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Savannah Torrance
Professor Gatlin
20 April 2016
Online learning is becoming more prevalent and frequent in Pennsylvania, even for grade
schools. Cyber schools, such as the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, are creating new
opportunities for students looking for something other than traditional schools. Are public
schools in Pennsylvania receiving the same opportunities? Some public schools are offering
online classes to students, but not all. The future consists of technology and online education is
part of preparing students for this future. This preparation for the future is not only an
opportunity, but a quality filled experience to help the next generation lead in advancement in the
future. Public high schools in Pennsylvania should require their students to take at least one
Online education and traditional learning definitely have similarities, but they are also
very different. The major differences between online and traditional learning are found in the
teachers and teaching styles, as well as in the class structure and style. Charlene Dykman and
Charles Davis highlight a number of differences between the styles of learning in their article
Online Education Forum: Part Two - Teaching Online Versus Teaching Conventionally. One
difference the authors point out is particularly the teachers themselves. Teachers in a ‘brick-and-
mortar’ school have more freedom to ad-lib class. Their teaching requires less detailed
preparation, as the students do not need to necessarily know every single detail up front like they
would in online education. Additionally, there is the idea that a teacher can also edit the content
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or delivery for the class much easier in a traditional environment as opposed to the online
environment. If the teacher needs to change a due date or spend extra time teaching a particularly
difficult topic, they can edit the class; whereas in an online environment, the teacher has a much
more difficult time amending the details because the class has already been formatted. The
teacher must send out a mass email to students and hope the student reads it. Furthermore, the
teacher can update and edit the class from semester to semester in a conventional setting, but
online education is the same experience for every student each time it’s taken. This is because
the classes have a certain reusability to them since they are completely designed online and left
mostly unedited from semester to semester. For the teacher, judging the workload for a
traditional class is easier than online. If the online class has been taken and evaluated previously,
the workload also can easily be judged and adjusted. Online classes are easy to evaluate in
content and teaching style, whereas evaluating the content and teaching for a traditional class
Dykman and Davis also mention major differences in the design of the class in online
versus traditional education. Traditional learning occurs in a group setting, where online learning
is much more individual based. The class feels much more personalized, as the student isn’t in
that group setting. In a traditional class, the student and the entire group receive immediate
feedback to help improve the class. In an online environment, if a student reaches out to the
professor for feedback, it can take a while to receive and answer and only the student asking
receives clarification as opposed to the entire class. Lastly, Dykman and Davis mention in online
learning, it is often hard to deduce who the author of a paper is or whom the person taking the
test actually is. In conventional learning, it is easier to determine who is taking a test, but it still
isn’t easy to determine who exactly is writing the papers or taking a test.
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One of the biggest similarities between the two atmospheres is actually found in the
teaching itself. The authors highlight this idea when they write, “Conventional teaching is a
calling and a craft that one grows and develops, and teaching online is the same.” The teachers
are the ultimate filters for quality. It is essentially up to them to decide whether or not they need
to edit content or quality. The first and last stop is the teacher in the traditional classroom and the
Online education is growing. Alina Zapalska and Dallas Brozik write, “The growth in
distance education programs in recent years has been fueled by the development of the Internet
and technologies that support online learning. Online education appears to have the power to
change the education landscape,” (7). Online education is growing in the higher education field,
but also in the secondary education field. Pennsylvania already has several different cyber
schools offering students an alternative learning option. These schools offer a variation of
classes. Some are self-paced, some are hybrid style, and some are virtual classes. This schooling
option is just another example of how much online education truly is on the rise.
Online learning is on the rise so much so that many states are starting to create a mandate
that requires students to take an online class in order to graduate from high school. For example,
in the 2009-2010 school year, the mandate requiring public high school students to take one
online class to graduate high school became official in the state of Alabama. This mandate is in
accordance with the Alabama state code 290-3-1-.02(8)(b)(3) and was designed to be a part of
the First Choice Diploma program. Part of this program states the students must take an online
similarly to an online class as there is online content, however, the students go to classes face-to-
face as well. This style of online learning acts as more of an extension of the classroom.
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According to the Technology Initiatives and Curriculum and Instruction branch of the Alabama
the students and assist in the learning process more. They also state that “connecting Web-based
resources and emerging and advanced technologies to the traditional classroom facilitates the
A few other states have also made this mandate as well, such as Florida, Michigan, and
Idaho. The mandate was recently required in Virginia under the 8VAC20-131-50 (b) (9) code.
