Online Education in K-12 Students: Issues in delivery

The adult distance education programs and business conferencing capabilities have shown that the technology exists for delivery of K-12 education classes online. The questions that still need to be addressed are how to effectively deliver the education for the students that will choose this modality. There is a diversity of students that will choose this modality from students that are home schooled, students that are disconnected from standard delivery models, professional athletes, students that need to work, etc. The challenge for the stake holders is to determine how to deliver the education in ways that will meet the needs of all of the students.

Previous studies have shown that the critical components that determine the success of online education are not the technology but the knowledge of the instructor, the types of students, and the delivery of the instruction. The instructor must be able to create a safe community for the students where the students know and feel that the instructor truly cares for them. This may have been a missing component of students that did not fit into the stereotypes in the traditional school environments. The students must also find a connection to the other students in order to have the sense of belonging as well as have an effective discussion of ideas beyond the instructor. The students will come with different levels of motivation towards their classes. Some may be looking for credit retrieval while others may be looking for accelerated instruction opportunities. A challenge for the instructor will be to allow for the flexibility in pacing of the assignments. The technology does exist to make it easier for students to develop an online community and a sense of belonging through chat sessions, blogs, and document cameras. All of this technology should be utilitized to connect the students into a cohesive learning community.

Some studies have argued for the use of a readiness survey or online boot camp to prepare the students for the demands of an online education. The studies are unclear about the exact student attributes that are needed in order to be successful. There is a need to follow up with more focused research studies to determine what attributes are needed, in the students in order to be successful. Is there a difference for students that have an external or internal locus of control? How does the maturity of the student affect their ability to be successful? Which instructional methods does the instructor need to employ in order to keep the students engaged and motivated to succeed? Traditional classroom teachers must think about all of the above issues when managing their classrooms and instructional methods. The additional component for the online instructor is to use the mix of technology available to deliver instruction in both asynchronous and synchronous methods. This would allow for the different schedules the students need while also fitting into a realistic, although non-traditional schedule for the instructor.

Kerry Lynn Rice (2006). A Comprehensive Look at Distance Education in the K-12 Context. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(4), 425-448.  Retrieved December 13, 2008, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1054012791).

Tammy Ronsisvalle,  Ryan Watkins. (2005). STUDENT SUCCESS IN ONLINE K-12 EDUCATION. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 6(2), 117-124,184.  Retrieved December 13, 2008, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 975609501).