A. It depends.
Just like classroom learning, the quality of online learning can't be generalized as all good or all bad. It depends on things like:
• Institutional context
• Course design
• Faculty
• Assessment techniques
• Student support services
Research has demonstrated that quality does not depend on the location of the classroom (i.e., virtual or face-to-face) but on the effectiveness of course design and the competence of faculty. Those who are experts in one form of education are not automatically knowledgeable in best practices in another form. For example, lecture-based course designs tend not to work well when moved to the online format, where action-oriented collaboration and knowledge construction have been found to supply a more meaningful learning experience than passive listening. Online courses created by persons with little pertinent experience sometimes receive more publicity than courses that are working well.
It may help to remember that learning at a distance did not begin with the Internet. Online, or e-learning, is one of a variety of methods of providing education to persons for whom campus-based learning is either inconvenient or impossible. Distance learning has been around for more than 100 years and has an extensive body of research, theory, and best practices that have been influencing improvements in classroom instruction, also.
If you are interested in exploring some of the quality initiatives for online learning, there are two organizations with excellent reputations. The Sloan Consortium provides helpful information, training, and conferences dedicated to improving quality in online education. Quality Matters (QM) has been supporting online learning through the QM Rubric, a peer review process, and professional development opportunities.
By: AACRAO Connect