I just read an interesting reflection on online education. While a good read, much of the focus was on the cost or savings that online education brings to educational institutes over more traditional methods. While these are important issues for any one in the bursars office, they should be far from the minds of academia. What was less focused however was the aspect of time and the communication skills required in an online education

Karen Swan briefly mentioned how online education is a boon for students who are short on time:

In today’s world, working people and people with families especially just don’t have time for face-to-face classes.

What is flawed in this reasoning is that for the majority of students, study should be their primary focus. We cannot expect the great minds of tomorrow to be able to devote more time bagging groceries than dedicated to their homework. While this may at present be a reality for many, what is important is why this is the case. At least in Australia, despite having heavily subsidised education, in the form of low-interest government loans, short of being held by the parents purse strings, work is an important part of life.

What needs to be addressed, in all higher education, is how this can be reduced. While it is well and good to say ‘let them study during the evenings, when they have time’, if a persons primary concern is making it to the next paycheck, there is less motivation for academic study.

The other issue that was addressed only by Mark Bauerlein was the lack of face to face communication in online education. In the 1970’s Albert  Mehrabian posited that

Albert  Mehrabian posited that human communication is 93% body language and tone, with a scant 7% left for words

  human communication is 93% body language and tone, with a scant 7% left for words. This means that the majority of expression is lost, leaving both students and facilitators reaching for context in emails or posts. Furthermore, not just from a strictly educational side, the lack of interaction with fellow students will allow students to compartmentalise themselves. If the vast majority of their educational interactions are with teachers, they are less likely to encounter the challenging ideas or questions that other students may raise.

Ideally, online education is an excellent way to encourage more flexibility in learning for both students and teachers, however looking at it from a purely economical cost-benefit point of view overlooks the other issues that the change in interactions would bring.