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corporate perception of e-learning
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corporate perception of e-learning
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I'm wondering if there's any information on what the corporate world's perception of distance learning programs (ie MBA online) is.
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Forums » Topic Forums » Training & Organizational Development » corporate perception of e-learning
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corporate perception of e-learning
posted at 10/17/2001 10:30 AM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: 10/17/2001 Last: 10/17/2001 |
Here is one article:
Evaluating E-Degrees There's considerable debate over whether candidates with online degrees are as qualified as those who lug breifcases full of books across a real campus. By Shari Caudron -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- n many ways, Alex Zai is your typical online learner. As vice president of store operations and international development for PakMail Centers of America, Inc., Zais job is too demanding for a traditional classroom education. Seeking an MBA program that could accommodate his extensive foreign travel schedule and give him a greater understanding of international business, Zai enrolled in the University of Phoenix Global MBA Program. The courses, which were offered entirely online, allowed him to complete his coursework after his kids were asleep, while waiting in airports, or while conducting business in other countries. How does he describe the quality of education received? Mediocre at best, he admits. Zai rarely received feedback on his work, there was no interaction with the other students, and he often felt that his writing skills were better than those of his instructors. The only thing I gained from the online courses was a better understanding and use of the Internet, he explains. Across the country, there are countless other working professionals just like Alex Zai. Pressed for time but faced with the need for ongoing education, more and more adults are choosing to enroll in online degree programs. According to a study conducted by Merrill Lynch, more than 2.2 million college students will be taking courses online by 2002, a huge jump from the 710,000 enrolled in 1998. Many if not most of these students are the working adults who now make up over 50 percent of post-secondary students. In response to the growing demand for online education, colleges and universities are rushing headlong into the e-learning marketplace. There are currently more than 6,000 accredited college courses offered on the Web, and 84 percent of four-year colleges will be offering distance-learning courses in the next two years. In addition to the standard books-and-classroom universities, there are also a handful of universities that were born on the Web. These include Jones International University, based in Englewood, Colorado, and Capella University, in Minneapolis. The willingness of educators to embrace the Internet means it is now easier than ever to obtain a college degree without ever setting foot on a college campus. But does the growing enrollment in online degree programs mean that they are as effective as a traditional classroom education, or is Zais disappointing experience the norm? How should HR professionals who make hiring decisions regard online degrees? Are the candidates as qualified as those who lug briefcases full of books across campus? As you might expect, in a new industry where the financial stakes are high but the experience level low, there are vigorous disagreements as to the effectiveness of online degree programs. Online versus the classroom: which is more effective? A glance at some of the research indicates no significant difference between distance education - of any sort - and classroom-based instruction. In his book The No Significant Difference Phenomenon (North Carolina State University, 1999), Thomas L. Russell of North Carolina State University details results from 365 distance-education studies that show little if any difference in the quality of education received through distance learning versus the classroom. If you believe this research, which I do, there is no doubt that with very few exceptions, students in online degree programs are at least as good as comparable students in traditional courses, he says. If I was doing the hiring, I would definitely give preference to the person with an online degree. They have to be more disciplined and work harder to achieve their goals. John Losak, vice president of research and planning at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, agrees with Russell. Over the past six years, his department has conducted more than 24 studies comparing student performance in online courses with that of their classroom counterparts. The research analyzed rate of graduation, time to graduation, and knowledge acquisition, among other things. Overall, students perform as well or better in online courses, he says. But critics of such favorable reports emphasize that these studies are comparing online education with classroom-based instruction that was never very good to begin with. Roger Schank, chairman of Cognitive Arts Corporation, based in New York, is one of the most outspoken detractors. You shouldnt be comparing online education with existing education because existing education is not that good, he says. A lecture hall crammed with 1,000 students is not good education. Lectures themselves are not good education. People learn best by doing. Schank, whose company is helping Columbia create its online university, is not a critic of online education overall, only of the way that most online courses are currently being offered. As he explains, in their zeal to create online offerings, most universities are simply slapping lecture notes and readings online, making what was a bad education to begin with even worse. Its like filming plays, he explains. When movies came out in the 1920s, the first thought was to film plays because that was how people were used to delivering entertainment. You look at movies today, and they dont look anything like plays. As time evolved, people began to understand that the medium was