As some centres report that the number of learners taking their A Levels online has increased, are we finally accepting distance learning as a viable learning option?
Interhigh Sixth Form College’s Director of Development, Jacqueline Daniell, has said that they offer A Level courses online because of funding cuts to sixth forms. The centre has actually increased its subject offering; “the supply has become less but the demand is just the same. We are looking to help those students out really,” stated Daniell.
The number of learners studying qualifications and courses online has grown exponentially in the last few years. In March 2013, more people were registered with one MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) provider than had ever studied with the Open University in 39 years. The method, however, has never been considered to be as high-quality as face-to-face teaching and learning. International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) President Tian Belawati believes distance learning not only opens doors, but is just as valuable.
“Open and distance learning is important for providing greater access to education, but it has also proved time and again to be a successful mode of higher education, although not necessarily recognised by students and governments around the world,” Belawati states.
Distance learning is “effective, it helps, it works – if successful, it can be even better than face-to-face higher education.”
It’s true that distance learning offers educational opportunities to those less fortunate learners who might not be able to attend college or university because of issues such as financial difficulty or disability. Indeed, 21.5% of learners at higher education level with disabilities are studying with the Open University.
While distance learning is often considered to be of a lower quality than face-to-face education, times could be changing thanks to last year’s Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG) report. Recommendations were laid out for 10% of the content of all publically-funded courses to be solely online by 2015/16.
With this in mind, it’s not only important that distance learning is of a high-quality, but also that its value is recognised. The FELTAG report supports this, stating online and distance learning courses “encourage ‘learner presence’ rather than ‘physical attendance.’” Much online learning can be casual, with unregulated video tutorials or content, but the online space can support learners looking to gain nationally recognised qualifications.
Qualifications delivered online have the capacity to reach many more learners than classroom learning could, especially with cuts to budget and limited funding for new teaching staff. Some have expressed a concern that the lack of face-to-face interaction could be detrimental to learning, but learners are able to contact a tutor if they face any difficulty. Online learning also gives your learners the chance to study at their own pace where in a large classroom that’s not always possible.
Access to the digital space could present an issue; there is a direct link between limited access to technology and the online space and low finances. This could potentially exclude learners who are not socially mobile as they may not be able to afford the technology necessary to carry out distance or online learning. Many groups, however, have campaigned for the access to a computer and the internet to be a human right, as so many services and daily tasks have now moved to the digital space, such as applying for jobs.
Distance learning has often been associated with casual online learning, but the rise in the number of learners studying their A Levels online shows that nationally recognised and widely accepted qualifications can also be studied online.
What do you think? Is distance learning a viable alternative to face-to-face learning? Are you delivering distance learning and if so, why and what barriers do you face?
