1

Savannah Torrance

Professor Gatlin

ENGL 102 (07)

20 April 2016

Online Education Graduation Requirement

Online learning is becoming more prevalent and frequent in Pennsylvania, even for grade

schools. Cyber schools, such as the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, are creating new

opportunities for students looking for something other than traditional schools. Are public

schools in Pennsylvania receiving the same opportunities? Some public schools are offering

online classes to students, but not all. The future consists of technology and online education is

part of preparing students for this future. This preparation for the future is not only an

opportunity, but a quality filled experience to help the next generation lead in advancement in the

future. Public high schools in Pennsylvania should require their students to take at least one

online class in order to graduate from high school.

Online education and traditional learning definitely have similarities, but they are also

very different. The major differences between online and traditional learning are found in the

teachers and teaching styles, as well as in the class structure and style. Charlene Dykman and

Charles Davis highlight a number of differences between the styles of learning in their article

Online Education Forum: Part Two - Teaching Online Versus Teaching Conventionally. One

difference the authors point out is particularly the teachers themselves. Teachers in a ‘brick-and-

mortar’ school have more freedom to ad-lib class. Their teaching requires less detailed

preparation, as the students do not need to necessarily know every single detail up front like they

would in online education. Additionally, there is the idea that a teacher can also edit the content
 2

or delivery for the class much easier in a traditional environment as opposed to the online

environment. If the teacher needs to change a due date or spend extra time teaching a particularly

difficult topic, they can edit the class; whereas in an online environment, the teacher has a much

more difficult time amending the details because the class has already been formatted. The

teacher must send out a mass email to students and hope the student reads it. Furthermore, the

teacher can update and edit the class from semester to semester in a conventional setting, but

online education is the same experience for every student each time it’s taken. This is because

the classes have a certain reusability to them since they are completely designed online and left

mostly unedited from semester to semester. For the teacher, judging the workload for a

traditional class is easier than online. If the online class has been taken and evaluated previously,

the workload also can easily be judged and adjusted. Online classes are easy to evaluate in

content and teaching style, whereas evaluating the content and teaching for a traditional class

involves more and can be difficult.

Dykman and Davis also mention major differences in the design of the class in online

versus traditional education. Traditional learning occurs in a group setting, where online learning

is much more individual based. The class feels much more personalized, as the student isn’t in

that group setting. In a traditional class, the student and the entire group receive immediate

feedback to help improve the class. In an online environment, if a student reaches out to the

professor for feedback, it can take a while to receive and answer and only the student asking

receives clarification as opposed to the entire class. Lastly, Dykman and Davis mention in online

learning, it is often hard to deduce who the author of a paper is or whom the person taking the

test actually is. In conventional learning, it is easier to determine who is taking a test, but it still

isn’t easy to determine who exactly is writing the papers or taking a test.
 3

One of the biggest similarities between the two atmospheres is actually found in the

teaching itself. The authors highlight this idea when they write, “Conventional teaching is a

calling and a craft that one grows and develops, and teaching online is the same.” The teachers

are the ultimate filters for quality. It is essentially up to them to decide whether or not they need

to edit content or quality. The first and last stop is the teacher in the traditional classroom and the

online environment (158-62).

Online education is growing. Alina Zapalska and Dallas Brozik write, “The growth in

distance education programs in recent years has been fueled by the development of the Internet

and technologies that support online learning. Online education appears to have the power to

change the education landscape,” (7). Online education is growing in the higher education field,

but also in the secondary education field. Pennsylvania already has several different cyber

schools offering students an alternative learning option. These schools offer a variation of

classes. Some are self-paced, some are hybrid style, and some are virtual classes. This schooling

option is just another example of how much online education truly is on the rise.

