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Brandon Brown

Cates

EH 107/97

3/14/2021

Safety First!

Education is one of the most precious and important things that takes place around the

world. With the pandemic throwing everything off course, it puts into perspective how much we

take it for granted. It opens doors to some of the most memorable moments that someone can

experience such as prom, graduation ceremonies, and other extracurricular activities. During the

pandemic, there have been many complications on how learning would be able to play out. The

benefit of safety that remote learning allows during the pandemic outweighs any detriment or

criticism that could be made about it. It has been a key factor in the preservation of education

over the last year. The addition of remote learning, where you can attend classes from the

comfort and safety of your home, is the perfect solution to this airborne virus. Until the pandemic

is completely over and done, there will always be an ambiguous risk to attending in person

classes. There are multiple counter arguments that can be made against remote learning such as

lower student engagement or academic dishonesty. However, none of these points hold enough

weight to warrant the cancelation of remote learning in its entirety—especially in an era where it

is needed the most.

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When discussing remote learning, the worry of student engagement is brought up. The

underlying assumption made is that because students are attending classes online, there is a

discrepancy with the level of engagement in comparison to in-person classes. There are ideas of

distractions that would only take place in an online setting. According to Amber Dumford and

Angie Miller, “While numerous researchers have explored the impact of the widespread

adaptation of digital technologies on students’ educational attainment and learning outcomes,

relatively little is known about how these alternate learning experiences and practices impact

overall student engagement” (101). They state that while there could be an argument put forward

that remote learning has a direct decrease on student engagement, there is little evidence shown

to support this claim. The argument that student engagement is largely impacted because of

remote learning alone seems to be based more on anecdotal evidence than scientific. The two

then go to give an example on how multiple studies have shown that there are actually some

benefits and positive effects on student engagement due to remote learning. Dumford and Miller

convey this claim by stating, “For example, one study showed that using asynchronous

technology tools promoted reflection, which leads to higher-order thinking” (114).

Concerns and arguments on invasion of privacy are also brought up when discussing

remote learning. However, while it could be a potential problem, some of the points used to

support this claim seem to be farfetched and exaggerated. In Nir Kshetri’s "Remote education is

rife with threats to student privacy," he touches on ways that remote learning allegedly infringes

on privacy. There are claims made that online meeting software such as zoom should not be used

because they are a direct invasion of privacy. Kshetri also discusses “Zoombombing” (Kshetri

69), an occurrence where an unknown and uninvited guest joins a zoom call. This is one of the
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many examples given by Kshetri. However, while this statement could be true, it holds little to

no weight as online classroom programs such as zoom give instructors a plethora of tools to

counteract these situations. Instructors can set passwords exclusive to the students for the

specific class they are in. The instructors also have an option to remove members out of the

meetings if they do manage to get into the class. Lastly, most classroom meetings are setup so

that the instructor admits the participants so that strange or suspicious people are not able to join.

This makes an evident case that this is not a good enough argument to try to counter remote

learning in the pandemic.

One of the largest apparent worries about remote learning is the concerns with academic

dishonesty with students. Since there is a physical disconnection between the instructor and

student, it is easier for some students to get away with acts of cheating. In Derek Newton’s

“Another problem with shifting education online: A rise in cheating”, Newton describes the ways

that instructors and universities are cracking down and alleviating this problem. There are

services that offer as Newton puts it “tutor provided solutions to exam questions” (56). While

these services were around before the need of remote learning, there has been an increase since

work is done completely online instead of mixed with in person work. However, using these

services does not come without danger of detection for students. “At North Carolina State, more

than 200 of the 800 students in a single Statistics 311 class were referred for disciplinary action

for using "tutor-provided solutions" to exam questions from Chegg, said Tyler Johnson, the

course coordinator” (Newton 55). The question then arises, with the implication of these

services, how should professors go about giving tests or exams—especially, during a time where

having a large population, such as a college classroom is a danger to all of the participants. The
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best answer to this question would be to use lockdown browsers and proctors. Proctors are

people who watch you take your test to make sure you cannot access prohibited material when

taking a test or exam. This allows safety of remote learning and the ensuring that there is no

possibility that students can cheat.

Remote learning is probably the best option for safe education in today’s era. Hybrid

learning is an option, but it does not show effectiveness in all areas. In Elana Rabinowitz’s “How

Public Schools Can Break the Digital Divide,” she discusses how hybrid schooling has its fair

share of problems. She states that “The proposed model of hybrid teaching might be suitable for

our suburban neighbors in Long Island and Westchester, but is not feasible in the numerous run-

down, poorly ventilated school buildings” (Rabinowitz 8). The same can be said about the digital

divide. In Marjorie Tiven’s “How to Make Online Schooling Work,” she also discusses how

low-income areas have the same problem when making hybrid learning work. She feels that

there needs to be more attention given to this problem by stating that “investing in low-income

students so they have the tools to participate in remote learning should be at the top of the list”

(Tiven 48). The only way to make hybrid learning the alternative to remote learning right now

would warrant a very expensive solution.

The implication of remote learning is the best-case scenario during the pandemic. It

allows students to attend school and get an education while also being in a safe environment.

Without the addition of remote learning, students around the world would be at a significant

setback. Most if not all claims that are typically used to counter it fall short or hold too little of

weight to outweigh the obvious benefits. As has been noted, safety is the number one priority in

the eyes of schools and universities. Until the pandemic is over and there are no more cases of
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Covid-19, it does not seem safe for students to attend in person school in a large scale. Even as

schools are anticipating reopening this fall, certain precautions need to be taken to continue to

ensure the safety of students and faculty. Remote learning will still have its place when the

pandemic is over and done. It will allow students all around the world to attend classes while

others attend in person. In some places, hybrid will be a great addition when the Covid-19

problem is over.
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Works Cited

Dumford, Amber., Miller, Angie.” Online Learning in higher education: exploring advantages

and disadvantages for engagement”. J Comput High Educ, 03 Apr. 2018, 30, 452–465

(2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9179-z

Kshetri, Nir. "Remote education is rife with threats to student privacy." Gale in Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, 6 Nov. 2020.

link.gale.com/apps/doc/YITANO186307898/OVIC?u=birm97026&sid=OVIC&xid=c36c

a4df.

Newton, Derek. "Another Problem with Shifting Education Online: A Rise in Cheating."

Washingtonpost.com, Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, 7 Aug. 2020.

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A631890759/OVIC?u=birm97026&sid=OVIC&xid=5a36a6f5.

Rabinowitz, Elana. "How Public Schools Can Break the Digital Divide." Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, 9 Sep. 2020,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/YJBQNA674566543/OVIC?u=birm97026&sid=OVIC&xid=4df

44256.

Tiven, Marjorie. "How to make online schooling work." CNN Wire, p. NA. Gale in Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, 14 July 2020,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A629413294/OVIC?u=birm97026&sid=OVIC&xid=c9b570f3