The Good, The Bad, and The Distance Learning
August 4th, 2006There’s an article on distance learning in the NY Press entitiled, “The Dawn of Distance Learning“.
I found some cool information and statistics. Let’s examine, shall we?
The Good: On average, a college degree nearly doubles annual earnings
The Bad: According to a Washington Post article, it’s harder than ever to be accepted to college
The Distance Learning: Provides higher education to those students not accepted or others who enjoy the other multiple benefits.
In 1999, the National Center for Education Statistics found that, in 1997-98, almost 44 percent of all higher education institutions offered courses via distance learning. Today, many prestigious universities are counted among that figure but most don’t actually offer a degree. Harvard and MIT are such institutions.
MIT’s Open Courseware resource is an amazing collection of knowledge. It’s completely free and available to anyone. MIT does not offer distance learning diplomas, and believes the internet should not be used to monetize education and replace traditional physical campus education.
I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder. Some people can learn more efficiently via a computer than actual classrooms. Others may need the personal attention that professors, tutors, and other classmates provide. In my opinion, knowledge is knowledge no matter how it is acquired.
There are plenty of exceptions where distance learning cannot provide proper experiences since you can’t be ‘hands-on’ if you are only in front of your computer.
Certainly anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge should check out MIT’s Open Courseware. It won’t get you a degree, but who cares, it’s free!
