Phrases 7 | - Freelance Writer
Oct 25, 2017 | #1
ARTICLE REVIEW
1. In the article "Did I Really Go to Harvard if I Got My Degree Taking Online Classes?" Johnson describes the Harvard Extension School (HES) and the value of a degree obtained from it. The HES is Harvard University's continuing education school, designed to serve mature students and others who are unable to attend university full-time. It has less restrictive entrance requirements than other divisions of the University, is more affordable (without considering the funding available to many Harvard students), and offers a variety of programs that combine online and on-campus learning. Johnson's principle argument is that a HES education just as rigorous as any other offered at Harvard, and because it combines online and in-class settings, it provides the same experience and opportunities that a regular, full-time Harvard student receives. Because the degree itself comes from Harvard University, he believes there is no reason to feel it is second-class, or to believe that potential employers or academic institutions would give it any less weight.
The author himself obtained a graduate degree from the HES, and this may be a source of bias in the article. What he does not tell the reader is that the actual degree says "Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, Harvard University" (or the equivalent for bachelor's and associate's degrees). While he compares his $25,000 master's degree in international relations from HES to a $90,000 MBA from the Kennedy School of Business at Harvard, they are not the same thing - either in practice or on paper. It is not an MBA and it must appear on the graduate's resume as a liberal arts degree "in Extension Studies." The value of a Harvard degree is not so much the quality of education - which one can find the equal or better of elsewhere - but the prestige of the name and being one of the few accepted from an enormous pool of applicants. It is also about the opportunities for networking and building relationships with other students who will be moving into elite positions in America and around the world. While many people, employers, and schools may not judge a graduate of HES any differently, there are, unfortunately, many that will, especially in the elite classes of business, politics, and academia.
Johnson fails to address these important factors, and thus is not in a position to assert the equivalency of a HES degree with one from Harvard College or Graduate School. Perhaps this is why he only ever answers the question posed in his title implicitly; he appears to believe they are equal, but does not come right out and say so. He also puts much weight on the fact that a HES degree requires a student to take a certain number of classes alongside other Harvard students on campus. This makes his title misleading, as he did not receive his degree through online classes alone. This article and some of the comments below it highlight the debate regarding the value of an online education vis-Ã -vis a more traditional on-campus education.
2. One of the most significant developments in online education in recent years is the MOOC, or Massively Open Online Course. Companies like Coursera, Udacity, and edX have been offering hundreds of courses in all manner of subjects from participating universities around the world for free online. Millions of people around the world have taken the opportunity to learn for free from reputable academic institutions, but the sustainability of such services have been questioned and we are starting to see these companies explore ways in which they might monetize their services to make a profit. Fain describes Coursera's "Signature Track" program, rolled out last year, which attempts to address this issue by having students pay a small fee (between $30 and $100) to take certain courses and receive a more official "certificate of completion" at the end than those who take it for free (which will remain an option for most courses). There are concerns, however, which Fain considers, over how student identity will be verified, whether these certificates have any value, and what these changes mean for the future of free MOOCs.
Fain describes the measures that Coursera will use to verify the identity of students in the signature track: they will have to directly submit photos through a webcam, provide an image of a verifiable picture ID, and allow Coursera to create a profile of their unique typing patterns. Upon completion of a course, signature track students will earn a verified certificate and "they will be able to electronically share their 'detailed course performance' through a personal course records page hosted by Coursera" (Fain). Revenue will be split between Coursera and the institutions creating the MOOCs. Fain notes that because thousands of students enroll in most Coursera courses, it will only require a small percentage taking the signature track for both sides to turn a profit: "For example, 1 percent of students paying $50 in a course with an enrollment of 100,000 would create $50,000 in revenue."
Because Coursera certificates are not transferable to college credit, some commentators wonder about the point of them. Fain explains that it is a step in this direction, however, and students may be able to use their Coursera certificates in to gain college credit through "prior learning assessment" a process through which some colleges grant credit for work outside the traditional academic setting. Some universities are also beginning to offer the option to take their courses in either the traditional classroom or MOOC form (with some additional requirements added), and, while adoption has been slow so far, this may become an increasingly viable option for course delivery.
Technology and the turn towards "open" education are changing the educational landscape, and the future of online education may look quite different in the near future. Third party organizations - either non-profit or for-profit - may become a significant intermediary between schools and students in course delivery. Doing so in a way that gives colleges confidence to accept the resultant certificates for credit, however, may require some substantial redesign of MOOCs as they currently exist. One can only hope that such changes do not endanger the free and open education offered by MOOCs today.
