Considering the major financial pressure on the provincial government, it’s no surprise that they’re interested in a recent report suggesting that the majority of undergraduate courses could be taught online. While cost cutting may be a necessity, the move to online learning is absolutely the wrong approach to education reform.
The first objective of reform should be to improve the quality of post-secondary education here in Ontario. In an economy where having an undergraduate education is increasingly expected, and where creativity and critical thinking are more valued than ever, an excellent post-secondary system is key to future economic growth. As most politicians will acknowledge, having a highly-trained work force will allow Ontario to remain competitive and, in the long term, will ease the financial pinch on the government. Sabotaging the quality of education in the interest of short-term savings will only exacerbate the province’s economic difficulties.
Very little research exists on the value of online education. Leaving aside the fact that implementing a largely untested system on a massive scale tends not to work well, much of the research that has been done suggests that online learning cannot deliver the same quality of education. Most students know from experience that it is incredibly difficult to focus when working online. Neurological research suggests that accessing content through a computer encourages skimming, while discussion and face-to-face interaction promote deeper understanding. If university is not about deeper understanding, then why are any of us here?
The answer may be that an undergraduate degree is increasingly becoming a rubber stamp, which parents and students regard as necessary. Our universities are being debased so that the largest number of students can get degrees, with little concern for the quality of the education. Online learning encourages students not to think critically or engage with the subject, but to meet the requirements as quickly and easily as possible. This is a problem since it’s very difficult to ensure that students in online courses are academically honest.
Most research to date which supports online learning will claim that students “perform better” in online classes. These studies assess performance using test scores, and while online courses may be good at helping students absorb information in the short term and regurgitate it on a test, this is not the same as good teaching. Live streaming of a lecture or participating in an online conference in place of a tutorial don’t compare with face-to-face interaction. After all, few would argue that a Skype conversation is as good as meeting in person.
If research suggests that online education will do anything but improve the education we receive, the appeal of online learning can only be financial. Since savings are not being passed on to students, we are right to be suspicious that online learning is an attempt to save money at the expense of our education.
We should also consider that both the government and the university have a record of producing websites that are antiquated, confusing, and inefficient. Trying to run online classes through a system as cumbersome as ROSI or Blackboard would be a catastrophic failure. For online learning to work, the government would have to invest a lot of money and expertise in creating a viable online platform and then training the faculty and students of every university to use it. The report predicts savings, of 3 per cent each year from introducing online learning. Taking into account the high setup costs and modest savings it’s doubtful that online leaning will be worthwhile, even from a purely financial perspective.
The province should remember that the best students and professors can choose where they study and teach. If Ontario only offers low-quality online programs, we will not attract students from out-of-province, and our top students and professors will go elsewhere. This will sabotage our higher education system, leaving Ontario with worse professors and less able students overall. It will also significantly disadvantage Ontario students without the financial means to study outside the province, forcing them to accept an inferior education for financial reasons.
Universities should be places where the brightest young people come to learn from one another, and to be inspired by some of the world’s leading minds. They should not be factories for turning out graduates with devalued degrees. Education reform may be necessary, but online learning is not the reform we need because it undermines what university education should be about — good teaching.
