Lemmerbrock 1

Connor Lemmerbrock

Professor Nate Hellmers

Eng 1201

11/1/21

How is online learning affecting students?

Online schooling and learning is one of the most controversial topics of today.

This is largely contributed from the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced all

schools to close down, switching to an online platform. Kids across the country,

including me, had to deal with a problem we have not seen before. I have received and

had many mixed thoughts about online learning, and wanted to dig deeper into how it is

actually affecting students. I personally did not mind the online learning, as it allowed for

more free time and a more suitable schedule while dealing with the pandemic. While

researching this topic, there were many factors and criteria that I took into consideration

while coming up with a statement. Some of these factors include stress-levels in

students, test scores, financial problems, technological issues, etc. Online learning

provides great and valuable education and is a great alternative to in-person school.

Online learning was once a revolutionary and scary thought, now today it is

considered to be one of the most trusted forms of schooling and learning. Many people

were worried about online learning at the beginning of the pandemic. I was one of those

people. It was something new to me and I did not know how to handle it. I started to

become behind on some assignments, but by the end I was picking it up. I had my ups

and downs with online learning. Something that I personally enjoyed about it, was the

ability to pick when you wanted to do your work. The schedule really helped me out in
 Lemmerbrock 2

some situations to get my assignments down. But, this had put a lot of stress on me and

sometimes I would not use my time wisely and this would allow for me to become

behind on my assignments. Also, a lot of my other friends were dealing with anxiety

issues during online learning. That has led me to the question, “Is everyone suitable for

online learning?” It is important to know the history of online education. Although online

learning seems to be a new thing, online education had its start in the early 1900’s.

There were a few advancements in the late 1800’s that led to this. In 1873 the first

official correspondence education program, called the “Society to Encourage Home

Studies'', was established in Boston, Massachusetts by Ana Eliot Ticknor. A

Correspondence program refers to distant learning, where the student is not physically

present at the school. This was shortly followed by The University of Queensland in

Australia founding its Department of Correspondence Studies in 1911. One of the more

notable institutions is The University of South Africa, which is known as one of the

world's open distance learning mega colleges, and became a champion and innovator

of distance learning when it reshaped its mission and focus in 1946. In 1953 the

University of House made distance learning history when it began offering the first

televised college classes on KUHT, which was one of the first public television stations

in the United States. Shortly after this, many more inventions were created such as

personal computers and the internet which contributed even more to online learning. In

1989, the University of Phoenix became the first institution to launch a fully online

college institution that offered both bachelors and masters degrees.This was

revolutionary. Now students had the power to get the degrees they desired for from their

own home. Since the creation of these fully online programs and schools, distance
 Lemmerbrock 3

learning has continued to grow in many different directions. Today it is estimated that 1

out of 4 college students are enrolled in at least one online class. This trend seems

likely to continue into the future while currently 83% of all U.S. institutions that offer

online courses say they expect an increase in online enrollment in the coming decade.

The coronavirus pandemic has expanded the adoption of distance learning at all

education levels. Thousands of colleges and universities, as well as hundreds of

thousands of K-12 institutions that were closed during this time.

There are many advantages to online learning. One advantage to online learning

is the availability of information. Online learning allows students to access information

from anywhere in the world, which is a huge advantage when integrating different

perspectives into courses. It has the power to create personal connections and

communities throughout the world, while still achieving academic success. We also live

in an age where cellphones are used for basic everyday needs. Students can use their

personal devices such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets to work on school work from

the comfort of their own home.” 87 percent of prospective online students use their

mobile phones to search for potential programmes online and 67 percent of have even

completed online coursework through their smart phones since being enrolled.”

(Aslanian Market Research) Online learning is more suitable for students than ever with

the technological advancements of today's era. Online learning will also improve as

technology continues to advance.