For the Virginia requirement, students are to complete one virtual class and this class may be
Each state with the mandate has its own variation for the graduation requirement and the classes
themselves offering many different possibilities and variations for the mandate.
Students deserve an education that prepares them for their futures. As society is
constantly updating, the education system should be also. In order to keep up with an advancing
society and prepare students for their future, students should be taking an online class in the
environment of a high school setting to allow them to experiment and be ready for what is to
John Piaget, a famous developmental psychologist in the 1900s, had a lot to say about
what education should be as is evidenced by his statement, “The goal of education is to create
men and women who are capable of doing new things,” (Benson et al. 262). Education is not
merely teaching children what will make them intelligent, but rather it is to teach them what they
will need for the rest of their lives. When children reach college, they have a very high likelihood
of taking an online class, or a technology-enhanced class. The workforce often uses the online
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atmosphere for training videos and often time sheets as well. Generations are learning to use
computers and the online world at a much younger age now, but learning online is different than
just being online. Online education follows a pattern that must be learned whereas simply being
college or the workforce. Children need to be capable of learning new things in a new
environment and that should be the goal of education. Piaget held the belief that children’s brains
are different than the brains of adults (Benson et al. 262-5). Adults are expected to easily
understand and learn online, but if children’s brains do not work like that, then they must be
taught. Education should prepare children for the online learning environment because their
brains are not ready to immediately pick up the online world. The brains of children don’t grasp
concepts without first learning them. Creating a mandate requiring students to take an online
class will be teaching students what they need to know so their brains can function correctly with
order to have the best and highest quality product, the wisest thing to do is keep up with the
updates. Without updating, a phone is subject to bugs and several other issues. Education is
similar in the sense that if it does not update, students are subject to issues further along in their
futures. In their essay, Bernardes and Donoghue discuss the education system. “Education is a
growing industry…. To survive in this ‘brave new world,’… alternative approaches may have to
be taken by the traditional providers.” They continue to discuss the idea that education must
update to cater to society’s new use of the online realm (Ghaoui 21). John Pulliam covers the
ever-changing education system from its European roots until the future of education. In
reference to the future of education, Pulliam writes, “because we cannot know the future in
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advance, it is necessary that we prepare future citizens for as wide a variety of alternatives as
possible.” He goes on to say the education system needs to prepare students for everything they
could possibly come up against (221-2). Students will without a doubt run into online learning in
one form or another in their future. It is irresponsible to not teach children how to use online
classes. The education system is there to prepare students, so it should be doing that by giving
them an online class to prepare them for an advancing society. A mandate for the students is
giving them the update needed to avoid difficulties later on in their lives.
Dr. Cheryl Gould, an assistant professor and Director of Student Teaching at Regent
University, strongly believes online education in schools is for the benefit of the students. She
discusses the many benefits of online education. In reference to the idea of a changing and
updating society she stated, “in education things change; they have to change, because if they
don’t change students will not be prepared. We are preparing them for jobs that don't even exist
in our society yet,” (Gould). She stated this as a major reason for a mandate of online education
in high school. She stressed that while change is difficult, it is necessary. Dr. Gould also
mentions a benefit of online education is, if for no other reason, a good experience at the very
Joy Hopewell, an education writer, discusses the rise of online education and offers the
idea that online education offers a much more flexible and convenient atmosphere, as the
students aren’t tied down to a time or location where the class must be taken. She highlights
statistics that show the rise of online education versus traditional learning for higher education.
This plays into the preparation aspect that demonstrates that students should be prepared in
advance due to statistics showing higher education is becoming more of the online environment.
She writes, “as of 2014, over 65% of students took at minimum one online class during their
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college career,” (Hopewell). This is clearly a trend steadily on the rise and therefore, the
education system should be required to prepare students for a future involving online education.
Installing a mandate for students will help develop them to meet the rising statistics.
Online education presents new opportunities students may not otherwise get. Dr. Gould
stresses the importance of opportunity with online education, highlighting the fact that the
mandate can be interpreted in different ways depending on the school district. The district can
get creative and offer several different classes for students and make it more than general
education classes. She even referenced a physical education class she had seen that was taken
online. The students simply had to log their hours for physical education (Gould). The options
are limited only by the decisions of the districts. This very idea can provide so much for schools.
