Online Degree Facts

Distance learning in whatever medium is not a new idea, but has been practiced since the turn of the last century. The old correspondence school has gained new life with the advent of the Internet, but with greatly extended "richness" and "reach" (Weigel, 2000). These online programs are not an alternative for those who simply cannot make it in class, but rather are designed for adults who have specific goals and limited available time.

Many online programs lacked uniformity of quality in past years, but today's programs are much more focused and purposeful. To a great , advancement in the quality and scope of learning management systems (LMS) can be credited with much of that shift. A few of the other reasons include greater availability of online courses; increased need whether real or perceived - for additional training or degrees for professional advancement; increased Internet access to the

There is a variety of opinion surrounding the effectiveness of online learning, of course. Clark (1991) writes that he came to regard his 1983 position that "media does not influence students' learning and motivation" (p. 34) as no longer being true and by 1991 altered his position to acknowledging that "media are now taken along with student perception to be factors in student motivation" (Clark, 1991; p. 34).

This is consistent with Salomon's (1997) statement that "Media's symbolic forms shape the way people form meanings, use their mental capacities and view the world" (p. 375). Though mind "and media are allegedly two very different entities" (Salomon, 1997; p. 375), there appears to be a convergence recognized today that often was not recognized in the past, as Clark (1991) notes. That is that mind generally "is taken to encompass the very essence of humanity - intelligence, emotion, compassion, will, and creativity" (Salomon, 1997; p. 375), while technology typically is viewed as being "cold, impersonal, dehumanizing, dull technology of the mass production of information for mass distribution" (Salomon, 1997; p. 375). Despite these broad differences in mind and technology, "history, research, and experience tell us that the two are intertwined in a number of ways" (Salomon, 1997; p. 375).

The current focus on media and media types certainly is justifiable, given the environments in which many children grow up in today's society. Video games exist as the modern siren call; their effects often can be traced to the types of games children are allowed to play. If children are so drawn to video games, then it follows that the same medium would be beneficial in teaching children knowledge they need and that adults want them to assimilate. Moreno and Duran (2004) investigated the value of this position to find that multimedia games did indeed enhance some children's learning but cautioned that "multimedia games may not be equally effective for all learners" (p. 492). Even so, Moreno and Mayer (2005) found that multimedia games can be quite effective among those learners who respond well to them.