Are online courses or in-person courses better for students? Pick a side, and your thesis will assert your position.

The concept of higher education and its relevance to a changing economic climate has become a very contentious issue. Americans acknowledge the need for large investments in education are even willing to fund them with higher taxes. Research has indicated that Americans value education and a commitment to it highly. For example, a recent survey from New America, a Washington think tank, show that 75% of Americans believe its easier to be successful with a degree than without one. In addition, these same respondents were willing to accept a 10% rise in taxes to help fund lower higher education tuition costs. The overall need for higher education is also becoming apparent. The United States economy is shifting to a service-oriented approach predicated on skills in math, science, technology, and engineering. These high skilled jobs often require a higher-level education than prior generations. Although the overall need for education has been recognized consistently through generations, the format in which education is provide has changed dramatically. Gone is the need for in person classrooms and the associated overhead that comes with providing these services. This concept has been replaced with more innovative and nimble online channels which look to lower costs while also eliminating many of the overhead and administrative costs associated with traditional in person education. Online courses often dont provide the lavish gym, or the large football stadium or concert hall. Instead, online course often focus primarily on education will eliminating many of the other ancillary elements on in-person training. As a result, a litany of low-cost higher education courses has emerged, many of which offer course online exclusively. Although this is welcomed edition to the education industry, I believe students are better served by taking in-person courses. First, in person courses allows students to interact with other diverse student groups to build long lasting relationships. These connections and relationship will be particularly important in the future as students begin to matriculate into their respective careers. Having these connections can help foster future career growth opportunities. In-person classes help instill an element of discipline and accountability within the student. The ability to arrive to class on time and prepare for it helps to instill critical habits and soft skills that will be needed after graduation. In addition, in-person courses help mitigate the negative influences of online course such as procrastination. Finally, in certain instances online courses provide poor quality education and often have instructors who many not be accomplished instructors. In some instances, these institutions are not interest in student outcomes but only student enrollment. Having an in-person classroom setting allows for students to be more active and engaged in their learning (Bowen, 2014).

To begin, for online or remote learning courses to be effective, the content must be very compelling and delivered in a very high standard. Physical course offerings at public universities have an extensive track record of delivering a high value learning experience formed over hundred of years of education. The online industry, in general...

…who benefited from the very same outcomes that in-person students will receive relative to online only students. These benefits tend to compound as the university can use proceeds to enhance student services as oppose to being forced to invest in technology and other online fixed costs. This ultimately better aligns student outcome with the mission of the education institution.

Research has shown that the best outcomes occur with a combination of both online and in person classroom experiences. This method provides the benefits of both mediums while also limiting the negative elements. For example, research has shown that students with a combination of on-line and in person classes have higher granulation rates. In the case of community college students, they are less likely to drop out and much more like to enroll in a four-year university after receiving their associates degree (SITE). More specifically, the estimated odds of dropping out were 17.9% lower for community college students who enrolled in some online courses, and the estimated odds of obtaining an associate degree were 28.8% higher for those same students (Ortagus, 2020). The research indicates that students are most successful when they use online courses to supplement their education as oppose to simply relying solely on online education. As such, a combination of online and in-person classes is the best solution as it eliminates the principle-agent problem of online only universities who are only looking to funnel students without providing services to support them. However, it does allow for the flexibility and convenience of online courses particularly for those will large…