VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONS

Now that we have gone over some of the benefits of virtual education, let’s take a look at some of the less positive aspects.

a. PEOPLE - There is a decided lack of innate socialization that goes with a virtual education environment. Students are not face to face interacting. This can be problematic especially for the younger students that are in the process of learning socialization and building their emotional intelligence. Also, the level of experience can be reduced by not having that live, on the fly interaction with peers. 

b. LOSS OF EXPERIENCE - Hands on learning can suffer in a virtual environment. While not always the case, (I had a professor require a certain amount of hands on volunteer hours in the community for this very reason), often times the knowledge gains is from reading or watching a video rather than having your hands in the materials. This is fine for some subjects, but one must be careful not to miss out on the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge where and when available. 

c. MOTIVATION - There is no teacher in front of you, no one walking the rows to ensure you do not cheat on a test, unless it is proctored, and no one to pull your attention back in if you zone out of the learning focus. In order to be a successful virtual student, you must have a degree of self-motivation and a desire to learn the materials presented. You also must have an ability to locate needed information, whether it is to GOOGLE it, to know who to ask and who/what are your available resources are and how to tap into them.

e. RESOURCES - While virtual education costs are minimal in some areas, there can be an initial start-up cost that can be prohibitive. The cost of a computer or laptop where materials can be accessed and utilized and the cost of having internet available at a high enough speed to make the materials work in a usable fashion can add up quickly. While there are certainly alternatives, such as the use of a public library or a free wifi connection, there are not always available nor are they always easy to get to. Internet connections can go down, computers can crash. There are many variables that must be taken into consideration when planning to undergo a virtual course or especially to take on a full-fledged virtual based education program. 

Virtual education is not for everyone. It is, however, a fabulous alternative for many. If you would like to know if you are a good candidate for the virtual education environment, check out the following links to see where you fall. 

http://www2.spokaneschools.org/OnlineLearning/self_assessment_quiz.stm

http://www.kvcc.me.edu/Pages/Off-Campus-Programs/Is-Distance-Education-Right-For-Me-Quiz