Disadvantages Of Distance Education
1. Introduction Distance education (e.g., online course programs, e learning programs), have
presented challenges for both students and instructors, leading to extensive research on the tenets of
what constitutes quality learning in the differing virtual settings (Boling, Hough, Krinsky, Saleem,
Stevens, 2012; Oncu, Cakir, 2011). Preference of online learninghas become the norm for over 25%
of students who enroll in an online course at some point during the completion of an undergraduate,
graduate or postsecondary level degree (Young, Bruce, 2011; Elaine Allen, Seaman, 2007). Data
gathered by the U.S. Department of Educations Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
(IPEDS) on Distance Education enrollment from 2012 2014... Show more content on
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Instructors gravitate towards systematized teaching approaches online in an effort to reduce
confusion and increase course completion (Jimoyiannis, 2012). However little research has shown a
direct link between course completion and structured organization of course content (Mayadas,
Bourne, Bacsich, 2009). Studies over the past decade instead suggest bridging traditional face to
face (F2F) classroom norms in an online setting by building community in an effort to infuse
proponents of social learning (Young, Bruce, 2011; Cheung, Liu, Lee, 2015; Garrison, Cleveland
Innes, Fung, 2010). Researchers have argued that what motivates students to acquire new
knowledge are interpersonal interactions within a classroom environment (Castillo Merino,
Serradell Lopez, 2014; Yu, Tian, Vogel, Chi Wai Kwok, 2010).
Findings have indicated that students desire for elements of personal agency have not changed
(Castillo Merino, Serradell Lopez, 2014; Kuo, Walker, Schroder, Belland, 2014). Zhan, Mei (2013)
connected student satisfaction with interpersonal elements of online learning environments,
indicating that students preferred online course options which incorporated social elements.
Additional studies exploring academic outcomes and increased presence of instructors and student
discussions have found that students motivation have been impacted by the level of interaction
experienced by the student (Robinson, 2011; Harmon,
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