Continuing Controversy: 7 Myths About Online Education

The article “7 Myths About Online Education” listed the number one myth about online education to be that it is easy. Certainly, online education has faced an uphill climb when it comes to being accepted on an equal playing field with brick-and-mortar schools and traditional educational models. Contributors to the “Continuing Controversy” article explained that the initial use of correspondence courses as a distance education option paved the way for a negative view of online education. Correspondence courses were often of poor quality and created a stigma around the distance experience. As technology advanced, however, the opportunity for more engaging learning experiences to take place expanded. In fact, it can be said that “many of the inherent logistical problems with online education have been conquered by recent technological advancements” (2016). All of this speaks into the first myth, that online education is easy. While this may be the case in some instances, it certainly could be the case in face-to-face (f2f) instances as well. The medium of education does not necessarily dictate the rigor.

The level of engagement required in an online setting, as well as the use of typed discussions is both time-consuming and mentally stimulating. While in f2f it is sometimes feasible to zone out or lose interest in the lecture, the online environment can make those opportunities virtually impossible. So I would argue that online education being easy is definitely a sweeping generalization, overlooking the advancements in technology and pedagogy that can make the online environment even more rigorous than the f2f