Following up on my last post, I’ve been researching why Distance Learning Online Writing Courses Work. And I quote:
Distance learning has caught fire. No longer limited to the university level, 44 states now offer significant K-12 online learning opportunities—either supplemental, full-time, or both. States recognize the importance of having an online learning option to address the public’s demand for school choice/reform, 21st century workforce preparation, and practical solutions for school closings caused by weather or illness (e.g., swine flu).
Estimates indicate that enrollment in K-12 online courses is growing by as much as 30% a year. According to the 2009 report by the U.S. Department of Education—Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning—over a million K-12 public school students enrolled in a technology-based distance education course in the 2007-08 school year. While the majority of research has been done with older online learners, the report’s analysis of 51 studies shows that students who took all or part of a class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.
Personally, I know that it’s a lot more complicated than that. Some subjects just seem to require immediacy. I mean face to face contact. By watching my son, I know if he can do a math problem and see what he’s not getting. Being face to face makes it easy to take a pencil and teach him.
Writing goes in the other camp. There’s no benefit of being on top of him while he collects his thoughts and works through the drafts: it’s a natural for distance learning.
