Friday Follow Up

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Two days ago I wrote a post criticizing a New York Times guest essay titled “What’s Lost When Community Colleges Go Virtual” that argued for more focus on the downsides of online courses. Daniel Seddiqui’s main point was that “But have we fully considered the downsides? Research has shown that online students tend to do worse than students who attend courses in person.” My main critique (admittedly not phrased in the friendliest of terms was that “But his is a beautiful argument of belief unburdened by understanding or evidence.”

My post seemed to have struck a nerve, which it was intended to do. ¹

I share two follow up conversations, one with Mr. Seddiqui and one with a prominent faculty advocate, for a few reasons.

• Yes, this is somewhat a form of catharsis.

• I suspect that many On EdTech+ subscribers run into similar situations quite often, especially on campus.

• I want to highlight and reinforce the relevant point from RP Group’s study - this is solid research that should inform a lot of policy makers evaluating online strategy.

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