Online learning: Pessimism, optimism and realism - Michael M. Crow and Derrick M. Anderson, Deseret News

The way we think about online learning is inadequate. Attitudes generally fall into one of two prevailing camps: online learning optimism and pessimism. It's time to look at it with realism. Clearly, the Internet is the frontier of social impact technologies. But the Internet is not just the means to view books in electronic form or pay bills online. It is a platform for using computational tools to enhance and bring new meaning to fundamental human pursuits. Online delivery has already transformed many centuries-old social enterprises. Banking, communication, commerce, government, news and art are all now more accessible, less expensive and faster to use and evolve. We should commit to online learning because of its promise to reinvent and enhance the age-old models that prevail in higher education. With deliberate effort, there is no foreseeable end to our ability to adapt to anything the future may bring. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611097/Online-learning-Pessimism-optimism-and-realism.html