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Joshua Beckmann

Slye

ENG 1201

20 March 2022

Are Students Able to Effectively Learn in an Online Environment?

For years, online learning has been criticized by scientists and professors as there seems

to be an ongoing disconnect between effective engagement and intellectual growth/outcome.

Since 2020, however, the acceptance of remote learning has increased drastically in correlation

to the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic and the governmental regulations of public-school closings.

The overall negative sentiment toward online degree students has lessened in direct correlation to

the increase in online education. Despite the global increase in online learning, is it just as

effective as in-person coursework? Are there benefits and/or drawbacks to learning in a remote

environment? The answer is quite complex. Much of the data and statistics demonstrate that

online learning has been detrimental to student success as the outcomes have led to social

incompetence, decreased readiness, and decreased motivation. However, these studies also

demonstrate that online learning has been beneficial for student schedule flexibility as well as

technological competency.

Online learning was first introduced in 1983 by Ron Gordon, former president of Atari.

His program entitled the Electronic University Network, was meant to offer online courses to

those who owned personal computers. In 1985, the cost of a personal computer started at only

$149.95 which equates to around $395.38 in 2022 considering inflation. Also, the cost of tuition

with EUN ranged from $12 per semester to $295 per semester for a credit-based university
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courses degree (Etherington). The main expense involved the connectivity bills which ranged

from $.17 to $.80 each minute of connection time which equates to $.45 to $2.11 in 2022. The

EUN had over 15,000 participating students and over 1,700 participating universities including

Cornell University, Boston University, American University in Washington, D.C., The New

York Institute of Technology, Brigham Young University, California State University, and

Virginia Tech (Etherington). Despite its early success, EUN failed due to its inability to perform

at high standards and its host of connectivity issues. For example, in 1984, the author of an

article in PC Magazine had enrolled in three online courses and stated it took four days for a

message to be sent to their professor. Also, there was an incompatibility issue regarding a word

processing program and the EUN’s built-in text editor. However, despite its failure, EUN paved

the way for future innovation in online learning; it wasn’t until 1993 when Jones International

University became the first web-based accredited university as the technology became more

efficient (Etherington). Throughout the early 2000s, businesses became more interested in online

sales, and social media started to give reason for entrepreneurs to use internet as a thriving hub to

not only promote their business but work with sales and process monetary exchanges as well. As

technology advanced throughout the early 2000s, connectivity became more feasible and with

easier access to technology, the overall cost of internet usage decreased dramatically. With the

increase of technology, there existed an increase in computer sales which prompted colleges to

target groups of students desiring to pursue online education. If colleges can make a profit from a

larger selection of students' online tuition rates, the incentive for colleges to implement e-

learning grows exponentially. Online learning has allowed students the capability to

simultaneously work part-time, be a parent, and actively pursue their degrees. Moreover, it has

given students more flexibility to work around their schedules and save money as they are
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spending less on gasoline which has the benefit of emitting less carbon into the atmosphere.

Students also spend less as they do not have to room and board at the college.

Online learning has been on the rise over the past two decades. Issues around online

learning are expounded in researching the time between 1990 and 2010.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information had performed a qualitative study which

included a study of 619 research articles from 12 leading online learning journals of online

education. The study gives vital information on the sources of concern and conflicts in online

education. The articles studied demonstrate an ongoing trend that spans two decades. Through

the years 1990-1999, the online learning conflict has focused around “design issues, learner

characteristics, and strategies to increase interactivity and active learning” (Florence). The issues

during this decade were in response to the creation of online leaning as a main platform and how

bugs were worked out of the systems. From 2000-2009, the main issues addressed began to shift

as technology grew. The main issues include “access, equity and ethics to deliver distance

education for developing nations and the role of various technologies to narrow the digital

divide, teaching and learning drivers, markets, and professional development in the global

context, distance delivery systems and institutional partnerships and programs and impact of

hybrid modes of delivery” (Florence). As stated, the general use of technology in its bugs had
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been worked out by this time. However, the impact of online learning and the general outcome

had become the main issues surrounding the rise of online education. The ability for students to

have daily internet access was becoming more difficult as seen in the studies globally. In many

third-world countries including India, the ease of access to internet was difficult to obtain. As the

internet was becoming more and more of a commodity, it was becoming more difficult for these

developing countries to keep up with the technological advances of the time. Specifically,

children were not able to keep up with the online environment as it was less accessible to those

in the lower socioeconomic bracket. However, is internet access in developing countries needed

for positive student outcome?

One of the disadvantages seen in online learning is it decreases social awareness. Social

awareness is best defined as the ability to empathize with other people’s emotions. Social

awareness is something that is developed throughout a child’s education and is taught through

experiencing life with peers. Compared to geographical areas where internet is not readily

accessible, children with internet access are less competent socially. In third-world countries

such as India, internet access is expanding, but is still lacking in many parts especially in rural

villages. In fact, school aged children can have difficulty solely navigating to and from school as

the closest institution may be miles away (DW Documentary). In areas where internet is present,

children will have a decreased social awareness. Sugata Mitra, an expert in the field of education,
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performs an experiment to test whether or not readily available internet access in a remote

village of India will profit the students socially. He places an internet Kiosk in the Village of

Chandrakona, West Bengal, India over the span of 13 years to test whether the direct access to

education via online learning will increase school attendance and life readiness. The results

demonstrated that children are prone to attend more classes in less privileged communities and

that they will be better prepared for a world ripe with technology when technology is present.