Online learning is on the rise so much so that many states are starting to create a mandate

that requires students to take an online class in order to graduate from high school. For example,

in the 2009-2010 school year, the mandate requiring public high school students to take one

online class to graduate high school became official in the state of Alabama. This mandate is in

accordance with the Alabama state code 290-3-1-.02(8)(b)(3) and was designed to be a part of

the First Choice Diploma program. Part of this program states the students must take an online

class or a technology-enhanced class (Technology Initiatives). A technology-enhanced class acts

similarly to an online class as there is online content, however, the students go to classes face-to-

face as well. This style of online learning acts as more of an extension of the classroom.
 4

According to the Technology Initiatives and Curriculum and Instruction branch of the Alabama

Department of Education, technology-enhanced classes help the teachers provide comments to

the students and assist in the learning process more. They also state that “connecting Web-based

resources and emerging and advanced technologies to the traditional classroom facilitates the

development of 21st-century learners," (Technology Initiatives). The goal of this mandate is to

teach students skills for the 21st-century world.

A few other states have also made this mandate as well, such as Florida, Michigan, and

Idaho. The mandate was recently required in Virginia under the 8VAC20-131-50 (b) (9) code.

For the Virginia requirement, students are to complete one virtual class and this class may be

noncredit-bearing, required, or an elective credit-bearing course (Virginia General Assembly).

Each state with the mandate has its own variation for the graduation requirement and the classes

themselves offering many different possibilities and variations for the mandate.

Students deserve an education that prepares them for their futures. As society is

constantly updating, the education system should be also. In order to keep up with an advancing

society and prepare students for their future, students should be taking an online class in the

environment of a high school setting to allow them to experiment and be ready for what is to

come in their future classes.

John Piaget, a famous developmental psychologist in the 1900s, had a lot to say about

what education should be as is evidenced by his statement, “The goal of education is to create

men and women who are capable of doing new things,” (Benson et al. 262). Education is not

merely teaching children what will make them intelligent, but rather it is to teach them what they

will need for the rest of their lives. When children reach college, they have a very high likelihood

of taking an online class, or a technology-enhanced class. The workforce often uses the online
 5

atmosphere for training videos and often time sheets as well. Generations are learning to use

computers and the online world at a much younger age now, but learning online is different than

just being online. Online education follows a pattern that must be learned whereas simply being

online is an exploration. Children need to be prepared to learn online, whether it will be in

college or the workforce. Children need to be capable of learning new things in a new

environment and that should be the goal of education. Piaget held the belief that children’s brains

are different than the brains of adults (Benson et al. 262-5). Adults are expected to easily

understand and learn online, but if children’s brains do not work like that, then they must be

taught. Education should prepare children for the online learning environment because their

brains are not ready to immediately pick up the online world. The brains of children don’t grasp

concepts without first learning them. Creating a mandate requiring students to take an online

class will be teaching students what they need to know so their brains can function correctly with

online education later on.

Society is upgrading; it is similar to one giant smartphone constantly offering updates. In

order to have the best and highest quality product, the wisest thing to do is keep up with the

updates. Without updating, a phone is subject to bugs and several other issues. Education is

similar in the sense that if it does not update, students are subject to issues further along in their

futures. In their essay, Bernardes and Donoghue discuss the education system. “Education is a

growing industry…. To survive in this ‘brave new world,’… alternative approaches may have to

be taken by the traditional providers.” They continue to discuss the idea that education must

update to cater to society’s new use of the online realm (Ghaoui 21). John Pulliam covers the

ever-changing education system from its European roots until the future of education. In

reference to the future of education, Pulliam writes, “because we cannot know the future in
 6

advance, it is necessary that we prepare future citizens for as wide a variety of alternatives as

possible.” He goes on to say the education system needs to prepare students for everything they

could possibly come up against (221-2). Students will without a doubt run into online learning in

one form or another in their future. It is irresponsible to not teach children how to use online

classes. The education system is there to prepare students, so it should be doing that by giving

them an online class to prepare them for an advancing society. A mandate for the students is

giving them the update needed to avoid difficulties later on in their lives.

