21 Lee, “Rethinking the Accessibility of Online Higher Education: A Historical R (21/18) -- Online Learning Toolbox

21 Lee, “Rethinking the Accessibility of Online Higher Education: A Historical Review” Reference Background Online education has become increasingly more popular throughout the world. With this continued increase comes the need to evaluate the accessibility of different distance education (DE) programs, as well as online higher education (HE). In the beginning, DE programs were established to provide educational opportunities to those who could not attend face-to-face meetings, in other words, the programs were created to increase accessibility (Wedemeyer, 1981). However, Kyungmee Lee (2017) suggests that today it is difficult to truly assess the accessibility of online education. Lee recognizes that guaranteeing accessibility, to all students is, “A complex and multi-dimensional social issue, one which requires serious, and continuing, scholarly discussions” (p. 21). By analyzing the purpose of distance learning, the attributes of distance education users, and the technology used during instruction throughout history Lee aims to highlight the struggles and continued lack of accessibility in online HE. Key points - Purpose of distance education - As stated, the original purpose of offering distance education classes was to provide HE opportunities to students “previously underserved by traditional, campus-based universities” (Lee, 2017, p. 16). - Examples of this date back to the 1800s when women and racial minorities were banned from receiving HE. - In the 1960s and 1970s open universities and DE institutions began, allowing for, “An open-or at least more accessible- point of entry to HE” (Lee, 2017, p.17). - These universities promoted accessibility by lowering or removing entrance requirements and using distance learning - In the 1990s DE began to shift to online education - “It has been an ongoing struggle for the DE institutions to maintain the ‘balance’ between their original mission of serving the disadvantaged and new market-driven values” (Lee, 2017, p.18). - Distance students - “Being labeled as a group of “non-traditional students” or “back door learners,” distance students were generally conceptualized as adults who could not rather than would not access traditional HE because of their personal, financial, or social, somewhat disadvantaged conditions” (Lee, 2017, p. 18). - Unfortunately lowering and removing entrance requirements did not ensure student success once in the program and subsequently did not address potential challenges - Learning at a distance requires learners to be intrinsically motivated, as well as being able to display higher metacognitive skills (Peters, 2001; Moore, 2009). - Dropout rates are higher for distance learners - Students must be able to balance their “outside” lives with their school life - Diverse groups of students - Students pursuing second degrees, higher degrees, additional credits, and supplemental education - These students tend to think of online HE like they are clients or customers. They know