Virtual education also may provide higher levels of education and learning. “37%

of Americans said they agree or strongly agree that online colleges and universities

offer high-quality education” (Racen). Some higher education institutions rely on new
 Lemmerbrock 4

technology to increase traditional undergraduate and graduate student courses and

degree enrollment. These facts certainly support the quality of teaching and learning in

the virtual environment. The ability to complete online courses also helps students

become more independent. Online courses tend to be more individualized rather than

professor-instructed lessons. Maintaining some of the most successful online courses

will enhance flexibility at this uncertain time and allow some students to continue to

make progress on their degrees if they get sick or cannot return to campus for other

reasons. When students take courses required for their major online, they are more

likely to graduate in four years and see a small decrease in time-to-degree relative to

students taking the requirements in-person.

Majority of the controversy related to online learning is due from the Covid-19

pandemic. There was a lot of panic and confusion because of the newness of online

learning. Some teaching methods and techniques may be at fault for causing this.

Researchers at Wharton School of Business concluded a study that looked at whether

the use of specific teaching methods resulted in a more successful transition to remote

teaching. Research has shown repeatedly that students learn more when they actively

work on problems either individually or together in the classroom relative to students

who sit passively listening to a lecture and taking notes. There is also a lot of downtime

in in-person classes. Students still have the ability to work with peers on online learning.

“We have shown it is possible to incorporate peer interaction or small group activities

into synchronous online courses, and that it was significantly associated with improved

learning” (Mckee). The ability to see and interact with other people is also available with
 Lemmerbrock 5

online learning. Some opportunities may even arise from these interactions, such as job

opportunities.

Online learning provides a great alternative for high school dropouts, allowing

them to go back to school and receive a diploma. There are a lot of reasons for adult

dropouts to return to school. Highschool dropouts earn $250,000 less over a lifetime

than high school graduates do. This big difference creates a very big risk of putting their

children in poverty. Also, adult students returning to school, who have special needs,

have many suitable options. ”We make certain classes—such as health and American

government—available as independent studies or online so that students can complete

course work at home, with teacher guidance, and take the necessary tests in

school.”(Bertlansky) Other schools are taking even more advantage of online learning

opportunities. A report from Twin Falls Times-News, reports on the iSucceed Virtual

High School, which was founded specifically to help Idaho high school dropouts pursue

a diploma. A dropout was interviewed, her name was Destanie Breland. Breland stated

"I want to show my daughter when she is older that even if you get divorced, pregnant

or move to another state, you can still finish school if you put your mind to it." Breland

says she appreciated the program's flexibility, which allowed her to study at night and to

continue schooling throughout her pregnancy. This is just one example of how

enrollment in online school can change someone's life. Another article from the

Associated Press writes about another online program for high school dropouts. A Los

Angeles library partnered with a private online learning company; students take courses

online, but meet at the library to talk to fellow adult students and get assistance. The

library hopes to grant 150 diplomas in its first year at a cost of roughly $150,000. These
 Lemmerbrock 6

are some of the ways that online programs and other programs work together, to help

create opportunities for others.

The flexibility of online learning provides many benefits and helps people with

very busy schedules to still attend school. In traditional classroom settings, there is a set

time and location for the class. This can make it hard on students who have busy work

schedules and make them work around it. Online learners are not on a fixed schedule.

This gives them the power to choose when to do assignments and figure out how much

time they need to complete them. This increases the chances of a student performing

well due to the time their instructors give them. This also enhances their problem-

solving and communication skills, as well as knowing how to defend their arguments to

superiors if needed. This also can help students with their time management skills.

“Virtual education will depend for its success on old-school principles: creative, attentive

teaching and patient support from parents “(Carey).Another main benefit of online

learning is the cost. On most online programs, the cost for classes and textbooks are

relatively cheaper compared to big colleges. Online students also do not have to

transport to classes. This helps with a lot of factors such as parking, fuel, maintenance,

and public transportation that in-person students have to deal with. Online students also

do not need to pay for housing. There are multiple financial benefits to online learning.

But there are some financial challenges that may need to be addressed. The only real

problem with online learning is the digital divide. Digital Divide is a measure of

inequalities in access to reliable computers or tablets and high-speed internet becomes

much more problematic when kids need digital devices to learn at home. Some low-

income families may not have access to high- speed internet, which is the only problem.
 Lemmerbrock 7

Some solutions to this is going to the public library and using their internet and devices.

