Don’t doubt E-learning

I have two high schools. Aside from Saratoga High, I also attend Stanford Online High School (OHS). OHS is by no means a conventional school. All classes are taught online through video conferences and email correspondence between teachers and students.

I started attending OHS because it had classes, such as Latin, which Saratoga High did not offer. It was incredibly convenient to be able to take a class and receive credit for it without ever having to drive anywhere.

OHS is only one program in the growing trend of online learning curriculums, known as E-learning. Khan Academy, Udacity and Coursera are others gaining popularity.

Despite the growth of E-learning, many people still question its effectiveness. The fact is, though, students learning online often have equal mastery of material compared to those in conventional classes.

Citing concerns over the lack of interaction between students and teachers, many critics believe that without a community of individuals collaborating face to face, courses lack the depth necessary for full comprehension. However, interaction between teachers and students is part of online learning.

At OHS, students see, hear and chat with each other on a daily basis through a video conferencing platform known as Saba Centra. They are able to collaborate with their entire class on the so-called “whiteboard,” or a video screen, interacting much more intimately than if they were restricted in a physical environment.

Nor are the teachers hidden behind a lifeless PowerPoint presentation. Videos of teachers allow students watching the lectures, even if they are not conversing in real-time, to feel an intimacy with their instructors.

The witty humor and engaging personality of Salman Khan, as he explains the complexities of finding the volume using integrals for his calculus course and the digestive system for his biology course, are all apparent through his lectures, creating the depth and connection with his listeners that opponents of the online learning insist are not present.

Yet another concern is whether students in online courses are able to properly master the material taught without the ordinary tools of testing and homework to gauge progress. Once again, however, this argument falls short.

Udacity, an online educational program founded primarily for computer science courses, has periodic homework assignments and some classes have the option of taking a proctored final exam. These exams help show that students have adequately learned the material.

OHS also gives midterm and final exams, along with other tests and quizzes administered through a proctor. Often, teachers also choose to have their students take additional exams.

One of the founders of OHS, Raymond Ravaglia, told the New York Times, “We want legitimacy in the results and don’t want students coming to the school for the wrong reason.”

In a report synthesized by the Department of Education, researchers concluded that “instruction conducted entirely online is as effective as classroom instruction,” and that “blends of online and face-to-face instruction, on average, had stronger learning outcomes that did face-to-face instruction alone,” demonstrating the effectiveness of E-learning.

Thus, rather than being concerned about online education producing sub-par levels of mastery, schools should embrace the new tools given to students for additional learning.

While Saratoga High couldn’t supply me with all the classes I wanted, or fit them all into my schedule due to size and cost restrictions, OHS provided a supplement to my regular schooling.

The boom of E-learning programs has increased the range of education for students, an achievement that should be lauded rather than doubted.