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College Faculty Express Concerns About Online Education
By Catherine Groux
Posted July 05, 2012 09:21 AM
Many faculty members still doubt the quality of online education.A 2011 report by the Sloan Consortium shows that in the fall 2010 semester, about 6.1 million students were taking at least one online course, and this number continues to increase each year. Currently, online education is experiencing a growth rate of 10%, compared to the less than 1% growth rate for higher education in general.
As online education continues to establish itself as an integral part of academia, many college professors and faculty have expressed concern about its quality. According to a new report by Inside Higher Ed and the Babson Survey Research Group, about 58% of college and university faculty say they are pessimistic about online learning, while only 42% said they are optimistic about the trend. Additionally, about 66% of faculty said they believe learning outcomes for web-based courses are not as good as they would be with face-to-face learning.
However, many of these faculty members seem more concerned with the quality of online education at other institutions as opposed to their own. About one-quarter of faculty said they agree that while web-based learning at their school is of high quality, they are dubious of the quality at other institutions. At the same time, approximately 79% of faculty members said they are concerned about the quality of online education at for-profit schools in particular.
While faculty remain concerned with the quality of online education, many still say they would recommend web-based learning to their students. The report shows that about 60% of college faculty said they have recommended an online course to a student or advisee.
