San Jose State's online college course experiment reveals hidden costs
By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 06/02/2013 12:00:00 PM PDT
http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_23366281/online-college-course-experiment-reveals-hidden-costs
OAKLAND -- About two weeks into San Jose State's online education
experiment at an Oakland charter school, it became clear that something
was wrong. Some of the students in the college's for-credit math courses
weren't even logging on.
"I get this call from San Jose State: 'Uh, we have a problem,'" recalled
Mark Ryan, superintendent of the Oakland Military Institute, a public
school set up on a military model.
It turned out some of the low-income teens didn't have computers and
high-speed Internet connections at home that the online course required.
Many needed personal attention to make it through. The final results
aren't in yet, but the experiment exposed some challenges to the promise
of a low-cost online education. And it showed there is still a divide
between technology-driven educators and the low-income, first-generation
college hopefuls they are trying to reach.
To make it work, the institute had to issue laptops to students, set
aside class time for them to focus on the online course, and assign
teachers to make sure they stayed on task.
"Without having a class period to do it, I wouldn't have done as well,"
said Ciara Lowry, a junior at the Oakland Military Institute who passed
the college statistics course.
In January, San Jose State and the online educational startup Udacity
teamed up to test the idea of offering for-credit college courses to
anyone with a high-speed Internet connection, including high school
students. The San Jose State Plus pilot started small -- three remedial
and entry-level math courses, a cap of 100 students per course at $150
each offered for high school, community college and university students.
Gov. Jerry Brown -- who started the Oakland charter school when he was
the city's mayor -- said at the project's unveiling in San Jose that
online education could open doors for students whose busy lives don't
fit into the traditional college structure or who need better
preparation for college studies.
A study on the project, due out in the fall, could validate such hopes.
But giving more students access to college classes is not enough, say
some who work with poor and first-generation college students. They are
more likely to graduate if they have academic support and involvement in
campus life, said Sara Melnick, deputy director of the National College
Access Network.
Advocates say online education has potential, Melnick said, but "they
want to see it before they believe it."
For the Oakland Military Institute, the courses meant a major
investment: With more than 700 students in grades 6 through 12, the
school had to devote much of its computer lab space, equipment and
staffing to
Oakland Military Institute computer teacher Omar Solache talks about his
role in the online math course that some of the students are taking at
the computer lab at his school in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 31,
2013. (Laura A. Oda)
online courses for the roughly 45 students taking the Udacity courses. A
donation paid for the course fees.
Answering questions and keeping students on task consumed much of his
time, said Omar Solache, a computer teacher with two other job titles. A
second teacher was assigned to help ease his load.
"They're so used to having teachers right there with them," Solache said.
Despite the bumpy start, students said they found the experience
interesting and worthwhile.
Some said they enjoyed watching the bite-size videos, video chatting
with online tutors anytime they needed help and moving at their own
pace, reviewing material they didn't understand. A tally of the grades
and pass rates is not yet available, as final exams ended just last
week, but many students already know how they did.
Lowry, a self-admitted procrastinator, said that when a statistics
assignment was due at 11:59 p.m., she sometimes would have a pressing
question at 11:30. "I'd type, 'Hi, I need help,'" she said. And, sure
enough, help would arrive in no time on her computer screen.
She passed the statistics course, earning credit at California State
University and at the institute. She usually does poorly in math, she
said, but found the right combination of class time, help from
classmates, and virtual tutoring.
"It was still difficult, but we had a lot of support," she said. "I
didn't have to spend any money on it, and I'll get college credit."
--------------------------
Digital divide
More Americans than ever have access to the Internet, but the more
educated and affluent are more likely to use a high-speed Internet
connection at home — which is needed for online courses — than those of
less means and education, an August 2011 Pew survey found:
Percent with high-speed Internet:
Adults 18 and older: 62
White: 66
Latino: 51
Black: 49
No high school diploma: 22
High school graduate: 52
College graduate: 85
Household income:
Less than $30,000: 41
$30,000 to $50,000: 66
$75,000 or more: 89
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project’s Digital differences
report, www.pewinternet.org
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