Richard, I have a small favor to ask you: I would like to get the maximum out this program but as it goes with each school there are good and bad professors. Could you post a list of classes you took with a brief review of each. I would hate to get stuck with a class I don’t enjoy. Thanks

I don’t mind debating some of the points you have brought up, but could you take more care when reading my comments and blog posts on this topic? I never said that Harvard has been “educating students in an inferior manner for the past 100 years,” nor did I “point out” that distance education is a substitute for in-class instruction.

I also want to say to you and the other readers that my criticism of distance education is not intended to sleight those students who treat their studies seriously and are able to earn a degree. Distance education students have outperformed their Harvard College counterparts in the past, and I don’t think I would be able to match the efforts of the author of ClueHQ, who besides working very hard on his degree requirements, actually made a point of flying to Boston to attend some classes in person and meet with his professors.

But the fact remains: The dated crop of asynchronous distance education technologies used by the Extension School are an inadequate replacement for in-class instruction and academic discourse. As you noted, online bulletin boards and other mostly asynchronous technologies can certainly augment the in-class experience, but it is wishful thinking to suppose that they can serve as a wholesale replacement for the complex dialogues, spontaneous debates, instantaneous question and answer sessions, and the unencumbered exchange of ideas that form the bedrock of a Harvard education.

This is true of the College and all of the graduate/professional schools, including the Extension School. Every single one of my in-person classes that I took as part of my ALM/Liberal Arts degree requirements featured interaction between faculty and students. This was even true of the two large lecture classes, in which it was possible (during certain parts of the class sessions) to raise one’s hand to ask a question or respond to something that the professors or another student had said. In the seminars and smaller classes, discussions, debates, and asking questions were a part of the daily classroom environment. Many of the classes required oral presentations, which were followed by Q&As with the instructors and other students. The result of this was not only a rich classroom experience, but also an environment that fostered critical thinking and intellectual exchange. In my opinion, this type of interaction should be considered an integral part of an HES education — along with developing writing skills, reading, listening, taking tests, and all of the other things we know distance education is capable of offering to students right now. Unfortunately, message boards, email, videos, and Elluminate are not able to provide the same live dynamic or interaction that is a part of the live classroom experience at the Extension School.

If you don’t believe me, or don’t want to believe me, I urge you to see what other more experienced people have to say. For instance, I know students who have tried both modes of learning at the Extension School, and they describe it as not as engaging, not comparable to the in-class experience, and worse. Professor Michael Sandel, who manages to have rich dialogues and debates with hundreds of Harvard College students taking his “Justice” class, and who has also had the class repurposed for the Extension School, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that “I don’t believe that it’s possible fully to replicate the in-person classroom experience using new technology”, such as video and online resources. Even Dean Shinagel, the architect of the Extension School’s massive foray into distance education, noted in his book that there has been a struggle of “how best to deal with the spontaneous ideas and contributions of distance students.”

If the dean, professors, and students are describing significant drawbacks with the current distance education experience, how can you insist that it is not a problem? Do you think that anything needs to be done in terms of making the platform better or reforming the online credit requirements, or is everything fine the way it is now?

Ian

As a part time Columbia student who has applied to CVN (still waiting to hear a response) for the MS in CS program, I can offer a couple of views on the application process. It’s worth noting the application requirements are almost identical to Columbia’s on campus MS CS program except that the CVN option only requires 2 recommendation letters (the on campus program requires 3). Otherwise, the application is the same formal package of documents as you would expect.

One key point that sold me on the CVN program is that you can actually take classes on campus. Since I live in Brooklyn, this is great. I applied to CVN rather than the on campus program so that if we move away (which is likely), I can finish whatever I have left by video. To me, sounded like a great deal. The flexibility of on campus, video options and the fact that Columbia’s CS program is a top 20 school.

–Stephen

Because, as you point out, distance learning is a substitute for in-class instruction. Harvard’s other colleges cater to students who are able to physically attend lectures, and if they are able to receive in-class instruction, there is no need for a substitute. For those who do need a substitute, HES serves that purpose.

Also, I note that several in-person graduate courses I have taken incorporate aspects of distance learning, such as requiring postings to on-line bulletin boards, delivering multi-media presentations, and attending mandatory meetings with the professor for in-depth discussion of paper topics. I suggest that the adoption of these pedagogical techniques demonstrates their validity.

Finally, I should point out that to receive an ALM from HES, only 6 of the 10 courses may be taken exclusively online. Of the four courses taken on campus, at least 2 must be seminar formats. I suggest this is comparable with the practice of graduate programs to require coursework from both small, seminar-type courses and larger, lecture-intensive courses.

>>I believe that many distance education students are seeking the easiest and most convenient way of getting “Harvard” on their resumes

Your belief does not make something a fact, unfortunately. Your assumption demonstrates a very classist attitude towards people who are not able to avail themselves of a traditional Harvard education. For some students, on-site college or post-grad education is simply not practical and distance education is their best option. Just as a traditional college or graduate student would attend the very best university available to them, a distance learner wants the very best distance program they can find. Surely it’s not that hard to comprehend the motivations of these distance learners?

If you are correct and Harvard has been educating students in an inferior manner for the past 100 years via its extension school, it raises serious questions about the ethics of the institution because Harvard still charges a pretty penny for HES courses and assures prospective students that they do receive a Harvard education. If this is all false, is Harvard placing convenience ahead of academics, as you suggest? Or is Harvard in effect peddling degrees to anyone willing to pay? And if Harvard, arguably the finest institution of learning in the United States, has reduced itself to a degree-mill, it seems there are more worrisome issues at hand than the efficacy of distance versus in-class learning.

But yes. I’m anxious as heck now also. I wonder how you did.

I’m not sure about the ALM-Finance. I did computer science. Sorry.