7/29/2019 Advantages and Disadvantages, Project Engl.

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Advantages and Disadvantages

Advocates of virtual learning believe that virtual schools hold advantages including:

not being required to attend and travel to face-to-face classes and the integration digitalmedia into the curricula. Virtual schools also give a student the opportunity to stay in

school when traditional brick and mortar schools will no longer accept them. Some

reasons for this could be extensive absences due to medical reasons, teen pregnancy, orfor other reasons that the school system may deem distracting to the school body. Virtual

schools are a great equalizer. No matter what their social, economic, religious, ethnic or

physical or mental differences, virtual education gives all students the same opportunityto reach their full potential. Some virtual schools include online study groups in which

students interact with each other online. Students are able to meet in these groups using

Elluminate, Wimba or other means.

Unlike traditional education delivery methods, students at virtual schools do notdirectly interact with professors. Hence, virtual education is considered by many to be

equivalent to a directed-learning program. Because students do not interact with their

instructors or peers face-to-face, "lack of socialization" is often quoted, as a disadvantageby detractors. Recent anecdotal evidence provided by one virtual school from one live

cyberschool indicates that, while socialization may be different, it is not necessarily

lacking. It is also recommended that students enrolled in virtual schools be involved in

social activities outside school, much like homeschooled children. Another perceiveddisadvantage to distance learning is the added challenge of staying focused while in the

home environment, and many students report that staying on task is the most difficult

aspect of learning online.

Many students are drawn to online learning for a variety of reasons; particularly, the

ability to avoid the requirement of traveling to a physical location, which may be

impossible for some non-traditional learners. Critics argue that for online education to be

taken seriously, online programs must adhere to generally accepted educationalstandards. One way that virtual schools are proving their effectiveness is the

implementation of the same standardized testing that brick and mortar schools require of

their students. To reduce this criticism, The International Association for K-12 OnlineLearning (iNACOL) has developed a set of standards released on February 21, 2008.

Some believe that this is an important first step in monitoring online programs, but while

every provider of education must be accredited, the quality of accreditation varies

significantly. For instance, the non-profit AACSB is the most prestigious accreditationagency for business schools and no virtual schools have received accreditation by the

agency.