over the stuff that didn't make sense at first, and sometime referring back to a previous chapter, I could learn the material. I'm sure some people are the exact opposite - they'd find it easier to learn from a live person.
The bigger issue is the whole undergrad experience. My MBA education wasn't compromised by taking one or two classes in a format that had minimal prof & peer interaction; I had lots of classes with vigorous discussion, presentations, group projects, etc. Had I taken all my classes without such interaction, it would not have been the same. And that's grad school - it's even more important, IMO, that the undergraduate experience be an opportunity to grow intellectually both inside and outside the classroom.
My conclusion would be that letting undergrads take a few courses online is no big deal if it lets them complete their degree on schedule. I'd limit the total number, though, and not include classes where interaction is important. If a student wants to complete a large portion of their classes in online mode, then he should be considered an online student.
As members of a discussion forum, though, we all can see that it IS possible to have an interchange of ideas without being in the same room at the same time. A good online class should provide the facility for such interaction, and students graded in part on their participation. |