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Why e-ducation?

Since its inception in the 1980’s, online education has evolved in leaps and bounds. Initially, it took the form of simple exchanges of text messages. Now, online education includes computer simulations of scientific experiments and graphically enriched animations. There is a multitude of credit programs that offer high school to college credits and even entire degrees.

Computer-based training is an example of e-learning. The user of a computer is delivered learning material that she has to read and understand. There may be a quick test at the end of the unit for the user to self-assess her understanding. There are many models of online learning. The focus of this article is online education where there is a teacher who communicates and interacts with students while the students engage in virtual conversations among themselves.

E-ducation (online education) has a long proven history of being effective for a range of students. These benefits and the availability of virtual schools is not common knowledge for guidance counselors. Perhaps many students who would benefit from the flexibility of an online classroom environment are likely unaware that such a learning opportunity even exists. Researchers found that online education is beneficial and advantageous to students who need scheduling flexibility and who possess good self-discipline.

Studies by France Henri, Charlotte Gunawardena and Linda Harasim* agreed that online courses offer flexibility of time to students and active interaction among participants, their peers and their teachers. E-ducation is a great opportunity for students who have scheduling conflicts that otherwise prevents them from completing compulsory courses in order to graduate. Athletes who compete and have numerous travel commitments may take online courses while on the road. Fast-track students who wish to complete their education earlier may work on extra courses online. Students with chronic illness or a disability need not worry about the physical barriers of a traditional school. They may earn their high school diploma online! Pupils who serve school suspensions can take the online alternative. It may prove to be a better suited learning environment for them. Some students may not excel on the first trial at calculus or physics, but they may retake these courses online to avoid having to wait for the next semester or school year to redo the work.

There are currently hundreds of online (virtual) schools that provide online courses. Like traditional brick and mortar schools, virtual schools have different specialties and educational philosophies. Thus each school is different and serves a different student population.

Following is a list of questions students and parents should ask when researching online education institutions:
Is the school accredited, and do students earn real credits?
Are the teachers certified and experienced?
When and how can students register?
How much does it cost?
Do students communicate with a computer or with people?
Is the school recognized in its field?
Is work done in real time, or can students access classes at any time?

As guidance counselors, we are responsible for disseminating information to students and helping them select the best solution for their situation. By informing our students of the availability of rigorous, well-established virtual school programs, we fulfill our job as effective educators. 

Ken Luu is a certified guidance counselor in Toronto. He can be contacted at [email protected] or through www.Learning.ca.

*Sources: Harasim, Linda (1987). Teaching and Learning On-Line: Issues in Computer-Mediated Graduate Courses. CJEC, 16(2), 117-135.; Gunawardena, Charlotte N., Lowe, Constance A., & Anderson, Terry. (1997). Analysis of a Global Online Debate and the Development of an Interaction Analysis Model for Examining Social Construction of Knowledge in Computer Conferencing, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 17(4), 397-431.; Henri, France (1992). Evaluation Methodolgoies for Computer Conferencing Applications.

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