For many years, people looked askance at online higher education, seeing it as a cheap way to get credits, often with little actual learning. That perception seems to be changing, however, and in today’s Martin Center article, Harrington Shaw looks at this question.
A slice:
There are two factors that likely inflate the perceived credibility of online education. One is the shift away from traditional liberal education and toward career preparation. Students are increasingly demanding training for rote occupational skills and professional exam preparation, and thus interactive, rigorous learning environments may appear less necessary. The other is the belief that a college degree is primarily a signal to prospective employers of one’s conformist achievement. After all, if merely attaining a diploma is the primary objective of those pursuing higher education, then it seems rational to maximize flexibility and minimize rigor. Why waste mental resources in a seminar discussing Great Books when you can have ChatGPT write at-home assignments while you sit in your pajamas?