My Story Connected to the Dissertation

The Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) have opened up an avenue to resources unlike never before in our lifetime. No more do students search through encyclopedias for information on topics. Instead, students simply use various search engines to access a wealth of information on the desired topics within seconds via the WWW. It was only a matter of time before education taped into this resource to deliver content, and online courses were born.

I have been involved in online courses since their inception at Gaston College. I played a key support role in aiding an English instructor create and deploy the first online course at Gaston College. I created and deployed the second online course, and have been actively involved in online distance education at Gaston College ever since. While it seems like a light year has passed since the first online course offering, it has been a relatively short amount of time. Online course development has drastically changed in the past decade. Numbers of class offerings have grown dramatically over the past decade from a few in the beginning, to well over 100 in the current semester alone. Online courses are now the first sections to fill up and are quickly becoming the preferred method of delivery by many students.

Currently, research exists regarding online distance education offerings at all levels of education, postsecondary and K-12. At the secondary level, schools districts have successfully implemented AP courses in an online format to better serve their student population. Students in many school districts have also had the opportunity to take traditional seated postsecondary classes through a variety of state-sponsored programs. For example, in North Carolina, the Huskins program is designed to serve this need. Students take college-level classes taught by a college instructor at their local high school. Early college initiatives, like those incorporated into the Learn and Earn initiative in the State of North Carolina, are designed to allow high school students to take their classes on college campuses and allow students to obtain high school and college credit simultaneously. Students could potentially earn a partial, or entire, college degree while in high school.

Until recently, options available to high school students in North Carolina to receive college credit were two-fold. Students could enroll in AP courses designed for high school students, and/or students could take seated traditional college courses through a variety of methods. However, new initiatives are being put into place that will allow high school students to take online college classes. One such initiative in the State of North Carolina is the Learn and Earn Online (LEO) initiative. With LEO, high school students have the opportunity to take online courses at the community colleges across the state and receive both high school and college credit.

AP classes were designed for high school students, so whether they are offered in a seated or online format, the student learning needs for that age group have been accommodated. Students taking seated college classes, regardless of age, have the ability to communicate face-to-face with the instructor. There has been much research conducted in regards to learning styles of individuals in postsecondary and secondary education. My question would be whether high school students are adequately prepared to take online college courses. Just because a program is successful in an online format at the postsecondary level, does not mean that secondary school students are prepared to handle both the exposure of an online environment and postsecondary culture simultaneously. I believe further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of providing postsecondary courses in an online environment to high school students.

The reason I feel the need to investigate this question is two-fold. The first reason is because it directly impacts my job. I believe more research is necessary to determine whether the LEO initiative has been properly implemented in North Carolina, or if it should have been implemented at all. On the surface it seems to be a good idea. Many people have commented to me that the younger generation should be able to handle an online course. However, I believe this simply to be an assumption. Just because the younger generation can send text messages and surf the WWW, does not necessarily mean they can endure the rigor of an online college course. The second reason for investigating this question is due to my children. My children are currently 9 and 13 years of age. In another year, my oldest child will have the option of taking online college courses through the LEO initiative. Should I as a parent allow this to occur?

Perhaps the LEO initiative will prove to be one of the most outstanding initiatives ever offered to secondary school students. Perhaps it will be one of the biggest mistakes ever implemented. I believe further research will be able to determine whether the LEO initiative is at present a good alternative method for our secondary school children in North Carolina to earn college credit.