Students attending schools without an AP calculus class can take this online or maybe those
attending schools without a history class on the Cold War can take this class online.
There are several references to knowledge in Proverbs. Proverbs 4:13 states, “Keep hold
of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life,” (ESV). Instruction and knowledge
are important enough that they are to be guarded as that instruction is life. Proverbs 18:15 says,
“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge…” (ESV). If one’s heart is intelligent, they will seek
knowledge. Knowledge is something Christians should strive for. Deuteronomy 11:19 reads,
“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and
when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,” (ESV). The
context of this verse is talking about the Scriptures, where God commands His people to teach
their children so often, they are constantly learning. It is the duty of Christians to strive for the
best possible knowledge available. Currently, some of the best options include online education
for its quality and effectiveness. This is something Christians should be seeking after, in order
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that they might reap the benefits of knowledge. So, education should be offering knowledge at
the highest quality available, which includes online education. A mandate would just be
questioning the quality of online education (States Beginning to). This concern relates to the
overall quality of the class and the teacher. Students are thought to not get the best education if
they are not learning in the classroom with social interaction, as this often helps cement learning
for the child. Dykman and Davis comment "the online system tends to be rigid and inflexible
with minimal feedback, unless the parties involved strive to overcome its limitations…” (160).
Part of the major point of that statement is the word ‘unless’. It is up to the teacher to create the
quality necessary in an online class. In another article by Dykman and Davis titled, Online
Education Forum - Part Three A Quality Online Educational Experience, the authors stress the
idea of getting to know the students through the online profiles. This enables the students to get
to know the teacher as well as each other. These profiles can help to enhance the quality of the
class (282).
Continuing with enhancing quality is the idea of discussion posts. Voicing the concern
for social interaction is Mark Edmundson, an English professor at the University of Virginia. He
says it is difficult to create dialogue in an online class (Hickey). The fear is that students will not
receive enough discussion or social interaction to make their experience fully educational.
Students most certainly can communicate in an online environment. Discussion posts are one of
the best ways to facilitate connections between the students and the professor and these posts
double as participation for the students as well. Moon-Heum Cho and Scott Tobias explain what
discussion posts are capable of. They state these posts offer social, cognitive, and teaching
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presence in the class. The social presence connects students to the teacher. The cognitive
presence offers more meaning from the content and the teaching presence is simply the teacher’s
ability to facilitate the class (124-5). One of the major highlights to the discussion forums is that
they offer the opportunity for every student to participate. Students who are more shy or anxious
conversations while others simply fear the attention. Discussion forums require every student to
participate and allow for the students to give their best answers and have time to think them out.
This is easier and more comforting to students than the pressure of participating in a
conventional classroom. Also, students can comment on each other’s work to offer more peer
input to help enhance the learning experience for all students. This may not completely cover
social interaction or participation for students, but the mandate only requires one class to be
taken online to graduate; meaning students will still have social interaction.
Brittany O’Grady, a student, speaks out on another fear for online education. She felt as if
she learned better in the traditional classroom, as it was more effective (Rothstein). Many fear
online education is completely ineffective, or just not as effective as traditional learning. Kristine
Fish and Hyun Gu Kang, discuss a study done comparing a class taken both online and in a
conventional learning. Effectiveness, in this case, relates to what type of knowledge is being
taught to the students. This specific paper refers to declarative knowledge versus procedural.
Declarative knowledge refers to knowing something is a fact, such as being taught two plus two
equals four. Procedural knowledge relates to how to do something, like being taught how to do a
math problem. The studies show that in general, online learning actually exhibited more
was no evidence to say it was more or less effective. In instances where the same instructional
methods were used, online and traditional learning generated the same amount of effectiveness
for declarative knowledge. The article continued to discuss the results and came to a conclusion
stating neither online education nor traditional learning was more or less effective overall (180-
90). Effective learning is simply learning of the highest quality for the student where the student
retains information and is able to use that information. A mandate for online education isn’t
going to change the effectiveness of learning for the student. The student can still learn as much
Tuan Nguyen covers the positive, null, and negative findings in studies done on the
relation to students’ poor grades in online classes was a lack of time spent on the class. The
online students’ grades were lower than their ‘brick-and-mortar’ counterparts, according to
Nguyen, because the traditional students did spend significantly more time on their studies (313).
