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The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 3, 2024 — Page 5
Shellie Smitley
THE PITFALLS OF ONLINE EDUCATION
I am neither opposing nor
advocating for the online learn
ing partnership between the
BCSO and the Dr. Annise
Mabry Foundation that seeks
to educate criminal offend
ers. I spoke to Dr. Mabry for
nearly an hour and found her
to be willing to answer tough
questions. I believe she is pas
sionate about her work.
However, I strongly consider
online education, in general, to
present not only a disservice to
students, but a tragedy for the
entire country. I believe mul
tiple educational experiences
grant me the right to speak on
the subject. I proudly admit I
am a high school dropout who
earned a master’s degree off a
GED. I attended college four
times, earning a vocational di
ploma, an Associate of Science
degree, a bachelor’s degree, a
TESOL certificate and an MPA
between the years of 1991 and
2021.
I pursued higher education
believing it would change my
life. However, I have witnessed
the value of a high school
diploma and college degree
greatly diminish since I passed
the GED tests in 1987. Today,
higher education outside of
STEM-related programs no
longer guarantees a person
that their investment will boost
them up the socio-economic
ladder. In fact, it is more likely
to straddle people with debt
they will later struggle to pay.
Although higher education
can lead to jobs in the STEM-
related fields, they are also the
employers who are the least
likely to hire people who pos
sess criminal backgrounds,
further diminishing the concept
that education will empower
all people.
I have been a good student
all my life, routinely receiving
honor awards and graduating
with GPAs just short of 4.0
during my entire academic
journey. I entered first grade
already knowing how to read,
I tested out of 9th grade, skip
ping into 10th grade classes and
I passed the GED tests in one
day without studying. I am not
bragging; I am about to make
a point. Even with all my aca
demic capabilities, I required
instruction when it came to
math and science. I struggled
to understand those subjects on
my own and required a teacher.
Until the pandemic hit, my
college education consisted of
hybrid curriculum. Most of the
classes were face-to-face, with
an online class sprinkled in
each semester. I never achieved
a 4.0 during any of the col
lege semesters that I attended.
Consistently, I earned Bs in
the online classes. The worst
college experience I endured
was maneuvering through a
master’s degree program I
began in January 2020 that
COVID-19 quickly turned
into a total online degree. I
nearly quit the program out of
frustration.
I can tell you that EVERY
online class in which I was
enrolled provided me with
the same experience, and that
includes two different colleges
and three different programs.
I felt left out in the wilderness
to teach myself with no support
and no instruction. For me, the
online classes weren’t about
learning, they were about get
ting through them. An effective
“teacher” must be available to
teach.
The pandemic showcased
the need for teachers by re
quiring online education. Edu
cators are still struggling to
catch students up in areas in
which children fell through
the cracks. Parents struggled
with assisting children with
their school work and many
kids didn’t even show up for
the classes.
I worked hard to earn the
education and the grades I
received. However, I’ve per
sonally witnessed spouses
completing online homework
and tests for their partners
who were earning online col
lege degrees. Eve even seen
parents completing the online
homework for middle school
students. To become educated,
you must do the work.
In my opinion, online educa
tion underestimates the value
that “teachers” add to society.
Online high school diploma
programs fail the people they
cater to the most by lowering
the expectations and require
ments. They essentially hand
out pieces of paper to students
who required more face-to-face
instruction to pass standardized
tests.
To have a country of people
who hold degrees earned on
line, devalues higher education
and creates a workforce who
didn’t have to apply them
selves and learn anything be
cause they passed with the
minimal effort. It also further
contributes to the decline of
interpersonal communication
and conflict resolution skills
because there is little-to-no in
teraction with others. It adds to
the decline of problem solving
and time management skills
because it makes it so easy to
cheat.
I am not an advocate for
online education. Call me a
dinosaur, but I firmly believe
when someone doesn’t have
to show up on time, doesn’t
have to do the work, doesn’t
have to pass the tests, doesn’t
have to get along with anyone
around them, it minimizes the
value and defeats the purpose
of education. It turns a diploma
into nothing but a piece of
paper that many people can
possess because it is too easy
to obtain. Online programs
will ultimately turn education
into something that gets no one
anywhere. That is nearly where
higher education stands now.
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