Will online courses replace college?

Parents Forum
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<p>Think one piece of that “magic formula” might be perfecting the whole “video conferencing” thing. And I mean REALLY perfecting it, so sitting at home in front of your computer is just about the same experience as sitting in the classroom. The only model I see working in the long term is one where there are scheduled classes at specific times, where all participants in the class are online at the same time with video. I believe this is the Stanford On-line High School model.</p>

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<p>Will I be able to have a beer after class with my computer and talk about this and that? Followed by spotting an unattached POTOS leading to a surprising evening?</p>

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<p>If it’s impossible for you to meet someone except on a college campus, going to college will not solve your problem. When only 10% or less of the population went to college, people still managed to date and get married. I’ve seen a few articles about young people postponing marriage and children because of high college debt.</p>

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<p>No, but most undergraduates can’t have a beer and talk about this or that after class in a traditional classroom either.</p>

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<p>Well, suppose that depends on the college. Ours served beer and wine at both student unions. And yes, meeting people you want to meet on or near a college campus is MUCH easier.</p>

<p>[Google</a> Image Result for <a href=“http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/original/terrace_people_table03_6665.jpg%3F1286761201[/url]”>http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/original/terrace_people_table03_6665.jpg%3F1286761201](<a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS400US400&biw=1536&bih=638&tbm=isch&tbnid=ZEBHeNwVRrm4lM:&imgrefurl=http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/view&docid=ce0v0-WhJ-WdeM&imgurl=http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/original/terrace_people_table03_6665.jpg%253F1286761201&w=600&h=400&ei=MLWiUI3ZEOPS2AXJ5IDoCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=705&vpy=151&dur=5555&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=135&ty=127&sig=101300931831194767744&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=180&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:111]Google”>http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS400US400&biw=1536&bih=638&tbm=isch&tbnid=ZEBHeNwVRrm4lM:&imgrefurl=http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/view&docid=ce0v0-WhJ-WdeM&imgurl=http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/3097/original/terrace_people_table03_6665.jpg%253F1286761201&w=600&h=400&ei=MLWiUI3ZEOPS2AXJ5IDoCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=705&vpy=151&dur=5555&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=135&ty=127&sig=101300931831194767744&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=180&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:111)</a></p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS400US400&biw=1536&bih=638&tbm=isch&tbnid=bNgB20ces9yYwM:&imgrefurl=http://wudmusic.com/2012/05/&docid=iv8o2wEPswYRLM&imgurl=http://wudmusic.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/04/terrace.jpg&w=600&h=400&ei=Y7aiUNm3JaSU2QXBx4GYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=476&vpy=155&dur=3030&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=142&ty=115&sig=101300931831194767744&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=186&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:86[/url]”>http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS400US400&biw=1536&bih=638&tbm=isch&tbnid=bNgB20ces9yYwM:&imgrefurl=http://wudmusic.com/2012/05/&docid=iv8o2wEPswYRLM&imgurl=http://wudmusic.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/04/terrace.jpg&w=600&h=400&ei=Y7aiUNm3JaSU2QXBx4GYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=476&vpy=155&dur=3030&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=142&ty=115&sig=101300931831194767744&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=186&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:86&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>[MOOCs</a> to Be Evaluated for Possible College Credit
By TAMAR LEWIN
New York Times
November 13, 2012](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/education/moocs-to-be-evaluated-for-possible-college-credit.html]MOOCs”>Free Online Courses to Be Evaluated for Possible College Credit - The New York Times)</p>

<p>While massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are still in their early days, the race has begun to integrate them into traditional colleges — both by making them eligible for transfer credits, and by putting them to use in introductory and remedial courses.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, the American Council on Education, the leading umbrella group for higher education, and Coursera, a Silicon Valley MOOC provider, announced a pilot project to determine whether some free online courses are similar enough to traditional college courses that they should be eligible for credit.</p>

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<p>You missed my point. Most traditional undergrads are under 21. Therefore, they are not sharing a beer unless the college is doing something illegal.</p>

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<p>While you can learn a lot in online classes, college is more than just learning some book knowledge, and that’s all you learn on an online class.</p>

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<p>Oh, I got your point. I’ll just say enforement is very selective/limited. If you don’t get obnoxious nobody will bother you. Why do you think they sell big pichers?</p>

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<p>I would actually hate online classes. I wouldn’t be able to get myself to stick with them; it’d be too easy to just chill on Facebook the whole time.</p>

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<p>Online classes are much too prone to distraction. Aside from that, it comes down to the motivation of the student; some college professors truly know how to convey enthusiasm of the material to the student - something an online class will never have.</p>

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<p>Not sure why people are acting like this is a thing of the future. Most large state schools offer courses online, many offer complete degrees online - like Georgia Tech, Purdue, and UW to name a few. These aren’t University of Phoenix type schools, and many of these degrees don’t have any distinction that says “Online B.S./M.S.”. This already happens whether you like it or not, and one could even argue that these programs are more rigorous than traditional programs. Only time will tell if they completely replace in-person programs (I think not).</p>

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<p>gstein - are the courses you reference simply “web enhanced”, or do they involve scheduled classes held via video conference?</p>

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<p>@Beliavsky,</p>

<p>Is the point of this thread to determine whether online learning can replace classroom learning for transferring content?</p>

<p>or is the point really: can a credible college degree be obtained free/more cheaply by using online college?</p>

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<p>I wanted to know which would be a better option: Pursuing an ALB (BA) from Harvard Extension School or going to a community college for two years and then attempting to transfer to a four-year univeristy.</p>

<p>I am considering going to a MA community college like Middlesex Community College or Bunker Hill Community College and then transfering into UMass or maybe even Haravrd.</p>

<p>Assuming I can’t transfer into Harvard, what’s going to get me a job: A BA from Harvard Extension School or a BA from UMass (Amherst, Lowell, or Boston?)?</p>

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<p>I think the answer to the first question is yes, so I am more interested in the second one, but both topics are worth discussing.</p>

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<p>I think this is a very thoughtful essay on the future of online courses and residential colleges.</p>

<p>[Napster, Udacity, and the Academy
by Clay Shirky](<a href=“http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/11/napster-udacity-and-the-academy/”>http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2012/11/napster-udacity-and-the-academy/&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>“Every college provides access to a huge collection of potential readings, and to a tiny collection of potential lectures. We ask students to read the best works we can find, whoever produced them and where, but we only ask them to listen to the best lecture a local employee can produce that morning.”</p>

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<p>Not at all. The on-campus college lifestyle is one that is desired by a lot of young people, and therefore will be around for a long time. Plus there are many things about earning an education in the traditional sense that are very valuable and cannot be duplicated online.</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t think you are seeing too many people decide between on-campus learning and online learning. Most of the increase in online students is coming from people who decide to go back to school and earn additional degrees or finish already started degrees. Another way to say this is that there are two separate pools of possible students for on-campus learning and online learning without much overlap.</p>

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<p>Khan and EdX dont grant degrees, so they dont really compete with colleges. Not yet anyway. These are just attempts by the intelectual ellite to appear altruistic. They are willing to share the knowledge but not the wealth.</p>

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<p>Many reputable, traditional colleges offer online degrees now. In most cases, though, these degrees are not entirely online. You typically have to complete the general education requirements and major prerequisites first.</p>