Distance Learning

Right on the first page of Leslie Blair's website on Online Learning I found an interesting statement, "Having taught freshmen composition both in the classroom and online, I have noticed a unique learning advantage for students who participate online. Students who take an online composition course learn to communicate through writing because it is their only medium for communication. The practice they receive through writing to communicate with their instructor and peers can be as influential to their writing skills as major essay assignments." I think that this is an advantage of online learning that is often overlooked. Many people, myself included, believe that the only way to improve your writing is to simply write. A teacher can explain process and grammar until they are blue in the face with no improvement in students' writing. However, if students are constantly writing their papers seem to improve. For this reason, online learning certainly presents an advantage over traditional learning. When students would normally speak to teachers, in online learning they write instead. Students normally enter college able to communicate orally with few problems, and for that reason, explaining something in a classroom setting is not a challenge for them. However, if they are only able to communicate with peers and instructors through the written word, then they are constantly writing and this will undoubtedly improve their ability to communicate through writing.
So why is this advantage of online learning overlooked? People seem to fear online learning for many reasons, the most prevalent being the lack of face to face interaction. The thought that a benefit or advantage may arise out of this commonly perceived failing may be hard for some people to grasp. I do not want to discount face to face contact between teachers and students; yet, I think it is important to recognize that there are both positives and negatives to this situation that many fail to recognize. The failure to perceive the benefits that arise out of a lack of "normal" interaction seems to have led to an unwillingness to incorporate online learning into writing courses.