This study was done on classes taken outside of high school and while it does hold water, it must
also be looked at from a different angle since the mandate will be for high school students. In the
high school classes, the school itself can make sure students are taking the amount of time
The Center for Online Education writers raise a good point about online education in
their article when they bring up cheating (Should online courses). Cheating is a genuinely
difficult concern to address when it comes to online education. It is very difficult, and borderline
impossible to truly always know when and if a student cheats. Online quizzes, discussion posts,
and papers make it challenging for a teacher to handle cheating. Dan Cabrera offers several tips
to help the teacher get a better handle on cheating. For testing, Cabrera states one should, mix
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objective and subjective questions, use question pools, set a timer, and/or display questions one
at a time. For homework, create different kinds of assignments, check for plagiarism using a
screening tool like SafeAssign, and/or use discussion assignments (Cabrera). These are not fail-
proof ideas to eliminate cheating altogether, but rather ideas to help reduce cheating. Traditional
classes also have issues with plagiarism and cheating as well, it is just a different kind of beast
that teachers are already familiar with, in the sense they can more easily recognize plagiarism.
Once online education becomes more familiar, teachers will catch on. It may take some time, but
eventually, cheating will be much more easily prevented with online education, if only for the
fact that it will become more well-known and will be more easily caught by teachers.
Brittany O’Grady also voices another the fear of learning styles for online education.
People fear students will not be able to properly learn from a computer if it is not their learning
style (Rothstein). Alina Zapalska and Dallas Brozik cover ways to incorporate every different
learning style into the core of online classes. It is entirely possible to cover all learning styles by
building the class itself and designing the class to take different learning styles into account (9-
11). There is also the problem of students currently in the conventional system struggling with
their learning styles not being taught. While learning styles can be a problem, if the online class
Building a successful online class is a major step toward making online education work
for all learning styles. According to Murali Shanker and Michael Hu, the framework for building
a successful online class requires a proper learning environment, course design, and student
satisfaction. It is absolutely essential to build the class by making sure to properly incorporate
discussions, solid teaching, and communication techniques. All of this contributes to the student
satisfaction, which will, in turn, raise the level of discussion and increase the learning
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environment (104-7). A major issue with the class design is incorporating the learning styles.
The class should be offering the content in multiple forms, allow for individual control, and
encourage interaction. Teachers must ensure they have something for every single student,
whether they are visual, auditory, reading and writing, or kinesthetic learners (Brozik 10-12).
The best option for when to make this mandate happen will not always be the best timing
for everyone, but with that being said, it is necessary to do something. The proposition is to
begin the process for the mandate starting in the 2019-20 school year. This will give school
districts a few school years to begin the process of getting ready for the mandate. Also, it would
be best to begin preparing districts before the mandate begins as budgets take time. This will also
give time to readjust the education budget for Pennsylvania, as the PA government should add
extra assistance to make this mandate happen effectively. It will be up to the districts and the
government to decide how much money will be necessary for each area as this will provide
autonomy for the districts and ensure they have more of a say in the proposed mandate.
The mandate should be presented to the schools in the beginning of summer before the
2017-18 school year. The schools will then have the chance to decide on a proposed budget that
they will each individually require. They can then present the proposed budget to the education
department in the school year of 2017-18. There will be time for revision of the budgets
throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, it will be time to finalize the budgets
and get the money to the schools. The transitions, training, and class design will take place over
the summer following the 2018-19 school year. This will lead into the mandate being enforced in
Students are the future and they deserve the best education they can get. It is up to the
schools to give them that quality education. Online learning presents opportunities, advancement,
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and preparation for students. This is something that should be necessary as quality education is
essential for students. The Pennsylvania online learning mandate offers those students simply
Works Cited
Benson, Nigel, Collin, Catherine, Ginsburg, Joannah, Grand, Voula, Lazyan, Merrin, Weeks,
Cabrera, Dan. “Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment.” NIU Faculty
Development and Instructional Design Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Cho, Moon-Heum, and Scott, Tobias. “Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online
Distributed Learning IRRODL 17.2 (2016): 123-41. Education Source [EBSCO]. Web. 2
Apr. 2016.
