New study proves Prof. Giordano right: remote learning was an 'epic fail'
A study by the Center for Community College Student Engagement corroborates Campus Reform Higher Ed Fellow Nicholas Giordano’s 2022 claim that “remote learning is an epic fail”
Majorities of students missed out on key opportunities, such as discussing ideas with professors, working with other students, and out-of-classroom experiences
A new study revealed that students who attended community college online are less likely to interact with other students and instructors in comparison to students who attend at least one in-person class.
The study by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCSE) corroborates Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow Dr. Nicholas Giordano’s claim made in 2022 that “remote learning is an epic fail” and “the push to expand remote education is part of the push to lower standards.”
The study examined nearly 83,000 students from colleges in 41 states in spring 2022. Approximately one in five students reported being fully online for classes.
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According to the study, 58% of online students reported never discussing ideas from their academic tasks with their instructor beyond the classroom, compared to 43% of in-person students. Half of online students said they had never worked with fellow students on projects during class, while only 17% of in-person students reported the same.
Additionally, 65% of online students never worked with their peers outside of class to prepare assignments. That number dropped to 40% among in-person students. Regarding community-based projects, 83% of online students had never participated in such an activity, compared to 75% of in-person students. Outside the classroom, 90% of online students said they had never participated in an “internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment.”
In an October op-ed from Campus Reform, Professor Giordano stated that the “American education system has collapsed” with online learning being “the final nail in the coffin.” The professor says online education should be “forbidden” for students in grades K-12 and in their first two years of college.
“The pandemic was bad enough by forcing students into a failed remote education environment, keeping them socially isolated from their peers, lacking genuine interactions, and inhibiting the social development a classroom environment offers,” Giordano said. “By discouraging students to return to campus, we are doing a disservice to our institutions.”
The professor concluded by saying online classrooms were “never a viable alternative to the in person classroom environment” calling for government bureaucrats, elected officials, and teacher union leaders to be “held accountable.”
In another Campus Reform op-ed about “quiet quitting,” Editor-in-Chief Zachary Marshall similarly found that the “tyranny of lower expectations is real.” “Lowering academic expectations to achieve equity detrimentally affects everyone because it robs opportunities to thrive and find purpose,” he said.
Campus Reform reached out to Professor Giordano for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