However, this documentary also expounds that online learning decreases in-person social

awareness but increases knowledge toward other cultures around the world through the access of

cultural information worldwide (DW Documentary). This study gives a dissenting viewpoint in

that it outlines the positive affects online education has on early childhood education. However,

the main negative effects this study demonstrates is the decreased social awareness in an in-

person environment. This in-person social awareness is vital for understanding the meanings

behind facial expressions, knowledge for appropriate social interactions, and an understanding of

verbal and non-verbal cues. If social awareness is decreased at an early age, long-lasting negative

social interactions could take place throughout adulthood. For example, if a student grows up

without proper social awareness, or emotional empathizing skills, they may fail a job interview

because they could have a decreased understanding of how to present themselves to others, they

may not be able to develop intimate relationships with others as their lacks a sense of

interpersonal communication skills, and they may not be able to perform well in a working

environment as they may not know how to work in a diverse workforce. These issues in

decreased social awareness can have long-lasting, negative affects on society as whole. If an

entire generation were to have decreased social awareness, these issues would be prevalent

throughout society after years of online learning.

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The need for internet access can also be especially difficult to attain in households that

fall under minority racial groups in the United States. According to Pew Research, in 2021, 27%

of Americans (88 million) do not have direct access to internet. In the same year, black

Americans made up an estimated 14% of the U.S. population, and Hispanics made up 27% of the

U.S. population. Of the 46 million black households, 35% (16.1 million) do not have at-home

internet access; of the 62 million Hispanic households, 29% (17.9 million) do not have at-home

internet access in the United States. A combined total of 33.9 million black and Hispanic

Americans did not have at-home internet access. Therefore, 35% of the population that does not

have at-home internet access is African American and Hispanic (Pew Research). There exists a

racial disparity in the lack of internet as the disparities are not equally representative of the racial

populations.

Students believe that education offered in strictly an online format does not offer the

same quality as in-person courses. In a Pew Research study, a poll was sent anonymously to

1,055 college presidents in the year 2011. The poll asked each university if they offered online

courses. 77% of the presidents responded “yes.” This data includes 4-year private, public, and

for-profit universities. Pew Research also sent a poll to college students regarding the effects of

online education. Pew Research asserts that one-in-four college graduates (23%) report they had

taken at least one online college course. Within this same sample, 29% of respondents believe

that online education offers the same educational value compared with an in-person course.

Those older than 30 years of age report 30% approval and those under 30 years of age report

28% approval to online leaning as equivalent to in-person (Kim Parker and Amanda Lenhart).

This research was written in 2011; it is demonstrative of how online education has developed in

time. However, it is also indicative of the sentiment of online education in both older and
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younger generations. 72% of respondents aged under 30 years believe online education is less

valuable than in-person. Similarly, 70% of respondents aged over 30 years believe online

education is less valuable than in-person education. What is interesting about this study is the

fact that most respondents who believed online education was less valuable belonged to a

younger age group. Many would come to think that younger generations would be more

accepting of online education considering they are more versed in technology. When it comes to

factual learning outcomes, students who are enrolled in fully online courses as opposed to fully

in-person courses tend to have a 10-20 percent increased rate of attrition (Edspace) meaning they

are outperformed by those taking in-person courses.

Many teachers have refused to utilize online learning as a teaching tool for education.

However, due to the forced closures of almost every school district in the United States during

the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers have been forced to utilize the online environment to continue

their student’s learning. In a study performed by Education and Humanities research, students

were studied to determine the overall effects of online education compared to in-person

education. In sub-degree and undergraduate degree programs students demonstrated a decreased

motivation for online learning and therefore had a lower degree of readiness than postgraduate

students. (Jialin). Postgraduate students also found to have an increased readiness in technology

(Zhu). This data is demonstrative of the overall impacts that online learning has on college

students. This data demonstrates that those who are just beginning their education via

undergraduate school were most likely not ready for college to begin with. The transition into

college fresh out of high school could give reasoning for the decreased motivation. A majority of

students in undergraduate school do not know what to personally major in in terms of relating to

their careers. Many students may not have been entirely motivated as their uncertainty during the
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pandemic was very high and they may not have used technology during high school as they

would normally in college even without a pandemic. In graduate school, many students already

know what to major in and could already be easily versed in technology as the classes they had

in undergraduate school already had technology requirements. The importance of this study is to

outline that students who have already had the poste undergraduate college educational

experience are better equipped with technology than those who hadn’t.