Dallas, Brozik, and Zapalska, Alina. “Learning Styles and Online Education.” Campus - Wide
Davis, Charles K., Ph.D., Dykman, Charlene A., Ph.D. “Online Education Forum: Part Two –
Davis, Charles K., and Charlene A. Dykman. "Online Education Forum: Part Three - A Quality
Online Educational Experience." Journal of Information Systems Education 19.3 (2008): 281-
Esnault, Liliane. Web-based Education and Pedagogical Technologies: Solutions for Learning
Fish, Kristine, and Kang, Hyun Gu. “Learning Outcomes in a Stress Management Course:
Online versus Face-to-Face.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 10.2 (2014): 179-
Hickey, Ryan. "5 Disadvantages to Consider about Online Education." Peterson's. Peterson's, 05
Hopewell, Joy. “The Benefits of an Online Education - What Degree Should I Get.” What
Degree Should I Get. Digital Agency Blue Fountain Media, 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Nguyen, Tuan. “The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Beyond No Significant Difference and
Future Horizons.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 11.2 (2015): 308-20.
Pulliam, John D. History of Education in America. 3rd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill, 1982.
Rothstein, Ethan. "High School Students Required to Take Online Classes." ARLnow. N.p., 09
"States Beginning to Mandate Online Learning." DreamBox Learning. N.p., 16 Apr. 2013. Web.
24 Apr. 2016.
Technology Initiatives and Curriculum and Instruction Alabama Department of Education. "High
Collin, Catherine, Nigel Benson, Joannah Ginsburg, Voula Grand, Merrin Lazyan, and Marcus
Weeks. The Psychology Book. New York: DK Pub., 2012. Print.
This source is useful to my research because it gives the ideas of psychologists that are still
applicable today. The Psychology Book offers the knowledge of six different contributors
who all have valuable information to add for the final author. Collin and Ginsburg are
clinical psychologists offering knowledge on learning styles, Benson is a lecturer offering
his knowledge on learning, Grand is a business psychologist offering psychology points to
the book, Lazyan is a writer and editor offering critiques for the book, and Weeks is a
writer and musician offering editing critiques. Each contributor is a lover of psychology
and offers his or her own knowledge to add to the book. This book will help my research
because it is purely informational and will contribute to the learning of the readers as
well as my overall argument.
I will be using this book as one of the major points in my supporting argument section of
my paper to discuss the stages of development in children. It will be used to prove
students can adapt to different ways of learning based on the stage of development high
school students should be in. I will use it because it offers a more substantial proof that
students are capable of learning in an online environment and that it won’t mess up their
learning. This source will strengthen my argument because it offers research already done
and accepted by famous psychologists.
Esnault, Liliane. Web-based Education and Pedagogical Technologies: Solutions for Learning
Applications. Hershey: IGI Pub., 2008. Print.
This book is an informational book and covers several different topics relating to online
learning. The major sections include: the learning process, learner’s behavior, designing a
system, and life-long learning. It’s an informational book that offers a perspective on the
side for informational learning. The multiple authors are covering a wide range of
subjects inside the online learning umbrella. This book helps break down the major ways
online education can help students to actually learn in an online environment.
Torrance 2
This source contributes to my paper because it offers statistics as well as multiple
perspectives. There are several lists of more references at the end of every chapter as it is
a collection of multiple works. According to IGI Global, Esnault is a professor at E.M.
LYON as well as a project manager dealing in e-learning development. She received her
Ph.D. in fundamental molecular physics and is teaching classes in an e-business course.
Her specialty is in dealing with e-learning and network learning. Her teaching on e-
business gives her a good handle on the online world.
The chapter on improving effectiveness will play a role in my paper in my call to action
section as it offers several how to answers on the concept of quality. The authors of that
chapter give examples to help further explain their idea of quality and what makes up
quality teaching for an online environment. I will use this source as an example to show
how to go about making the mandate happen in Pennsylvania.
This source is an informational source on the concept of online learning and its uses.
Ghaoui gives several papers discussing the online learning atmosphere as well as some
more general information about online learning. The book offers a lot of information on
different arguments against online learning, such as quality issues, theories of learning, and
learnability. Overall the book is a great source for understanding more of what online
learning can and can’t do. It covers the major points of learning and how that is done
through online education.
The book will be benefit my paper in the sense that it offers several good points of
view on the opposing side while also offering rebuttals. According to IGI Global, Ghaoui
is a senior lecturer in computer systems at the School of Computing and Mathematical
Sciences. One of her areas of expertise is in the application of multimedia/Internet
technology in education. She is also an advisor for eUniversity in the UK, which
promotes online learning.
