By Caleb Barnett

Community college enrollment is currently expanding because students are seeking the best education for the best value. Community colleges have responded by broadening their fields of study. Many students choose to attend Hagerstown Community College for the value, convenience, and flexibility that is offered. With nearly 5,000 students enrolled at HCC, methods to attract new students, while retaining current students, must be explored. One possibility is to expand online learning at HCC. Offering a greater variety of online courses would allow students more convenience and flexibility to complete their degree on their own schedule. There are many advantages and drawbacks to online education.
Some of the drawbacks of online education include restricted social interaction, student motivation, and assignment effectiveness. Social interaction among classmates through an online medium is limited. Students usually have the opportunity to chat with their classmates through e-mail or a chat room type service, but there is usually no face-to-face communication. Interaction with instructors can also be limited to e-mail communication, which can be difficult for students who have questions for their instructor. This lack of face-to-face communication with students and teachers can lead to the next disadvantage: motivation.
Students who choose to participate in online education must be motivated. Motivation is key to getting work done through an online course. If students are not motivated to get their work done, there is no one there to act as a motivator. As a result, these students will likely fall behind in course work.
The third drawback to online education is the effectiveness of assignments. It can be hard for the instructor to determine if students understand the material that is to be covered in the course if they are not face-to-face in a classroom. For the most part, online courses test the students’ knowledge through multiple choice tests and quizzes, which may not be the best gauge to measure the students’ knowledge.
Although the disadvantages listed are among the top reasons opponents do not support online education, proponents argue that online education is economical, convenient, and gives students a broader perspective. Online education is economical because students do not have to commute back and forth to class. Therefore, they can save money on traveling costs. For myself, commuting 40 miles to school and 40 miles back quickly adds up. Online education is also economical because students can hold a job while attending college. In today’s economy, many jobs are part-time with varying shifts, which can make it difficult to schedule classes while retaining employment.
One of the main advantages to online education is convenience. As I just mentioned, many jobs have varying shifts that can change from week to week. With online education, there is no set time for class. Therefore, students can work on their assignments whenever it fits their schedule. For those with jobs that require traveling, online education can be the best choice. There is no physical location to meet for class. Class can take place anywhere there is Internet and a computer. Students can also work on their assignments and study at their own pace.
Lastly, online education can also broaden the students prospective. Since there is no geographic location where students complete the class, students can be from around the country or even around the world. Someone’s perspective from Maryland can vary from someone in Florida, Texas, or California. Getting a variety of opinions can increase students’ knowledge of the subject and view the topic from different perspectives. One of the online classes I took with another college had students from around the world. Some of my classmates were located in California, Hawaii, and Nevada. There were also students taking the class who were in the military and stationed outside the United States.
As I mentioned, there are numerous advantages and disadvantages to online classes. Students must examine both the advantages and disadvantages of online education to decide which option is best for them. I believe a combination of both face-to-face and online classes can be beneficial to students. In the end, it is up to students to decide which form of education will be most beneficial to them. However, due to the lack of online courses currently available, I believe it is important for HCC to expand its selection of online courses to stay competitive.
Caleb Barnett, who majored in Administration of Justice at HCC, is graduating in May. He is a native of Harrisonville, PA.

By Craig J Hayes

For the past decade, colleges across the country have been experimenting with online courses. With the advent of the consumer-based Internet and the greater accessibility of broadband connections, it has become much easier for students to roll out of their beds in the morning, turn on their computers, and begin their college courses in pajamas. Online courses have the potential to break down geographic barriers and expand educational access like never before. However, as promising as the premise of these online courses appears, it fails in two important regards: interaction, quality and standardization.

First, online courses fail to mimic the day-to-day, class-to-class interaction that takes place on a college campus. Whether it is the simple conversation with a friend over lunch or the more complex discussion between students and professors about a new course topic, these interactions are an integral part of the college experience. I have witnessed the deterioration of students’ interaction skills too many times this semester. Students struggle to remain engaged in course lectures, and they struggle to articulate their questions and problems. I frequently hear the excuse, “Well, my online course is not this difficult,” or, “why can’t this class be more like my online course?” In truth, traditional college courses will never be like your online courses—nor should they strive to be. Interaction is such a vital component of the education process that it cannot be simply tossed aside for convenience or luxury.

Second, online courses have a quality problem. MOOCs, or massive open online courses, exemplify this problem. MOOCs are free online courses offered to the population at large. Professors tape lectures that are then posted online along with other course material such as articles, quizzes, and exams. However, MOOCs offer very little feedback, and professors cannot physically grade work from the thousands of students that may take the classes. Personalized feedback is critical for any venture in life, and its absence in MOOCs is a detriment to the advancement of higher education.

Third, online courses lack standardization. Not all four-year institutions accept transfer credit for online courses. To some colleges, online courses are clearly not on par with traditional courses. This lack of consistency puts the entire online course system into questionable territory.
Instead of moving towards online courses, colleges should focus on existing institutional issues such as lowering class sizes and student to professor ratios. In particular, Hagerstown Community College would be better served in addressing the stark divide between its students’ abilities. Because of HCC’s designation as a community college, its students have a wide range of academic backgrounds and aspirations. Unfortunately, this creates a problem in the classroom that is unfair for those who understand the course material, those who struggle to keep up, and the professor who tries to mediate the two extremes. By implementing more vocational and technical courses and degrees alongside traditional four-year college academic tracks, HCC could lower class sizes while providing more individualized educational opportunities at the same time. Of course, it is much more profitable to continue the expansion of online courses that are charged at the same credit-hour rates as traditional courses but use fewer resources. I hope Hagerstown Community College will value improved education over simple economics.

Craig J. Hayes is a visiting political science major from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. He is a resident of Greencastle, PA.