Spring Break
We Have Issues
Nathan Saint
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Opinions and Editorials
Shorter College recently announced our new summer internet courses, selling them as our attempts to keep up with an increasingly technological world.
But let's be honest here; our world isn't so technological that we operate our mouth with our fingers. "Oral Communications" is supposed to involve practicing how to communicate orally, that is, with our mouths.
Why is it, then, that students can now fulfill this requirement without ever opening their mouths?
I suppose there could be some requirement involving an audio/visual recording, but that is nothing like standing in front of the class and speaking.
Oral Communications teaches a skill that is vital for any professional, and it is the second most important core class, second only to Freshman English. I honestly don't see how an online course can make sure that "Attention is given to improvement in voice and diction" as the course description states.
Don't get me wrong. I am a strong supporter of online education. Three of my years of high school were through an online public charter school in Pennsylvania, and I've taken at least seven college courses online through other institutions.
I have no objection to putting Freshman English II online since a teacher can correct an essay just as well over the internet as in a traditional class. Online College Algebra sounds like a good idea if you do not need a whole lot of teacher instruction. I don't know about the business class or the Sports Management class since I have not taken either of them.
My biggest concern is academic honesty. Almost every online college class I have taken has based half of the grade on proctored exams to ensure that students are required to remember (and learn) at least some of what the course covers.
I don't see any proctored exams planned, although I could be pleasantly mistaken.
I am equally concerned by the lack of warnings for students who plan to enroll. As a veteran of online classes, I can tell you that online education requires a great deal of motivation and usually more work than traditional classes.
With no warning, I fear the least motivated students will be most likely to sign up for these classes and one of these situations will ensue: students will start to fail and turn to cheating; students will simply fail; or teachers will lower their expectations so students can pass.
The bottom line: kudos to Shorter College for trying to do a good thing to adapt to the 21st century, but I hope we have done enough planning for this move and don't lose our academic respect. It might no be a bad idea to require a certain level of GPA in order to be admitted to an online course (ideally a 3.0, but at least a 2.5) to help protect students and the program.
But let's be honest here; our world isn't so technological that we operate our mouth with our fingers. "Oral Communications" is supposed to involve practicing how to communicate orally, that is, with our mouths.
Why is it, then, that students can now fulfill this requirement without ever opening their mouths?
I suppose there could be some requirement involving an audio/visual recording, but that is nothing like standing in front of the class and speaking.
Oral Communications teaches a skill that is vital for any professional, and it is the second most important core class, second only to Freshman English. I honestly don't see how an online course can make sure that "Attention is given to improvement in voice and diction" as the course description states.
Don't get me wrong. I am a strong supporter of online education. Three of my years of high school were through an online public charter school in Pennsylvania, and I've taken at least seven college courses online through other institutions.
I have no objection to putting Freshman English II online since a teacher can correct an essay just as well over the internet as in a traditional class. Online College Algebra sounds like a good idea if you do not need a whole lot of teacher instruction. I don't know about the business class or the Sports Management class since I have not taken either of them.
My biggest concern is academic honesty. Almost every online college class I have taken has based half of the grade on proctored exams to ensure that students are required to remember (and learn) at least some of what the course covers.
I don't see any proctored exams planned, although I could be pleasantly mistaken.
I am equally concerned by the lack of warnings for students who plan to enroll. As a veteran of online classes, I can tell you that online education requires a great deal of motivation and usually more work than traditional classes.
With no warning, I fear the least motivated students will be most likely to sign up for these classes and one of these situations will ensue: students will start to fail and turn to cheating; students will simply fail; or teachers will lower their expectations so students can pass.
The bottom line: kudos to Shorter College for trying to do a good thing to adapt to the 21st century, but I hope we have done enough planning for this move and don't lose our academic respect. It might no be a bad idea to require a certain level of GPA in order to be admitted to an online course (ideally a 3.0, but at least a 2.5) to help protect students and the program.
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