An Education Revolution Part 3: Online Learning Is Here to Stay

Although the Education Revolution post was initially intended as a 2 part post, seen here and here, respectively, I recently attended a phenomenal webinar hosted by Aventa Learning (@aventalearning) that just blew the doors off of what I wrote and opened the discussion back up to some incredible facts and points that are rising in the education and edtech world.  Now, this post isn't necessarily an endorsement for Aventa Learning specifically, but credit must be given where credit is due from an information standpoint, and I will speak more so from the perspective that online learning is here to stay, and it's companies like Aventa that are blazing the trail.  What's more, Forbes can serve as a well-spoken appetizer to the topic at hand, "Education as we know it is finished."

In a study by Aventa Learning, a survey was conducted to 500 public school students and 326 Aventa students in late May 2010 on teens and online learning.  The implications from the the study will make any edtech revolutionaries so excited they'll dance in their seats like a 3rd grader who's got to hit the can:  Not only is online learning for secondary education here to stay, it's here to grow tremendously. 

Whether brick and mortar environment or online, students must still experience a challenge or will feel disconnected.  So why change from the brick and mortar environment?  Because:

-42% of students experience boredom
-55% of students say bullying is a problem
-48% of students are distracted by other kids
-88% of students want more electives, online classes and flexible schedules
-18% (that's it?) of students get help and attention they need from teachers
-50% of students prefer to engage and learn with their senses - to 'see' and 'do' rather than just listen.
-Furthermore, in a poll conducted on a few hundred attendees in the webinar, 54% of teachers say they see boredom in their classrooms everyday.

In the past you had to listen to your instructor.  They were, after all, one of the only credible sources of information you could depend on.  Now--as Aventa noted--being the digital natives they are, students are very discriminatory on where they spend their time and attention.  Information is acquired through multiple avenues, and the instructors who realize this the quickest will be the first to gain their students' attention back, else the students will be "at best asleep and at worst disruptive."

As explained by webinar hosts Gregg Levin, VP Schools and Solutions at Aventa, and Dr. Cathy Mincberg, Chief Academic Officer at KC Distance Learning, "Today students don't tolerate not being in control.  We don't meet students where they are, hence the increase in dropouts.  Students want to be in control."  How can  they do that?  Introducing an online setting, fully functional and credit transferable for the student looking to get ahead or to catch up.  Let's look at the presented facts:


-72% of online students spend three or more hours on homework per week vs. 56% of students in traditional schools.
-78% of online students have more interest in attending a 4-year college after graduation vs. 67% of students in traditional schools.
-58% of students feel they get the help they need in online classrooms vs 40% of students in traditional schools (Without the need of feeling embarrassed because of asking for help)
-Allows a 1:1 relationship between teachers and students instead of a 30:1 relationship in traditional schools.
-Teachers can track student success easier, record data, and tweak their performance if they know what areas they need to help their student(s) improve upon.
-A school's funding may see a lift in its burden.  After all, if a school doesn't have enough students to pay a new teacher for an AP class, maybe they simply need a proctor or a teacher that would allow them to take the online course during a brick and mortar course of the school's (aka 'hybrid course').  The school can even offer courses that provide an extension for students who need more review to catch up, or allow students to advance on their own if they are gifted.

Finally, No Child Left Behind could actually be satisfied with something as exciting as this last note.  As the main portion of the bell curve is attended to through normal classes, the outliers can be assisted with a program catered to their needs and desired attention.  After all, online learning is anything but dangerously anti-social and nonproductive.  A student in fact cannot 'blend' in, but can instead be catered to and interacted with on a more intimate level.  This allows for teachers to be more strategic at talking to students and their parents about homework and/or grade issues without marginalizing anyone in class.

As Levin and Mincberg noted, "Online learning has emerged because of the need for something different in the world of education."  The evidence is becoming clearer: It's time to give online learning a very serious look.  For more information, white papers are available at www.aventalearning.com.

Thank you Aventa Learning for the information and image!