I will be using it in both the proposal section and the refutation section. This book will be a
great addition to my research as it offers information on several topics I have been looking
into. This book will mostly be used in my paper to argue that students can learn through
online education. It will also be used to cover teaching quality concerns for the refutation
and one reason why online learning is beneficial for the proposal.
Pulliam, John D. History of Education in America. 3rd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill, 1982.
Print. Merrill's Foundations of Education Ser.
Pulliam presents the history of the development of the education system in America. It is
an informational book that goes over a wide span of topics in the background of the
education system. Pulliam touches on several topics including the European heritage,
the American Revolution, and the future of education. Some important points are
found in his last two chapters, which highlight controversial issues in today’s education
Torrance 3
and education in the future.
This book is helpful to my paper because it offers a good solid background on education
as well as several controversies at the time the book was written. Pulliam has written
nine editions on his book. According to Montanan, Pulliam was the dean of the
University of Miami’s School of Education and he later retired. He offers his expertise on
education as he was once the dean for the School of Education and was able to see
education in an up close light as opposed to other writers.
This book will help me with my research because it has the future thoughts of education
as well as multiple controversies. It also touches on how the education system is
constantly changing. I will use this in the supporting argument portion of my paper to
highlight the argument that the education system must change and update in order to keep
up with society. The book discusses constant change of the school system as society
changed, and thus I will highlight the idea that society is still changing today and the
education system needs to follow suit in order to not fall behind.
Original Research
This source will be highly beneficial to my research because it offers a viewpoint from a
passionate teacher who has been in the field for roughly 20 years. Dr. Gould has been a
teacher, a student, the director of student services and the director of student teaching,
and an educational specialist where she supervised fifty-five teachers in Henrico County,
Virginia. She has a good, solid background in teaching and learning both with and
without the online learning aspect. Dr. Gould has seen the change when technology
became very integrated into education. She has a sound input involving technology in
education and she teaches a class at Regent University that discusses technology being
integrated into the classroom.
Cho, Moon-Heum, and Scott, Tobias. “Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online
Courses? Effects of Online Discussion on Community of Inquiry, Learner Time,
Satisfaction, and Achievement.” The International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning IRRODL 17.2 (2016): 123-41. Education Source [EBSCO]. Web. 2
Apr. 2016.
This journal is peer reviewed and has two authors. The authors have included several
sources at the end of their report to help establish more background for the reader. Tobias
received his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of
Missouri. Tobias now works at the Kent State University. He gives a teacher’s perspective.
Moon-Heum works at the Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. Moon-Heum works
in the teaching industry and is able to provide a teacher’s perspective and add to my paper.
This journal will be a good source because both authors write from their own perspective
giving a good balance to the paper, but without being biased.
I will use this source in the argument section of my essay to show there can be social
interaction with an online class as well as ways to further enhance student learning. I will
use it to argue that this is actually better for some students as it gives those who are timid
a requirement to participate. It’s a good source to use for this because it gives research to
back up the claim that it’s better for students to have discussion in an online class than it
is to not have it.
Dykman, Charlene A., Ph.D., and Davis, Charles K., Ph.D. “Online Education Forum: Part Two
- Teaching Online Versus Teaching Conventionally.” Journal of Information Systems
Education 19.2 (2008): 157-64. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
This is a peer-reviewed journal with two authors. Both Davis and Dykman have a Ph.D.
in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston. Dykman focuses
on the online education aspect while Davis focuses on the business side. These are both
important to online education. This journal is part of a three piece series on the topic of
online education. The authors provide resources to offer more information. This source is
Torrance 5
useful to my paper because it offers a good background of understanding that remains
unbiased.
I will be using this source in the background section of my essay to help readers
understand the difference between classes in a physical school everyone is used to versus
taking a class online. This journal offers a lot of information on the differences between
the two different types of classes and it will help bring the readers up to the same level of
knowledge on the subject as me.
Fish, Kristine, and Kang, Hyun Gu. “Learning Outcomes in a Stress Management Course:
Online versus Face-to-Face.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 10.2 (2014): 179-
92. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
This journal highlights a study on two groups. The test took students in the same class
where one group was online and the other was in a face-to-face setting. The journal
discusses the results on which class did better overall. In this particular case, there wasn’t
vast difference, but the journal considers the fact that perhaps some classes may be better
suited for an online atmosphere than other classes. This journal is informational.
