It is worth noting that distance education has taken off at the high school level. Some students (and parents) have opted for complete at-home study while other students have cherry-picked classes to take at home. There is a clear advantage, in the eyes of many students, to classes that are delivered on demand into a classroom with one desk.
The initial advantages are obvious. Flexibility is perhaps the most evident – most, but not all, online courses are available on demand. Some are still classroom or videotape exercises that require the student to be online at a certain hour, but the only commute is from the kitchen to the computer. And it is not only the instruction that is available on call, but the study time is self-selected as well. Online course materials can be reviewed when it’s convenient, which should mean when the student can best concentrate. As a result, many students are finding that online study in general can be more effective than traditional classroom methods.
The growth of social websites and online communication in general has been fueled, in part, by the comfort zone that a computer can create. When you are physically removed from interaction and instant communication isn’t necessary, there is a great lessening of social pressure. The same applies to the virtual classroom. There is considerable evidence that interaction among classmates enrolled in online courses is far greater than what is found in a university setting. Classroom size has no impact, so group discussions online don’t create the social exposure that causes so many students to remain silent in an academic setting. And what begins as random discussions among remote students can lead to team approaches to class work, something that only occurs on a campus when it is required by a course exercise.
The same physical remoteness can also lead to increased willingness to communicate with the instructor. Over the past couple of years there have been several articles written about the unique academic burdens associated with teaching an online class. Instructors have said repeatedly that it takes a different approach than required by traditional university teaching because of the increased interaction with students and the increased amount of written material required of instructors. That said good online schools by this time should have instructors in place who are comfortable building long distance communication relationships with students. Oddly enough, the distance part of distance learning can make the experience a more social experience than traditional schooling and lead to the personal benefits of new friendships and communication skills.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of online education is the two edged sword that makes an online student successful. Distance learning requires discipline that is totally self-generated. An online student is going to be forced to create a personal schedule that makes the online classroom experience and studying worthwhile. And the student that succeeds in cutting “school hours” out of every day is going to be far more efficient than a campus student wandering from lecture hall to seminar and back home at some point to crack the books. Self motivated students will learn more and value the experience more for having created the classroom themselves.