Recent studies have demonstrated that online courses,
properly handled, can meet and even exceed educational standards established by
traditional face-to-face courses. So why aren’t more schools embracing this
potentially powerful educational weapon?
Several barriers stand in the way of widespread use of
online education. Some barriers relate to enrollment in distance education
programs. Rezabek (as cited in Muilenburg &
Berge, 2001) grouped these barriers into three broad categories. “Situational
barriers result from an individual’s general situation or environment, and
include such issues as transportation, age, time constraints, and family
responsibilities. Institutional barriers are created by an institution’s
programs, policies, and procedures, and include problems with admissions, registration,
scheduling of courses, financial aid, and support services. Dispositional
barriers result from an individual’ s personal background, attitude,
motivation, learning style, and self-confidence.”
Also in the Muilenburg study, Leggett and Persichitte were
cited as identifying five basic barrier categories to the implementation of
technology in K12 classrooms: time, access, resources, expertise, and support.
Muilenburg and Berg’s study, through the study of a myriad of other resources,
developed their own list which ultimately identified a total of 64 categories
of barriers which the authors used as survey questions for their study.
Berg (1998) identified multiple barriers to online
education, including:
· "faceless" teaching
· fear of the imminent replacement of faculty by computers
· diffusion of value traditionally placed on getting a degree
· faculty culture
· lack of an adequate time-frame to implement online courses
· many distance learners who lack independent learning skills and local
library resources
· lack of formalized agreements to sustain program commitment though
difficulties and problems
· high cost of materials
· taxpayer ignorance of the efficacy of distance education
· lack of a national agenda, funding priority, and policy leadership
· increased time required for both online contacts and preparation of
materials/activities
· the more technologically advanced the learning system, the more to go
wrong
· non-educational considerations take precedence over educational
priorities
· resistance to change
· lack of technological assistance
One definite barrier to online education is the attitude of
the instructor toward technology. According to Christiea and Juradob (2009),
educators have historically been slow to embrace emergent technology. “Older
teachers required time to adapt to the use of overhead transparencies even when
they instinctively knew that it was pedagogically smarter to show a picture of
complicated equipment during a lecture than to try to describe it in words… It
took time and a lot of trial and error before teachers made the next step to
PowerPoint….” Christiea and Juradob went on to state that many teachers
currently using PowerPoint technology were failing to use it for pedagogical
reasons, but rather as speaker notes. These
users had not recognized the potential of the technology for illustration,
engagement, or enhancement of their presentation. Similar problems exist with
the current use of computer education.
Some might argue that it is fear of technology which impedes
its general use more than any other barrier. “…the most critical obstacles
reported in this survey appear related to persons' resistance to or fear of the
many changes that must occur at the individual and organizational level. Add to
these fears the lack of support for the changing roles of students and teachers
and you have the ingredients that often lead to significant impediments to
success in online education” (Berge, 1998).
Another key problem appears to be related to access. The
best online program, if students are unable to access it, get it to work
correctly on their home system or mobile device, or figure out how to use it, is
worthless. This barrier is so pervasive, Lorenzo and Moore (2002) list access
as one of the five pillars of quality online instruction. “One of the most
comprehensive and experienced models of access-related issues can be found at
the one of the oldest and largest providers of online education, UMUC… Merrily Stover,
former Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies at UMUC, outlines the
multifaceted structure of an institution focused on providing a full-range of
services to make online learning easily accessible to students. For example,
UMUC’s Student Success Center offers a full range of online orientations,
24-hour technical support, and easy web-based access to online courses and programs.
The school’s Better Opportunities through Online Education Program helps
low-income workers gain access to higher education.”
The good news is that educators are beginning to recognize
the potential of the technology to provide high quality education to larger
numbers of people. Institutes of higher education, public, private, and
chartered K12 schools, and even state governments are beginning to offer, promote,
and fund online education in vast numbers. Pedagogical changes are improving
the quality of these programs, and organizations such as the Sloan Consortium
are driving increased access and helping to overcome the digital divide.
Unfortunately, it may take a generation for many of these barriers to be
overcome. As digital natives graduate and join the ranks of educators and
policy makers, I believe we will see a tremendous growth in online education
and witness many of these barriers slipping away.
References
Berge, Z. L. (1998, Summer). Barriers To Online
Teaching In Post-Secondary Institutions: Can Policy Changes Fix It?
Retrieved May 3, 2012, from Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration:
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer12/berge12.html
Christiea, M., & Juradob, R. G. (2009). Barriers
to innovation in online pedagogy. European Journal of Engineering Education,
273–279.
Lorenzo, G., & Moore, J. (2002, November). FIVE
PILLARS OF QUALITY ONLINE EDUCATION. Retrieved May 3, 2012, from The Sloan
Consortium:
http://www.edtechpolicy.orgwww.edtechpolicy.org/ArchivedWebsites/Articles/FivePillarsOnlineEducation.pdf
Muilenburg, L., & Berge, Z. (2001). Barriers to
Distance Education: A Factor-Analytic Study. The American Journal of
Distance Education, 7-22.