Course Map

Retention challenge (continued)

According to some researchers, the higher dropout rates in distance courses suggest academic failure. Many educators imply that the high drop rates should disqualify online education as a high-quality option to traditional education.

Diaz argues that the mere fact of high drop out rates is not necessarily indicative of non-success. He notes that online students often outperform traditional students when success is measured by overall classroom performance.

Diaz doesn't believe drop out rates should be a measure of success or failure. He contends that higher drop out rates may be due to the typical demographics associated with online learners (older students who often have outside work and family obligations). He argues that more research needs to be done on why students drop out of online courses, and that until then, researchers should not use drop out rates to discredit online education.

Legitimacy challenge

The debate of the legitimacy of courses delivered at a distance has been a major challenge since the early days of correspondence education. Distance educators have struggled with the issue of legitimacy because the reputation of distance courses have been tarnished due to problems with many fly-by-night distance programs that offer bogus degrees and certifications.

Distance education has recently gained a more favorable reputation with advances made in communication technologies. The ability to move from strictly text-based correspondence courses to more interactive online courses has greatly improved the status of distance education.

Critics still argue that a quality education is not possible in a distance environment. Often, distance education is viewed as a second-class education compared to the traditional face-to-face educational model.

© Copyright 2003 by Kathy Keairns