This is a peer-reviewed journal with two authors. Fish is an associate professor in the
Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion in CA State Polytechnic University in
Pomona, CA. She works to better education and that is a highlight of my paper. Hyun Gu is
an assistant professor for the Department of Kinesiology at the CA State University in San
Marcos, CA. He also works to better education. This source is useful because it follows a
case study but also remains unbiased by making sure readers understand this case isn’t
necessarily the standard.
I will be using this source in my refutation section. This journal will be used to show that
just because a class is taken online, that doesn’t automatically make it have any less
quality than a class taken face-to-face. I will also be using it to validate my opposition by
showing that yes, it may depend on the class taken. This journal has helped me
remember that the opposition does have good points on their side as well and will motivate
me to work harder to prove my point.
Nguyen, Tuan. “The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Beyond No Significant Difference and
Future Horizons.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 11.2 (2015): 308-20.
Education Research Complete [EBSCO]. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
This paper focuses on the idea that online education is definitely as good as traditional
learning when it comes to properly educating students. It highlights online education as
being effective, but not necessarily always more effective than traditional learning. This
journal gives the positives, the negatives, and the indifferent verdicts on the topic of
online education. It also discussed some of the factors that go into making an online class
effective. This journal takes a very good look at the idea of online education being
important to the future education of students. This journal is informational as it merely
teaches on the differences and similarities.
Torrance 6
I will use this journal in the refutation section of my paper. This journal shows there isn’t a
significant difference in online education versus conventional learning. This is a good
way to refute the opposing idea that online education isn’t as effective as traditional
learning. I will use this source by showing the factors that go into making online learning
just as effective as traditional learning in the sense that it can accomplish the same learning
goals. I will also be highlighting the points the author makes on the positives, negatives,
and null findings in my background section.
Zapalska, Alina, and Dallas, Brozik. “Learning Styles and Online Education.” Campus - Wide
Information Systems 24.1 (2007): 6-17. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
This journal discusses learning styles and their involvement in online education. It
highlights the different kinds of learning styles and how those can fit into the design of an
online class in order to have the most effective learning for the student. The major idea and
point of this journal is that it is completely possible to design a class for all learning types
and styles once the style has been identified. This journal is informational.
This journal is peer reviewed and written by two authors. Zapalska is the Professor of
Economics for the Department of Management for the US Coast Guard Academy in New
London, CT. She has been in the teaching field for around 30 years. Because of her field
work, Zapalska can add to the education ideas to improve education itself. Brozik is the
Professor of Finance for the Division of Finance and Economics at Marshall University in
Huntington, WV. He received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Brozik’s
expertise comes more in enhancing the quality of things, which is helpful for online
classes. These authors give a good background of learning styles in an unbiased
perspective. This will be useful to my research, as I want to highlight learning styles.
I will use this source in my call to action where I discuss how to go about installing the
mandate for online education. I will use this to talk about class design. I will also use this
source in my argument section to say online education can work for any student and still
remain an effective way of learning. I will this journal because it offers an alternative
solution to the dilemma of students who supposedly cannot learn in an online
environment.
Internet
Cabrera, Dan. “Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment.” NIU Faculty
Development and Instructional Design Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Torrance 7
This site is informative as it offers reasons why cheating is prevalent in online education
and offers tips to help with cheating. While it doesn’t give ways to avoid cheating
altogether, it gives great tips and advice on how to assess students’ knowledge despite
possible cheating. It offers these tips to help with cheating for both taking tests and
completing homework assignments. This source can also be considered argumentative
since it argues for certain alternatives to enhance test taking and avoid cheating.
Cabrera is an author/blogger for the site. According to the NIU website, he received his
Ph.D. in Public Health and is now the Multimedia Coordinator at NIU University. He
works with multimedia and education as one of his responsibilities as a faculty member.
This is useful to my research because cheating is a major issue for online students or
online classes, as well as classes with just an online aspect to them. Cheating is also a
major point for my opposition. Because Cabrera works with multimedia and education as a
faculty member, his sole job is to improve multimedia (online) education.
