My oh my, it feels as if it has been forever since my last post. Though I have not been posting anything new about my research does not mean that I have not been perusing ERIC and PSYCHINFO. Research never sleeps!
After narrowing down several articles about online learning, I have found one article that has allowed me to think even further about the long term effectiveness of online learning. The element that I have added to my interest is online education for children with special needs. Lucky for me an entire journal is available on this subject. Burdette, Greer, and Woods (2012) conducted non -experimental research on special needs children enrolled in online education. Major findings from this article include that online learning is not near replacing classroom learning, and should be seen as more of a supplement to education. Another major finding that this article found was the break down of what drives distracts encourage online education for children with special needs. What drives distracts to opt for this change is lower costs, more flexibility ( within student schedules and therapies), and providing access to more qualified teachers.
How does this connect to the online coursework graduation requirement in the state of Florida? Well, this article explains the significance of access to online education to special needs children and their undergraduate coursework. In years past, several university type institutions have been subject to lawsuits on the count of not providing equal education access to those with special accommodations. Burdette, Greer, Woods ( 2012) gives the University of Montana as an example. The University of Montana's campus was not fit for individuals that use wheelchairs. With the incorporation of online coursework, the university was able to provide an option for those students. Thus, does the online coursework requirement prepare those students for what is to be expected of them in a university setting?
The only criticism that I have to offer this article is that it is an non-experimental design study. As a psychology major, I am interested in the different variables and the statistics that come with different sample groups. I think this would have been helpful in establishing some statistical validity to the topic of online education and how it effect special needs children.