An article written by the president of Barnes and Noble, Carolyn Brown asserts that

Barnes and Noble had performed a study that details the college preparedness that college

students have when they enter their first year in an online environment. The data outlined is

strictly quantitative and is in survey form. The data includes the doubts and concerns that

students have when entering an online environment. In the survey, 60% of respondents declared

they were ready to learn in an online environment. The survey also found that students who had

previously taken an online course had an overall 70% feeling of online readiness. However, 64%

of the students surveyed “expressed concern over maintaining focus in an online environment”

(Brown). Meanwhile, 55% of the students declared they felt a concern over social interactions.

Moreover, 24% of respondents expressed doubts about their own college’s preparedness in

teaching in an online environment. Overall, this data demonstrates that students feel ready in an

online environment but feel as though their social interactions will decrease.

An article written by Katherine Schaeffer who writes for Pew Research finds how

students are learning amidst an online environment during a global pandemic. This article was

written in October of 2021, so its relevance is understood today. This article gives quantitative

data by the number of parents that responded to the survey given by Pew Research. The data

demonstrates a correlation with the rise The purpose of this research was to give the key findings
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of what children in 5 categories felt via surveys administered to their parents. The survey found

that parents with lower and middle incomes 36% and 29% were more likely to report a difficulty

in helping their children learn in an online environment (Schaeffer). 18% of parents with higher

incomes reported a difficulty in helping their online children learn. This data is further

expounded to state that 39% of rural residents had difficulty and 33% of urban families had

difficulty while 23% of suburban families demonstrated difficulty (Schaeffer). During the

pandemic, 34% of reported parents found at least one technology obstacle relating to online

schoolwork. The obstacle dealt with having to learn on a cell phone or with lack of computer or

internet access. (Schaeffer). Learning from home, 46% of parents reported that their child had

difficulties learning in an online environment while at home. Unfortunately, 25% of black

teenagers reported that they were unable to finish their assignments due to lack of digital access.

24% teenagers who’s family income was less than $30,000 annually had problems finishing their

homework compared to 9% with income over $75,000 annually (Schaeffer). This research

outlines that families who are in a lower socioeconomic bracket tended to have more difficulties

with online education as their access to the resources such as internet, a computer, or cellphone

were limited.

As a result of data and analysis from the beginning of online learning to the present,

online learning has increased drastically. One major cause of the boom in virtual learning can be

contributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. Online learning has its drawbacks as well as positive

aspects. However, as seen through the data and analysis, online learning has significantly

lowered students’ ability to competently maintain social interactions, it has decreased

motivation, and it has decreased focus. Online education has also negatively impacted students in

lower socioeconomic brackets. With that being said, online education gives students the ability
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to work around their schedules more efficiently and manage their lives with added time not

having to drive to and from school. It also has allowed students to become more technologically

efficient and ready for a technological world. However, the drastic rise in online learning has

decreased motivation and efficiency in learning readiness for college students. It has also caused

primary education students to become less socially competent with those around them. Further

research can be had to determine the overall differences in output in the workforce with a student

who graduates strictly online compared to a student who graduates with in-person coursework.

Other areas could be studied to determine the overall social impacts of students that graduate

fully online. Though this data would be strictly qualitative, it would outline if the concerns of the

students, professors, and parents will come to fruition. It would be important to put these

concerns to the test by issuing case studies of an individual in an online environment compared

to an individual in a strictly in-person environment. This test may not be entirely testable as

every individual learns best in certain settings, but it could help to validate the concerns.

After reviewing the research and data, the conclusion can be made that online learning

needs to be further researched and developed to better understand the effects as well as the

outcomes. More questions need to be asked and examined such as when is online learning the

least effective and when is it the most effective? Is it most effective when implemented in early

childhood development or prior to college admission? Another question can be asked such as are

women more prone to be successful in an online environment than men? Analyses should be

made that demonstrate the overall learning impact during the Covid-19 pandemic. These

analyses can be in the form of case studies as well as observational studies from teachers’

perspectives that demonstrate the overall change from the year 2019-2021. Has the forced global

adjustment to online schooling further proved the point that online learning has been detrimental
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to student success as the quality of education is inferior to in-person learning? It would be very

important to perform research on children that began their academic careers strictly in an online

environment compared to children who started strictly in-person and in hybrid form. An

interesting form of research would be to perform case studies of twins. One twin in the family

would attend strictly online school while the other twin attends strictly in-person school and

compare the results of social competency tests and academic growth tests. Will online education

continue to grow, and will we get to a point where we no longer need teachers and professors to

teach, but have bots or pre-designed coursework to lead our next generations of learners?
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Works Cited

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https://edspace.american.edu/amytrietiak/2020/07/17/online-collaborative-learning-in-

higher-education-a-review-of-the-literature/.

Brown, Carolyn J. “Barnes & Noble Education Survey Reveals College Student Preparedness

Split: Technically Ready for Online Learning, but Emotionally Unsure.” BNED, Barnes

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DW Documentary. “The Future of Education - Virtual Learning | DW Documentary.” YouTube,

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Lowenthal, Patrick R. Online Learning: Common Misconceptions and Benefits and

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Madeline, Fitzgerald. “How Online Learning Is Reshaping Higher Education.” Usnews.com,

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