An interesting article appeared in the Chicago Tribune this week that discussed an online learning pilot program taking place in the Chicago area. But this isn't your typical university-based online course, the program aims to educate and provide skills training to low-income parents so they are able to move up in the workforce. Launched in September by National Able Network Inc., a non-profit employment and training agency, the program involves 10 low-income parents that have agreed to devote 10 hours weekly to online courses and attend monthly group meetings. The program is modeled after one that has now been adopted in New Jersey. According to the Tribune, the participants in the New Jersey program averaged a 14 percent annual salary increase in the year after graduating from the program.
I'm impressed by this program. It's an interesting way to use the Internet to help people learn the skill set they need to advance or change jobs, while allowing a flexible schedule to complete the coursework. The article also mentioned that federal funding for workforce training has dropped significantly since 2002; however, studies indicate that service sector jobs are requiring more technical skills, beyond those of the typical high school graduate. Maybe online learning is the more economical way for the government and social service organizations to help people get the education they need. There are, of course, other costs such as hardware and software, which would account for a significant investment. Through the Chicago-area pilot program, the laptops and other necessary material were provided to the participants. It doesn't seem feasible for everyone to upgrade technology to be able to take online courses, especially low-income parents, but I could see the implementation of some sort of rental system. Not to mention, this could be a great publicity and a unique pro bono opportunity for technology companies like Dell and Microsoft.
According to a 2006 report by the Sloan Consortium, the number of students taking online courses increased significantly from 2.3 million in 2004 to 3.2 million in the fall of 2005. The report was based on responses from over 2,200 colleges and universities and addressed several key questions about the current situation and potential for online learning.
From a marketing perspective, there certainly seems to be endless possibilities for online and distance learning.
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3 comments:
Impressive research! The power of the Internet to educate is something that inspires me. I hope this plan succeeds. The intentions are certainly very worthy.
I agree - the intentions are worthy; however, plans like this seem to not only require people with good intentions, but enough people to promote and back these plans to get them off and running. Hopefully, the trial will allow for tweaking any bugs that appear. Let's hope it is successful!
Interesting stats and studies. We're involved in a small amount of development for elearning at the moment and always looking to find out if it's the right way of going forward.
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