| In "The Trouble With Online Education" (Op-Ed, July 20), Mark Edmundson captures the inadequacy of online courses from the teacher's perspective, and I can corroborate from the student's.
I was a math-obsessive in high school. To supplement my schoolĂ ‚¬ „ s curriculum, I turned to a Stanford program offering online courses to gifted youth. I started the program with enthusiasm, but I soon felt alone and unsupported. I had no one to impress or disappoint. I struggled to stay motivated. It was impersonal and transactional, and it nearly destroyed my obsession. A face-to-face meeting in a classroom imposes accountability, inspires effort and promotes academic responsibility in subtle ways that we donĂ ‚¬ „ t fully appreciate. On a campus, students attend class and stay alert because they worry what the teacher will think if they donĂ ‚¬ „ t. |
Read the rest of the story HERE:
At www.nytimes.com
At www.nytimes.com
