Are Online Courses Are Effective?

Who’s to determine if online schooling is working? Or perhaps the question should be rephrased: Are all students involved in online learning keeping up with what they are supposed to be learning? The problem is accountability. Because of recent criticism of student progress in online courses, some virtual schools are bringing students into schools for testing; providing assessments and intervention throughout courses; determining if online students make adequate yearly progress compared to students in traditional courses; and keeping track of the length of time it takes students to complete assignments, how many times students and teachers interact, and how often students participate in courses. Because online courses are populated mostly by bright students who want to move ahead in learning and at-risk students who need additional help with learning, it is difficult to compare student achievement in E-courses to student achievement in traditional settings.  According to Michelle R. Davis’ Education Week piece, E-Schools Put Specific Measures for Success in Place,  much of the criticism was focused upon private, for-profit online courses, but public schools have taken these criticisms to heart to make sure their online learning opportunities for students are successful and accountable.