Their They're and There
The issue of mixing up or misusing the words “their,” “they’re,” and “there” is a common one shared by even the best readers and writers.
I have a confession to make: I tend to be a luddite when it comes to new
technologies. I do not have insta- “this” or insta- “that.” Sometimes, I am
tempted to toss my expensive smartphone in the trashcan when it buzzes. All my
friends tell me that I am bad at responding to messages. Despite my aversion to
the invasion of particular technologies into my life, my experiences with both
university and online education systems have led me to believe that online
learning is changing the world for the better. Online learning is democratizing
education and redefining how we learn, where we learn and even why we decide to
crack open an educational website in the first place.
Most
people can recall one particularly bad teacher or professor who has taught
them. I am no different. Dr. Sedwig*, a short, balding man of about sixty-five
years of age who taught my upper-level biology course, stands out as an
exceptional example. Dr. Sedwig rushed through complex concepts in a thick
accent, yet always seemed to ramble on about the obvious. His lectures slides
were incomprehensible, consisting of detailed data tables, crude figures and
few words. Questions from students were often responded to with a testy, “Well,
what do YOU think?” My stress levels rose higher day-by-day, like water
threatening to breach a levee as my final exam got closer. I had a stroke of
genius one morning when I remembered a trick used by generations of university
students: attend a different course section taught by a better professor.
Unfortunately, no other professors taught this particular biology class at my
university, so I looked online.
In high
school, I relied on the popular educational website, Khan academy, to help me
break down confusing concepts into manageable chunks of information. While Khan
academy did not offer any videos directly relevant to my course, I was
fortunate to find a MOOC that closely matched the curriculum of my biology
course. MOOCs are massive open online courses, which often include video
lectures and online interactive assignments. The MOOC was taught by a professor
with extensive teaching experience at at an Ivey-League college. The quality of
teaching in the MOOC was much greater than that provided by professors at my
university, like Dr. Sedwig, who were research-heavyweights, but had little
interest in teaching undergraduates. Furthermore, I appreciated being able to
speed through irrelevant lecture videos and slow down, stop and re-watch
important concepts. I found that the combination of access to high-quality
education from top global institutions and personalization of my learning
experience facilitated more effective learning for the effort I invested.
Indeed, I found myself tutoring my peers with ease after studying from the
MOOC.
Of
course, MOOCs are far from the only type of online education. MOOCs are ideal
for content-heavy courses, such as biology; however, other areas of study that
require substantial feedback and problem-solving, (for example language arts or
mathematics) may be difficult to learn through online lectures alone. I would
go as far to suggest that many of the large introductory courses offered
in-person on most university campuses offer little more than online lectures:
it is difficult, if not impossible for professors to provide individualized
feedback and interact face-to-face with 500 students without a veritable army
of teaching assistants. Consequently, online tutoring services represent an
excellent tool for education. Traditionally, students might have used
notice-board advertisements or word-of-mouth to find tutors. However, neither
of those approaches guarantee that a student will find a qualified and
professional tutor. Online services can connect students with top-rated tutors,
regardless of where either person is located. They allow students to compare
tutors, read reviews, and find individuals with compatible teaching styles.
Moreover, I have noticed an expansion of tutoring services into less
traditional areas such as study skills, time management, job-interview
preparation just to start
with. Online learning offers a great opportunity for individuals to
develop new skills and increase their employability, beyond what local
educational institutions offer. Through MOOCs from the likes of Harvard and
John Hopkins and tutoring, I have personally been able to increase my job
prospects through learning basic coding and gaining an introduction to research
methods relevant to my field.
It is
simply unprecedented that almost any student with an internet connection can
take online courses from top institutions, like Harvard and MIT, for free with
a few clicks. Many have lauded MOOCs for democratizing education for this
reason. I believe a similar argument can be made for a number of other online
learning services as well, such as tutoring. For much of Western world history,
children were educated at home. Wealthy families hired private tutors to teach
subjects, such as religion, Greek, Latin, English, philosophy, music,
arithmetic and the natural sciences, although some private or church-run
educational institutions existed. During the industrial revolution, schools
were set up for the middle and lower classes. These institutions focused on
teaching a standardized curriculum of basic reading, writing, maths, and
vocational skills to large numbers of pupils. Although, education has clearly
evolved over the past few hundred years, opportunities to study at top
institutions and receive an individualized tutoring have never been truly
equitable among all social classes. However, online learning represents an
important first step in making quality education accessible to all. Single
mothers working a minimum wage job can in theory study MIT courses for free,
online. Middle-class youths can access high-quality tutoring services online at
reasonable prices, rivaling centuries of aristocratic and oligarchic education
tradition.
