Reference no: EM131148392

Circle all reporting verbs in the article and student response John Steepr recently signed up for an online college degree program and is confident he will be through with his studies in two years and on his way to finding a good job in his field. "I know that online programs require a lot of discipline and that it will not be easy," he says, "but I know I can do it." He adds that this is the only way for him to study because he works full time. Despite criticism that online programs arc often diploma mills, many students arc signing up with the hope of reducing tuition and shortening their time spend studying. In 2010, more than 5.2 million college students enrolled in at least one online course, and there has been a 10 % increase in universities implementing online courses and programs. Dr. William Panofsky, provost at Midland University, says that research has shown that online education is very beneficial for students and that it is consistent with best teaching practices. "ln fact," he says, "it can increase the availability of education because it is so flexible." This flexibility has helped non-traditional students, such as people changing their professions, people who are working full time or older students tailor a program to their specific needs and tours. Another growing trend is the number of high school and even middle schools students who are signing up for courses or short programs. As Morgan Brooks, a high school senior who plans to study online, says, "online schooling means you can be at home and be studying comfortably without worrying about clothes, transportation issues or being late for class." However, not everyone agrees with this new approach. Professor Garcia, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Midtown College, argues that most online educational progrimis are really nothing more than electronic workbooks. In a January 2014 article he argued, "There are no opportunities for the give-and-take found in classroom discussions and very often it is hard for a student to apply theory to real life situations or to get a chance to really practice what they are studying." Other problems he identified arc the need for the student to be responsible for budgeting their own time. It is easy to procrastinate or to forget about deadlines. Steeger added this required telling your friends that you couldn't chat with them, and turning off your TV, cell phone or Facebook link. Others argue that the typical home has many distractions that make it hard to study at home. Spouses, children or other people who live in the same house may he unable or unwilling to keep quiet or to respect the study time of the student. Even if living alone, there is always the phone, email and the kitchen waiting to distract one from the material. Finally, teachers have had an issue with evaluation methods online. In a recent survey, 74% of the respondents said they were okay with online courses, but that only pass/fail grades should be given, and that these classes did not give an accurate picture of a student's academic abilities. "Who knows who really wrote a paper," says Dr. Diana Slade. "I know that in the end, a person will be cheating themselves if they do not really do the work, but can we give a diploma to someone and send them out to the workplace with our institution's name on it if we are not sure they have really fulfilled the teaming objectives?”