Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Are we at a transformative moment for online learning?

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

The answer, according to the authors, is "mostly negative, even though reports from China and other Asian countries are more optimistic." Why? The usual complains surface: "there are massive inequalities in the provision of higher education through distance education," "students do not seem to be enthusiastic about the online courses," "faculty members are generally wary about teaching online," "a significant number of courses and subjects do not lend themselves well to distance education," "distance courses do not easily cater for group work, community building or much communication," and "there are concerns about fraud but also about privacy." I think there are good responses to every one of those concerns, but the people who don't want to hear them don't hear them.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 6:08 p.m.

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