We at the Daily 49er were shocked when it was revealed that students in San Jose State University’s online courses were more likely to fail than students who took the same course in-person.
According to San Jose Mercury News, only 29 percent of SJSU students passed an online remedial math course in spring 2013, compared to an 80 percent passing rate of students who took the face-to-face course.
The data for passing rates in college algebra and statistics courses were nearly identical to those of the remedial math courses.
The evidence compiled by San Jose Mercury News showed that students were more likely to succeed in face-to-face courses than SJSU’s online courses, as they are designed now.
The shockingly low online passing rates has even led to SJSU’s suspending its online-only courses.
Because SJSU is a campus in the Cal State University system, we at the Daily 49er are concerned about what the future holds for online courses within the CSU.
Although online courses are more affordable for the universities hosting them than in-person courses, we believe that online programs should come as a secondary option.
It appears that online courses are a temporary fix for many of the funding problems that have plagued public education in recent years.
Even though SJSU’s online courses are a pilot program, its low passing rates should be a red flag to the CSU.
With so few students passing the classes, it’s clear that online education needs much more development to be effective.
And while we acknowledge there is a time and place for online courses, we want to emphasize that more attention and funding should be devoted to face-to-face courses.
Some of our concerns regarding online education stems from a lack of interaction between students and professors.
Although there are some online courses that prominently feature webcams and teleconferencing, there are many courses that do not.
While the passing rates in online courses at SJSU are being futher analyzed, the CSU has announced its intention to further expand its online presence.
According to an article from the Sacramento Bee, CSU students will now have the opportunity to enroll in 36 online courses to be available to everyone this fall.
Essentially, a Cal State Long Beach student will now have the opportunity to take an online course offered by another CSU.
While the recent news may intrigue incoming students who are seeking to satisfy their general education requirements, the effectiveness of online courses remains unknown.
The results at SJSU should warn the CSU of the downsides that online education can bring.
Before we can deem online education a viable option for students, we must develop the technology and practices necessary to meet students’ needs. Successful online courses require cultivation.