3. Plagiarism is a significant concern for educators involved in online learning. Because an online instructor does not have direct contact with their students and has limited opportunity to become familiar with their students' capabilities, knowledge, and personal style, it becomes more difficult to detect cases of possible plagiarism. One tool to assist in this that is becoming increasingly prevalent is plagiarism detection systems like Turnitin. Many institutions today - for both online and traditional classroom courses - require that student work be submitted and evaluated through a semi-automated system that checks their work against a vast database of published writing, online content, and previously submitted student papers. There are good arguments both for and against the use of such systems.
In the chapter "Honor Coding: Plagiarism Software and Educational Opportunism" Losh analyzes the discourse that has arisen around the use of plagiarism detection systems. She notes that the debate has been framed in metaphors of warfare: educators are in a "battle" against plagiarism and both they and their students are adding new "weapons" to their "arsenal." These kinds of analogies, she argues, have implications for instruction in universities and, in setting students and teachers apart as adversaries, do not promote a healthy climate. Some administrators Losh speaks to consider detection systems a necessary evil to combat the plagiarists - like airport security, which we supposedly must endure to combat terrorists. Others liken it to random drug testing, highlighting the ways in which such practices impinge on personal liberties and often target the vulnerable. The company itself, Losh notes, prefers metaphors like "fingerprinting" that link Turnitin to detective work and law enforcement. She goes on to argue that the discourse around plagiarism detection is entering the same realm as that around electronic surveillance, which is becoming increasingly prominent in our society.
This chapter is valuable for it higher level view on the anti-plagiarism debate, analyzing the language without explicitly taking a side on the issue. Whether or not these systems are useful or necessary, the metaphors being used by all sides create a toxic environment in educational institutions. What should be a collegial atmosphere becomes an antagonistic one, and it is highly questionable whether this is a "battle" that can be one, at least if one frames it in such terms. While this discussion does not specifically concern online courses, it is equally applicable to either environment.
Works Cited
Fain, Paul. "Paying for Proof." Inside Higher Ed. Web.
Johnson, Theodore R. "Did I Really Go to Harvard if I Got My Degree Taking Online Classes?" The Nation: Education. Web.
Losh, Elizabeth. War on Learning: Gaining Ground in the Digital University. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2014. Web. ProQuest ebrary.
1. In the article "Did I Really Go to Harvard if I Got My Degree Taking Online Classes?" Johnson describes the Harvard Extension School (HES) and the value of a degree obtained from it. The HES is Harvard University's continuing education school, designed to serve mature students and others who are unable to attend university full-time. It has less restrictive entrance requirements than other divisions of the University, is more affordable (without considering the funding available to many Harvard students), and offers a variety of programs that combine online and on-campus learning. Johnson's principle argument is that a HES education just as rigorous as any other offered at Harvard, and because it combines online and in-class settings, it provides the same experience and opportunities that a regular, full-time Harvard student receives. Because the degree itself comes from Harvard University, he believes there is no reason to feel it is second-class, or to believe that potential employers or academic institutions would give it any less weight.
The author himself obtained a graduate degree from the HES, and this may be a source of bias in the article. What he does not tell the reader is that the actual degree says "Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, Harvard University" (or the equivalent for bachelor's and associate's degrees). While he compares his $25,000 master's degree in international relations from HES to a $90,000 MBA from the Kennedy School of Business at Harvard, they are not the same thing - either in practice or on paper. It is not an MBA and it must appear on the graduate's resume as a liberal arts degree "in Extension Studies." The value of a Harvard degree is not so much the quality of education - which one can find the equal or better of elsewhere - but the prestige of the name and being one of the few accepted from an enormous pool of applicants. It is also about the opportunities for networking and building relationships with other students who will be moving into elite positions in America and around the world. While many people, employers, and schools may not judge a graduate of HES any differently, there are, unfortunately, many that will, especially in the elite classes of business, politics, and academia.Johnson fails to address these important factors, and thus is not in a position to assert the equivalency of a HES degree with one from Harvard College or Graduate School. Perhaps this is why he only ever answers the question posed in his title implicitly; he appears to believe they are equal, but does not come right out and say so. He also puts much weight on the fact that a HES degree requires a student to take a certain number of classes alongside other Harvard students on campus. This makes his title misleading, as he did not receive his degree through online classes alone. This article and some of the comments below it highlight the debate regarding the value of an online education vis-Ã -vis a more traditional on-campus education.