Furthermore,
online learning may allow individuals to receive an education, when it would
otherwise be impossible due to political or geographical constraints. For
example, there is some evidence that online learning may allow women to receive
a high-quality education in regions where women have reduced access to
education. Online learning may also allow individuals with mobility-limited
disabilities to receive an education without traveling to a campus and in regions
where university systems have become disrupted, for example due to natural
disasters or violent conflicts. The impact of MOOCs in developing nations and
populations otherwise excluded from education systems is murky: many MOOC-users
hold advanced degrees, even in developing countries. Data on web-based tutoring
programs and access to education is less clear. Online learning in its current
state represents an important step towards the democratization of education,
but is still evolving to meet the needs of users. However, great efforts are
being made to tailor online learning to developing countries. For example, The
Open University of Tanzania is offering distance learning degrees, using a
range of technologies, including MOOCs, e-learning and telecasting. Other
universities in Africa are adopting similar models.
There are currently 200 million Africans aged 18-25, and this number is
expected to double in the next thirty years, representing a huge potential
market. It is thus more important than ever before to make online learning
available in African nations and other developing regions. Key challenges must
be addressed for online learning to take-off, particularly low literacy rates,
the large numbers of languages and regional dialects spoken across much of
Africa and weak technological infrastructure. Although big, these challenges
are not insurmountable. In 2016 I had the opportunity to participate in the
Hult Prize competition, which is supported by the Hult Business School and
Clinton Global initiative. The goal of the competition was to develop a social
enterprise which could double the income of ten million of the urban poor in
five years. My team partnered with a non-governmental organization providing
education in
entrepreneurship, information technology and leadership to under- and
unemployed youth in Uganda with high success rates. Our idea was to use mobile
phones to scale-up the delivery of the high-impact curriculum created by our
Ugandan partner in other African and Asian nations. Although our
social-enterprise did not receive funding from the Hult Prize, it demonstrated
the potential for technological disruption to challenge traditional methods of
education delivery.
Critics
of online learning have been vocal. Common criticisms of online learning are
that it reduces face-to-face interactions and is easy for dishonest individuals
to exploit. In her book, “The Village Effect,” Susan Pinker suggests that
individuals who have less face-to-face interactions are less happy, have a
poorer memory and experience worse health outcomes. I do not dispute her
research and would agree that the social environment is a vital and integral
part of the university experience. I believe that the criticism that online
learning reduces meaningful face-to-face contact is misguided, because it does
not accurately represent how online learning tools are used by students. Online
learning is not going to replace all university courses, particularly in the
developed world. I can recall a number of courses where vibrant debates and
face-to-face meetings with my professors have challenged my views and helped me
refine new skills. That being said, I attend a commuter school and cannot
recall making many meaningful social contacts in my 500-student introductory
lectures. Furthermore, few students in developed countries who enroll in MOOCs
have degrees, but few students actually complete their MOOCs. This likely
indicates that most students wish to try out courses or use small amounts of
content to supplement their learning. Students who complete courses may want to
upgrade specific skills or knowledge to enhance their professional prospects.
In developing countries, approximately half of students complete MOOCs. This
trend suggests that MOOC certifications either hold real value for employers in
those locations and may be an alternative to traditional education models. I do
not think this is a bad thing. An online course from Harvard or online tutoring
may represent major educational opportunities in regions where access to educational
institutions is limited. A similar argument can be used to address the concern
that widespread cheating will reduce the utility of MOOCs. Online learning
sites have gone to great efforts to establish their reputations and limit
cheating. Moreover, you would not hire a lawyer with a ‘degree’ from EdX or an
accountant who studied on Coursera. Professional regulatory bodies exist to
protect the public from quacks and cheaters. Online learning modules registered
with legitimate professional bodies may, however, allow your lawyer, accountant
or doctor to enhance and update their skills and knowledge more frequently.
In
conclusion, online learning is shaking our industrialized-education model to
the very core. What is emerging is a much more adaptable, effective and fair
system. Whether helping students struggling with course material in developed
nations to access better tutors or allowing individuals otherwise excluded from
formal education systems to take high-quality courses at a low cost, online
learning is revolutionary. It is redefining who can learn, when, where and how.
By reducing the barriers to a high-quality education for all, online learning
will make the society of tomorrow better-educated, more employable and more
equal. I believe we are currently seeing only the beginning of online learning.
Innovations, such as artificial intelligence, automated grading and
mobile-phone platforms for education are coming. I am certain that when they
arrive, they will alter the online learning landscape further and continue to
redefine what it means to get an education.
The issue of mixing up or misusing the words “their,” “they’re,” and “there” is a common one shared by even the best readers and writers.
Parentheses serve multiple purposes in English, and they are implemented in pairs.
The ranking, based on 2020 data (released in 2021), takes into consideration test scores, diversity, college preparation, school activities, teacher salaries, and reviews from high school students and