As an aspiring Olympian athlete with a full-time job, Marie-Elaine Little had a busy schedule. This was before adding in her studies. Living in Ottawa throughout the year, it would seem nearly impossible that Little would manage to attend a university based in British Columbia. That’s a 42-hour commute.
How does Little manage it? She attends university online. She is currently enrolled in business management at Thompson Rivers University, an online university officially located in B.C.
“I enjoy being able to compete and practice and go to the gym and my studies aren’t being impacted, as in not missing lectures or having to move midterms. I am a very social person so I do feel like I am missing out on the social campus life, but it’s the sacrifice I have made to compete.” – Marie-Elaine Little, online business managament student at Thompson Rivers University
There was a time when attending a university located across the country would have been impossible. But now, with online technology, a post-secondary education can be brought to anyone with a laptop and a wifi connection.
Google Search
According to “Online and Distance Capacity of Canadian Universities,” a 2015 study commissioned by Global Affairs Canada, 361,000 members—nearly 30 per cent of the student population in Canada —took online courses in 2015.
Currently, in Canada, there are around 10 major institutions that are widely recognized either as online universities or universities that offer well-recognized online degree programs. Some, such as Athabasca University and Thompson Rivers University, are predominantly online, whereas other schools such as Laurentian University and McGill University are more traditional universities but offer online degrees.
In spite of the fact that many instructors started making their slides available to students online, in-class lectures were and still are the primary teaching tool. According to a recent survey of online and distance post-secondary education in Canada, online learning “constitutes between 12-16 per cent of all post-secondary teaching for credit,” which means that between 84 per cent and 88 per cent of teaching occurs in-class.
The survey also found that nearly all institutions use a learning management system (LMS)–the Carleton example of this is CULearn.
According to Maria Brocklehurst, the Information and Communications coordinator for Carleton University OnLine (CUOL), for 2017-2018, Carleton offered 241 online courses and had just under 30,000 registrations.
“I think online universities will be more widespread because it’s just something that’s suited to modern students,” she said. “They have to do different things at different times, they just need a lot more flexibility.”
These services can be useful for students, but Don Boyes, a University of Toronto geography professor, explained how one challenge that he faces with teaching online courses is the amount of time and preparation that goes into organizing online classes and having them up and running. This includes lecture material and video footage, which can take hundreds of hours to record.
“This can be a factor that deters professors and university institutions in general from offering online courses,” he said.
Why go online?
Boyes is going beyond just using LMS by trying hybrid classes, in which online activities replace a portion of in-class time.
“I wanted to give students the option to come to class in person to have that face-to-face interaction if they wanted to but also have the flexibility of an online course,” she said. “I find that when they have a choice, they can act based off of how they function. But I also think that a lot of it has to do with their expectations as well.”
For Little, who has to manage a job and being an athlete, flexibility was key.
“I get to prioritize my sports and fitness and my job and still study. I do not have to make a lecture at 8 a.m. but rather plan a block of my day to a different course. I try different coffee shops around town. I also can study anywhere, in which case I have been able to travel and study—it’s all on my computer.” – Marie-Elaine Little, online business management student at Thompson Rivers University
Boyes has discussed his teaching experiences with other instructors, where he said he’s found there is no real difference in performance between online and in-class students.
“The main difference that I notice with online students is that they will struggle more with time management. I think anybody does anyway, but it’s exaggerated with an online course,” he said. “Another thing to consider is that, for the most part, students who have enrolled in online courses have done so because that’s what they want. They appreciate the fact that they can tune in and watch lectures at their own leisure at a time that works best for them.”
Michaela Wilson, a third-year criminology student at Carleton, is taking two out of her five courses this semester online. She explained how although she didn’t necessarily have a preference between the two options, she chose to take online courses because of the flexibility they offered. Convenience was a factor, but Wilson also said she learned better from online classes.
“I am able to process the information and take better notes in online classes than I do in a building. With online classes I am able to pause and rewind lecture videos and easily retain information that I missed or need repeated,” she said. “Whereas, when I’m physically in the building, I spend more of my time trying to copy down as much information as possible—rather than actually processing the material.”
Time Wasting
However, Wilson brought up time management as one of her key concerns.
“I slowly started to neglect my commitment to the class. In the event that I did fall behind, I assumed it would be easy to ‘catch up’ since the course was so easily accessible,” she said. “However, I had to spend a lot of time playing catch-up which only resulted in me falling more behind in my other classes.”
Wilson isn’t alone in her struggles. Kevin Caswell, a Carleton communications student, had a similar experience with respect to procrastination and time management. Caswell is taking one online course this semester.
“I find that online courses would generally be beneficial for people that work and are interested in taking a course on the side,” he said. “I found it hard to stay focused on your particular course with regards all the distractions the internet has to offer.”
According to Boyes, procrastination is a problem in education of any form.
“Regardless of the type of class, if, as a student, you aren’t ready to learn and ready to work, you will not get a lot out of your class,” he said. “But, the thing with online classes is that you may not be ready to learn on Monday, but maybe you are on Thursday.”
One piece of advice Little has is the importance of being organized.
“Making mistakes is easy but the profs are very happy to answer any questions. As well as plan your own due dates, have a planner and write things down, read the readings when the course does have an exam.”
Fake schools-not Cool
Boyes recommended if people are considering an online university, ensure it is an accredited institution. He said this ensures to potential future employers that your education is up to standard.
“The reputation of the school will be an important factor. If you’re taking online courses at a sketchy university, or are part of a sketchy program, that may take away from the seriousness aspect which can affect an employer’s decision to hire you.” – Don Boyes, professor at U of T
There have been concerns with online universities, especially focused on institutions such as the University of Phoenix in the U.S., which closed down 20 of its campuses in America after losing its accreditation.
Canada has no national accreditation body for post-secondary institutions. Every province in Canada has its own set of rules for accreditation. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), is an advocacy organization that represents 91 public and private not-for-profit universities and is the most recognized accreditation organization amongst post-secondary institutions in Canada.
Post-secondary institutions that offer professional programs, such as medicine, accounting, or engineering can also be accredited through their respective professional employment associations.
According to the website of Thompson Rivers University, the school was chosen to be a candidate for accreditation in August 2016 by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), a non-profit recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. They have five years to meet requirements set out in the NWCCU review.
Athabasca University is recognized as an accredited university by the Alberta and B.C. provincial governments and complies with provincial guidelines.
As long as the institution is accredited, Boyes said, whether a degree comes from a traditional institution or otherwise should not effect an employer’s judgement.
“Employers look at the performance of an individual and their seriousness above all, whether that be online or not,” Boyes said.
Brocklehurst said that people pursuing their education online demonstrate certain skills which may actually put them ahead when they search for jobs.
“An online degree is showing a lot of skills and strengths that another degree might not stress as much because someone who completes an online degree has to be very self-motivated, they have to be to work independently really well and go get help when they need it, and communicate with other people to get things working,” she said. “Those are all really strong job skills, to me this shows added strengths rather than a stigma.”
Photo by Jasmine Foong
