Given the increasing attention surrounding remedial education for under-represented students, this article seeks to explore the attractive possibilities of remedial education through online self-paced learning modules. The Monterey Institute for Technology (TMIT) has embraced the online remedial education approach by offering free remedial courses (online) for under-performing students. Arguably, TMIT is helping to eradicate the inequities in education specific to access -as many students often who are concentrated in preparatory course level offerings are less-likely to attend college. TMIT's intentionality in self-paced online learning may yield interesting results and implications for community colleges and policymakers.
LINK: http://diverseeducation.com/article/15015/
I think its a great idea to have remedial courses online, especially if students can focus more on the concepts that they dont understand. However this just proves that we really need to improve our educational systmem as a whole, from primary to postsecondary. I understand that math is an importanct concept to grasp and understand, but what I dont understand is why do they put so much emphasis on math courses to graduate. Colleges and universities should only require math courses on contingent of the student's program.
ReplyDeleteI have two concerns regrding offering math courses online. For many, math is a difficult subject to understand. Assuming that post students take remedial math because they dont undetstand it, what makes some think students will understand it more online, in a situation where the're likely to teach themselves. Personally, I think some math courses should not be taught online. The symbols used in math are rather complex. Some students may loose the lesson objectives because posting or writing the answers on a word documentor into a program may cause distractions.
Yes, one has to be self-motivated and have effective time-management skills to succeed in an online course, but I think the setup of an online course can also affect how well a student succeeds.