different and thus what we could do with it was different. The same is true with education and the Internet. So how should online education be evolving? Because adults learn best through interaction and experience, Schank says, online courses must be developed in such a way that learners can apply their new knowledge to real-life experiences as well as interact and seek feedback from others. To be fair, there are some pioneers who are bringing together experts in subject matter, adult learning theory, and technology to design courses specifically for the Internet that are radically different from any youd find in a classroom. These include Capella University, an accredited online institution that offers 12 degree programs, and Cardean University, a spin-off of UNext.com that has partnered with educational heavyweights such as Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, and Stanford. The most advanced courses being created by these universities use movie-like presentations, student-driven simulations, and asynchronous communication to facilitate interaction and experiential learning. Because courses like this are designed from the ground up with technology, interaction, and simulation in mind, they are time-consuming and expensive to develop. In fact, some courses take as long as 18 months and cost as much as $1 million to create. By comparison, current development costs for most distance-education courses average less than $10,000, according to a report by Eduventures.com, Inc. For instance, the University of Phoenix Online creates courses for less than $5,000. Because of the enormous time and cost involved in putting more experiential courses online, it is likely to be some time before the overall quality of online education improves. There are great courses online now, Schank insists, but it will be a while before there are great online degrees. But what about todays job candidates? Does the fact that e-learning is still in its infancy mean that all graduates of online degree programs are receiving substandard education? Should HR professionals stay away from current online grads in favor of employees with traditional degrees? Not necessarily. As with all hiring decisions, it depends on what you are looking for. Certain subjects are very conducive to online delivery, explains Jeff Creighton, founder and chairman of EduPoint Inc., which manages a Web site that provides centralized access to information about online education. Information technology courses, for example, are ideally suited to the Web, he says. HR professionals at high-tech companies appear to be in agreement with Creighton. According to a recent survey of hiring managers by Vault.com, the three industries most likely to hire candidates with online degrees are Internet and new media, technology, and high tech. Aside from technical skills, the other competencies that online graduates typically demonstrate are discipline, motivation, good writing skills, the ability to work independently, and a high degree of comfort with the Internet. Why? Because all these characteristics are required in order to successfully complete an online program. But in todays highly collaborative workplace, where joint decisions have to be made quickly, the best-prepared applicants might still be those who have acquired their abilities through traditional classroom programs. Measurable skills, such as whether or not a candidate can read a balance sheet or create a strategic plan, can typically be taught effectively both online and in the classroom, Creighton says. But when it comes to qualitative abilities such as interpersonal skills, leadership qualities, and problem-solving, e-learning is not yet delivering because it doesnt provide the immersion and interaction required to change a students paradigm. These attributes are still best developed through more traditional classroom-based education. Alex Zai agrees. As a result of his disappointing experience with an online MBA program, Zai says if he were faced with the decision to hire an employee with an online degree versus an employee with a classroom education, he would choose the latter. The interaction between students in a classroom is invaluable, he says. Of course, when it comes to learning, its important to keep in mind that adults do have different learning styles. Some adults like the social interaction of a classroom. Still others may thrive online because the medium is highly democratic - issues of age, race, gender, physical disabilities, and appearance rarely play a role. Online courses also allow introverts time to formulate responses and contribute to class discussions. Such differences in learning style mean that people will be drawn to the learning modes that best fit their personalities and natural aptitudes. As a result, Losak explains, HR people might want to consider placing people into positions based on how the learning occurred. But in the end, when it comes to evaluating a particular job candidate, its important to remember that the degree itself is just one characteristic. A persons experience, enthusiasm, ideas, ability, and organization fit are equally - if not more - important. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-learning resources www.edupoint.com Provides centralized access to information on online courses and degree programs at more than 4,000 colleges and universities. www.capellauniversity.edu Offers an online quiz to help potential students determine if online learning fits their individual learning styles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Workforce, February 2001, Vol 80, No 2, pp. 44-48 Subscribe Now! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shari Caudron is a contributing editor for Workforce. E-mail Scaudron@aol.com to comment. Next Article: 1. Evaluating Online Degrees Questions to ask yourself when evaluating online degree programs. Features Archive Related Topics: Training Technology 1. Evaluating Online Degrees Questions to ask yourself when evaluating online degree programs. 2. Training Products and Services Request information from several companies offering services from video conferencing to training management. 3. Training Forum Discuss any aspect of training and organizational development. |
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