Is computer-delivered education equivalent to one with a flesh-and-blood teacher and hands-on experiences? | Get Schooled

Is computer-delivered education equivalent to one with a flesh-and-blood teacher and hands-on experiences? | Get Schooled:

Is computer-delivered education equivalent to one with a flesh-and-blood teacher and hands-on experiences?

by Maureen Downey

Shannon Howrey is assistant professor of literacy education at Georgia Gwinnett College and parent of three school-aged children.  In her first op-ed for the Get Schooled blog, she writes about the spread of MOOCs, massive open online courses delivered over the Internet to anyone who enrolls without charge.
MOOCs award students certificates rather than college credits.
The nation’s elite colleges are rushing to create MOOCs to enhance their brand and to be part of the most talked about innovation in higher education. At some point, colleges are expected to use the evolving and dynamic MOOC market to make money. Among the possible revenue sources: Data mining, selling the course material, selling sponsorships, charging tuition.
In her interesting piece, Howrey considers the future and benefits of MOOCs.

By Shannon Howrey
The AJC reported Monday that Georgia State University is entering the growing market of massive open online courses, better known as MOOCs, and plans to offer …