Florida may become the first state in the nation to open an all-online public university, TBO.com reported. Nicknamed “Online U,” it would be the state’s 13th university and is one option under consideration by the state’s Board of Governors.
Christian Lemus, a college student who has taken two courses online at SPC, is quoted in the article. While enthusiastic about one-stop shopping for online offerings statewide, he did not approve of an all-online university. “I absolutely would not do that,” Lemus said in the article. “You need a sense of belonging and a support group. I would need guidance and a place that sees me as an individual, not as an account.”
I think an online college could be really great. A lot of people could benefit from it. I am a stay at home mom of 4, not all of them are in school and my husband and I can’t afford daycare, so far all the classes I have taken are online. I wouldn’t have been able to go back to school otherwise. I do agree that a sense of belonging and a support group are important, but all that means is there are some things that could be implemented in an online college to help that. Teachers are also a big factor on whether you are an individual or an account. I have had both during my online classes.
What of social and inter-personal development? Getting real world preparation? Getting a world class education has never depended on the rhetoric that defines the school; community college, state college, ivy-league university. Getting the
most out of college is based on a student involvement.
The bar should be raised on BLENDED* classes. Blended coursework is the truest form of real world preparation and an example of our society marrying the needs of technology to basic human rights and dignity. Blended coursework is the combination of Guided Apprenticeship, Self-Guided online and the benefits of the college experience. A reform on the blended initiative could meet the financial benefits of the online ED cash cow while keeping the doors open for everyone.
Allowing students who have gone through the ‘how to pass the State Assessment Test’ K-12 education system to actually be educated and prepared for the real world; social and interpersonal skills, leadership skills, field study practice and all the responsibilities that go with that and homework, should be the purpose of public education. How can you facilitate to the students’ needs effectively via e-mail?
Who will be making the decisions in the country in 60 years? I imagine it would not be anyone who has gotten an Online Public Education. I imagine it will be the student who could afford to not only take the classes, but could afford to form a club, to run a meeting, to be part of student government, to be student assistants, to be campus event coordinators and basically students who could afford the college experience and involvement. Streamlined Public Online Education does not serve the needs of FIRST YEAR college students. It perpetuates the socio-economic and educational gap in this country.
-Tristan Wehner
Student Body President of St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Springs Campus
Recommended Readings:
-Shift ED: A Call to Action for Transforming K-12 Education
-Student Involvement Theory: A Developmental Theory for Higher Education
-Hacking College
-The Future of Energy, Climate, Education and Humanity