Usually, most of these problems are resolved by the schools. Public school districts will

usually supply chromebooks or computers to those in need. This would allow for lower-

income families to still receive a good and appropriate education.

Some people may argue that online learning prohibits students from socializing

and interacting with others and that is not true. We have all the technological

advancements of our age that we can use to our advantage. Instructors use programs

such as Zoom and Google Meet to help students interact with each other. Both of these

programs allow students to see each other and communicate through the camera and

microphone of their device. Instructors can also assign groups on the video call. This

can help simulate group-work and group-projects among students. Students sometimes

have the problem of not getting the personalized attention that they need to have

concepts be clarified or taught properly. Most college lectures can have hundreds of

students which can be difficult to get that attention at times. Online learning has the

ability to have online guided discussions and personal talk time with their professors or

lecturers which is a huge benefit of online classes. The professors sometimes can see

the screens of the students. This allows for test proctoring to ensure the fairness of

online learning. When there is not someone watching you it may be tempting to cheat

and online proctoring would prohibit that.

A reason that many are skeptical of online learning is simply because people

tend to perform worse on the same course online rather than in-person. There is a lot

more responsibility with online learning. Students have to complete all of their

assignments online and on time, to get the results they want to see. There is not going
 Lemmerbrock 8

to be an instructor there to make sure students complete their assignments. Several

studies were able to estimate causal impacts of performance on final exams or course

grades in recent years. Virtually all of these studies found that online instruction resulted

in lower student performance relative to in-person instruction. The final result of online

education is up to the student. Hard work and determination can make a big difference

to someone who is lazy. Results may vary between students. It’s up to the student.

Most of the time online learning is self-selected. So, the student knows what they are

getting into.

Despite some challenges present, the positives outweigh the negatives. Online

learning provides quality and trusted education that is suitable for all people. Online

school is a great alternative to in-person schools and colleges. Online learning has

changed lives and presented people with opportunities they would have never had.

Online learning allows high dropouts to earn their diploma and start a new life. Due to

the Covid-19 Pandemic, many researchers will continue to study the effects of online

learning and how it is affecting students. Online learning will continue to only grow

bigger and bigger, creating more opportunities for the generations to come.

Works Cited:

Berlatsky, Noah. “Preface to "Is Online Learning a Good Alternative for High School

Students?" Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, Accessed 17 Oct. 2021.https://go-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?
 Lemmerbrock 9

tabID=Reference&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&hitCou

nt=6&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&docId=GALE

%7CEJ3010924105&docType=Preface&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZXAY-

MOD1&prodId=OVIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE

%7CEJ3010924105&searchId=R2&userGroupName=dayt30401&inPS=true

Calarco, Jessica. "Online learning will be hard for kids whose schools close – and the

digital divide will make it even harder for some of them." Gale Opposing Viewpoints

Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, Accessed 17 Oct.

2021. https://go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?

tabID=Viewpoints&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&hitCou

nt=11&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE

%7CMIUPZM999332869&docType=Viewpoint+essay&sort=Relevance&contentSegmen

t=ZXAY-MOD1&prodId=OVIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE

%7CMIUPZM999332869&searchId=R1&userGroupName=dayt30401&inPS=true

Carey, Benedict. “What We're Learning about Online Learning.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 13 June 2020,

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/health/school-learning-online-education.html.

Cellini, S. R. (2021, August 13). How does virtual learning impact students in higher

education? Brookings. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/08/13/how-does-virtual-

learning-impact-students-in-higher-education/.

Racen, L. (n.d.). Experts share their insights about online learning. www.brandman.edu.

Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and-events/blog/an-

expert-interview-about-online-learning.
 Lemmerbrock 10

Writers, Staff. “The History of Online Schooling.” OnlineSchools.org, 22 Sept. 2021,

https://www.onlineschools.org/visual-academy/the-history-of-online-schooling/.