Week 10 - Comparisons

What did you learn this week that struck you as particularly important in learning about virtual schools? Has your thinking changed as a result of what you learned this week?

This line struck me more than any other in the course of our readings:

“Researchers have challenged the field to move beyond simple comparisons and, particularly given the heterogeneity in results from previous virtual schooling studies, to examine the specific factors that may impact student achievement in the online learning environment.” (McLeod, 2005, p. 8)

While the mission for the week, I realize, was to compare online and face-to face education, I thought the point above was a very persuasive one. Less important than comparing the various approaches is, perhaps, analyzing what components within each approach are the most effective. For instance, professional development and front-end training have been repeatedly mentioned as cornerstones of excellent online programs. Perhaps we should target what the best parts of each approach would be and then seek to make that particular approach better.

One thing is clear to me: the analysis we will see in the next 10 years (comparing face-to-face and online OR investigating just one approach), I believe, will contain much more useful data than what we may be seeing today.