Education As a Commodity: The Case Against Online Education

There are clear advantages to online learning for both students and colleges: convenience, accessibility, cost and flexibility. But the challenges of online education have often been overlooked – especially for career and technical education where practical application and hands-on performance are central to learning. For the highly motivated, self-directed, self-disciplined student seeking knowledge in a specific domain, online education may work well. But this does not describe the overwhelming majority of undergraduates; for CTE students perhaps even less so. Online education is compelling because of its efficiency, scalability, and flexibility. But these are exactly the elements that make it susceptible to significant exploitation. This version of ReportOUT offers a critical perspective on the proliferation of online education.