Experts Debate Cost Savings of Virtual Education

Autor/in	Ash, Katie
Titel	Experts Debate Cost Savings of Virtual Education
Quelle	In: Education Week, 28 (2009) 25, S.1 (2 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0277-4232
Schlagwörter	Distance Education; Online Courses; Electronic Learning; Cost Effectiveness; Budgeting; Economic Climate; Expenditure per Student; Costs; Educational Finance + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Online course; Online-Kurs; Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse; Kosten-Nutzen-Denken; Wirtschaftslage; Cost; Kosten; Bildungsfonds
Abstract	This article reports that a group of superintendents and secondary school educators in Massachusetts gathered to discuss how online courses might help offset budget cuts. Maryland state officials say their virtual Advanced Placement classes are a cost-effective way to get high-quality coursework to more students. And the largest state-sponsored online school in the U.S., the Florida Virtual School, has long argued that online courses cost less than face-to-face classes--an especially attractive pitch when budgets are tight. But is e-learning really more cost-effective than traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling? The debate on that question has acquired new urgency, as schools look for ways to keep or expand their course offerings while also controlling or cutting costs during a recession. The answer to the question, experts say, depends on what curriculum is used, whether it is a full-time or part-time program, what state the school is in, and how many students the school needs to serve, among other factors. In the current economic environment, most districts are not adding a bunch of new services, but thinking about how to preserve services. One way to do that is to take advantage of the resources and opportunities already available rather than trying to start an e-learning program from scratch. For example, some states run their own virtual education programs out of their departments of education, which districts can tap in to for little or no cost. (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10