I will be using this source in my refuting section. Cheating is a huge issue and I will
acknowledge that in my refutation section. One of the benefits of this site is that I will use
it to show my opposition that there are alternatives and ways to help avoid this issue of
cheating. I will be using alternatives on the list such as mixing subjective and objective
questions and several other tips. Using these tips to show an alternate route will help make
my point stronger.
Hopewell, Joy. “The Benefits of an Online Education - What Degree Should I Get.” What
Degree Should I Get. Digital Agency Blue Fountain Media, 2014. Web. 03 Apr.
2016.
This website highlights three major topics of online education for secondary education:
growth rate, blended courses, and the rise of online education. Though it is an
informational site discussing online education, it writes from the argumentative
perspective that online education is actually beneficial. The site references several
statistics involving students choosing online education. The site also highlights the rates
of students enrolled in online classes versus traditional schooling.
While the site does write from the perspective of online classes being beneficial, it
remains unbiased in the sense that it offers multiple statistics and looks at the opposing
arguments. Joy Hopewell is an education writer and counselor and offers a good general
overview of online education in the college system. This site is useful to my research
because it offers a look at what secondary education is doing and thus it helps my
argument for why students should be prepared. Hopewell has been writing many articles on
education and has a good authority on the concepts of education after writing so much.
I will use this site in my supporting argument section for the fact high school students
need to be prepared for college because college is transitioning into online now. I will
also use the statistics to show that many students are actively choosing online so they
should be ready for exactly what that entails later on. It will be a good site to introduce
other options, such as blended classes, in my refutation suggestions.
Torrance 8
Seaman, Peter. “Why Are My Online Discussions so Boring?” Portland Community College.
Portland Community College, 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
This site considers discussion posts and forums in online education. It highlights why
these discussions can be bland in online classes, but it also offers ideas to make those
discussions better. This site also brings up the point that in online class discussions, every
student must participate, while in face-to-face classes not every student always gets a
chance or has the confidence to participate. This site informs readers of the latest
considerations on the discussion post matter.
The author Peter Seaman is a blogger for this site and for education topics. According to
PCC’s site, Seaman is the Online Development faculty member in the Distance Learning
department. He gives points of view from both sides and remains unbiased to the online
discussion post issue. This source is useful to my research because it offers an example and
definition on discussions and participation, which is a major issue for online classes. He
proves his expertise on online discussion posts as his job is purely based on development
of online classes.
I will be using this source in my background section to reference the discussion post issue
that has become relevant lately with online education classes. I will show this by
discussing the fact participation is thought to be a valid issue with online classes, when in
reality, according to the site, there are tips and tricks to make discussions better quality and
that quality allows for better participation. I will also use this in my call to action section to
highlight one way to raise the quality of online class education for the mandate in
Pennsylvania.
This website gives the restrictions for graduation for public high school students in
Virginia. It lists the entire group of stipulations for all students. The site lists credit
requirements and discusses IEP situations and several other things pertaining to the
graduation requirements for Virginia students. One of the things it lists is the new mandate
requiring students to complete one virtual class in order to graduate high school. This
website is purely informational.
This site was written by the Commonwealth of Virginia and posted online by the Virginia
General Assembly. This site is used strictly for public use in order to keep up with the
latest laws and mandates. This site is not a legal consult though it is drafted up by the
Commonwealth of Virginia. The website is constantly updated in order to keep the public
informed, therefor they have every reason to make sure the information is accurate. This
site is valuable to my research as it shows the law in another state that I can use as a
reference.
I will use this site in the background section of my paper to cite and show other states are
Torrance 9
already starting to enforce this mandate. I will be using this site strictly to inform my
readers of what is happening for Virginia students graduation requirements and how this
mandate is already being used. I will be using this site because it offers the exact law and
mandate for Virginia.
Biblical
To Christians, the Bible is very credible. It is the inspired word of God and cannot be
refuted, but to a non-Christian, this source isn’t necessarily credible. Historically, the Bible
has been proved to be factual, but that doesn’t mean everyone considers it credible. There
are several authors, but most Christians are of the opinion the ultimate author is God
speaking through the writers. This source will be useful to my paper for the Christian
worldview aspect.
I will be using the Bible as a source for part of my argument section. I will have a
separate section to discuss the Biblical standpoint when it comes to education
and learning. I will treat the entire paper from a Christian worldview, but overall the
major argument for the Christian angle will be in its own argument section. This source has
given me another perspective on how important knowledge is to Christians.