The journey through higher education ought to be one in which students face novel and exceptional cognitive challenges to master learning and critical thinking. However, while academic rigor yields capable graduates, it is not in the nature of most people—especially Gen Z students fresh out of high school—to select willingly a difficult path through their college years. The path of least resistance is the most trodden one.
Recent survey results indicating a strong preference toward online education are thus predictable. These data, from Champlain College Online, show that the perception of online education is improving, with respondents suggesting that online higher ed is a reasonable substitute for on-campus learning.
The surveyor’s vested interest in validating its own business model notwithstanding, the data make online higher education appear promising. Respondents praise the convenience of online coursework, and 84 percent of them believe employers have become more accepting of online degrees. Furthermore, 73 percent of surveyed adults said that online education is “the same or better at meeting the needs of traditional students.”
These glowing results warrant a significant degree of skepticism. Responses to overbroad questions showing more positive “perceptions” of online learning (whether among students or employers) may not be an indication of actual academic quality.
Serious institutions must weigh the convenience of online programs against their shortcomings in rigor.While the Champlain survey results paint a rosy picture from the outside looking in, one ought to examine online students’ experiences at a more granular level. After all, we have available for study a cohort of students who have experienced both in-person and online education thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic response. A study of 366 college students of all grade levels at the University of West Attica (Greece) found that students are “more time concentrated, understand better, are more engaged with learning, and communicate more effectively with the teacher during in-person classes.” Researchers concluded that “socialization is not just a feature of education but a prerequisite for successful learning.”