2. One of the most significant developments in online education in recent years is the MOOC, or Massively Open Online Course. Companies like Coursera, Udacity, and edX have been offering hundreds of courses in all manner of subjects from participating universities around the world for free online. Millions of people around the world have taken the opportunity to learn for free from reputable academic institutions, but the sustainability of such services have been questioned and we are starting to see these companies explore ways in which they might monetize their services to make a profit. Fain describes Coursera's "Signature Track" program, rolled out last year, which attempts to address this issue by having students pay a small fee (between $30 and $100) to take certain courses and receive a more official "certificate of completion" at the end than those who take it for free (which will remain an option for most courses). There are concerns, however, which Fain considers, over how student identity will be verified, whether these certificates have any value, and what these changes mean for the future of free MOOCs.
Fain describes the measures that Coursera will use to verify the identity of students in the signature track: they will have to directly submit photos through a webcam, provide an image of a verifiable picture ID, and allow Coursera to create a profile of their unique typing patterns. Upon completion of a course, signature track students will earn a verified certificate and "they will be able to electronically share their 'detailed course performance' through a personal course records page hosted by Coursera" (Fain). Revenue will be split between Coursera and the institutions creating the MOOCs. Fain notes that because thousands of students enroll in most Coursera courses, it will only require a small percentage taking the signature track for both sides to turn a profit: "For example, 1 percent of students paying $50 in a course with an enrollment of 100,000 would create $50,000 in revenue."
Because Coursera certificates are not transferable to college credit, some commentators wonder about the point of them. Fain explains that it is a step in this direction, however, and students may be able to use their Coursera certificates in to gain college credit through "prior learning assessment" a process through which some colleges grant credit for work outside the traditional academic setting. Some universities are also beginning to offer the option to take their courses in either the traditional classroom or MOOC form (with some additional requirements added), and, while adoption has been slow so far, this may become an increasingly viable option for course delivery.
Technology and the turn towards "open" education are changing the educational landscape, and the future of online education may look quite different in the near future. Third party organizations - either non-profit or for-profit - may become a significant intermediary between schools and students in course delivery. Doing so in a way that gives colleges confidence to accept the resultant certificates for credit, however, may require some substantial redesign of MOOCs as they currently exist. One can only hope that such changes do not endanger the free and open education offered by MOOCs today.
3. Plagiarism is a significant concern for educators involved in online learning. Because an online instructor does not have direct contact with their students and has limited opportunity to become familiar with their students' capabilities, knowledge, and personal style, it becomes more difficult to detect cases of possible plagiarism. One tool to assist in this that is becoming increasingly prevalent is plagiarism detection systems like Turnitin. Many institutions today - for both online and traditional classroom courses - require that student work be submitted and evaluated through a semi-automated system that checks their work against a vast database of published writing, online content, and previously submitted student papers. There are good arguments both for and against the use of such systems.
In the chapter "Honor Coding: Plagiarism Software and Educational Opportunism" Losh analyzes the discourse that has arisen around the use of plagiarism detection systems. She notes that the debate has been framed in metaphors of warfare: educators are in a "battle" against plagiarism and both they and their students are adding new "weapons" to their "arsenal." These kinds of analogies, she argues, have implications for instruction in universities and, in setting students and teachers apart as adversaries, do not promote a healthy climate. Some administrators Losh speaks to consider detection systems a necessary evil to combat the plagiarists - like airport security, which we supposedly must endure to combat terrorists. Others liken it to random drug testing, highlighting the ways in which such practices impinge on personal liberties and often target the vulnerable. The company itself, Losh notes, prefers metaphors like "fingerprinting" that link Turnitin to detective work and law enforcement. She goes on to argue that the discourse around plagiarism detection is entering the same realm as that around electronic surveillance, which is becoming increasingly prominent in our society.
This chapter is valuable for it higher level view on the anti-plagiarism debate, analyzing the language without explicitly taking a side on the issue. Whether or not these systems are useful or necessary, the metaphors being used by all sides create a toxic environment in educational institutions. What should be a collegial atmosphere becomes an antagonistic one, and it is highly questionable whether this is a "battle" that can be one, at least if one frames it in such terms. While this discussion does not specifically concern online courses, it is equally applicable to either environment.
Works Cited
Fain, Paul. "Paying for Proof." Inside Higher Ed. Web.
Johnson, Theodore R. "Did I Really Go to Harvard if I Got My Degree Taking Online Classes?" The Nation: Education. Web.
Losh, Elizabeth. War on Learning: Gaining Ground in the Digital University. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2014. Web. ProQuest ebrary.