Dr. Cheryl Gould, an assistant professor and Director of Student Teaching at Regent

University, strongly believes online education in schools is for the benefit of the students. She

discusses the many benefits of online education. In reference to the idea of a changing and

updating society she stated, “in education things change; they have to change, because if they

don’t change students will not be prepared. We are preparing them for jobs that don't even exist

in our society yet,” (Gould). She stated this as a major reason for a mandate of online education

in high school. She stressed that while change is difficult, it is necessary. Dr. Gould also

mentions a benefit of online education is, if for no other reason, a good experience at the very

least and it is fantastic preparation for life as well.

Joy Hopewell, an education writer, discusses the rise of online education and offers the

idea that online education offers a much more flexible and convenient atmosphere, as the

students aren’t tied down to a time or location where the class must be taken. She highlights

statistics that show the rise of online education versus traditional learning for higher education.

This plays into the preparation aspect that demonstrates that students should be prepared in

advance due to statistics showing higher education is becoming more of the online environment.

She writes, “as of 2014, over 65% of students took at minimum one online class during their
 7

college career,” (Hopewell). This is clearly a trend steadily on the rise and therefore, the

education system should be required to prepare students for a future involving online education.

Installing a mandate for students will help develop them to meet the rising statistics.

Online education presents new opportunities students may not otherwise get. Dr. Gould

stresses the importance of opportunity with online education, highlighting the fact that the

mandate can be interpreted in different ways depending on the school district. The district can

get creative and offer several different classes for students and make it more than general

education classes. She even referenced a physical education class she had seen that was taken

online. The students simply had to log their hours for physical education (Gould). The options

are limited only by the decisions of the districts. This very idea can provide so much for schools.

Students attending schools without an AP calculus class can take this online or maybe those

attending schools without a history class on the Cold War can take this class online.

There are several references to knowledge in Proverbs. Proverbs 4:13 states, “Keep hold

of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life,” (ESV). Instruction and knowledge

are important enough that they are to be guarded as that instruction is life. Proverbs 18:15 says,

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge…” (ESV). If one’s heart is intelligent, they will seek

knowledge. Knowledge is something Christians should strive for. Deuteronomy 11:19 reads,

“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and

when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,” (ESV). The

context of this verse is talking about the Scriptures, where God commands His people to teach

their children so often, they are constantly learning. It is the duty of Christians to strive for the

best possible knowledge available. Currently, some of the best options include online education

for its quality and effectiveness. This is something Christians should be seeking after, in order
 8

that they might reap the benefits of knowledge. So, education should be offering knowledge at

the highest quality available, which includes online education. A mandate would just be

requiring students to receive this preparation, quality, and advancement.

Janet Womack, a superintendent in Alabama, has become a spokesperson for those

questioning the quality of online education (States Beginning to). This concern relates to the

overall quality of the class and the teacher. Students are thought to not get the best education if

they are not learning in the classroom with social interaction, as this often helps cement learning

for the child. Dykman and Davis comment "the online system tends to be rigid and inflexible

with minimal feedback, unless the parties involved strive to overcome its limitations…” (160).

Part of the major point of that statement is the word ‘unless’. It is up to the teacher to create the

quality necessary in an online class. In another article by Dykman and Davis titled, Online

Education Forum - Part Three A Quality Online Educational Experience, the authors stress the

idea of getting to know the students through the online profiles. This enables the students to get

to know the teacher as well as each other. These profiles can help to enhance the quality of the

class (282).

Continuing with enhancing quality is the idea of discussion posts. Voicing the concern

for social interaction is Mark Edmundson, an English professor at the University of Virginia. He

says it is difficult to create dialogue in an online class (Hickey). The fear is that students will not

receive enough discussion or social interaction to make their experience fully educational.

Students most certainly can communicate in an online environment. Discussion posts are one of

the best ways to facilitate connections between the students and the professor and these posts

double as participation for the students as well. Moon-Heum Cho and Scott Tobias explain what

discussion posts are capable of. They state these posts offer social, cognitive, and teaching
 9

presence in the class. The social presence connects students to the teacher. The cognitive

presence offers more meaning from the content and the teaching presence is simply the teacher’s

ability to facilitate the class (124-5). One of the major highlights to the discussion forums is that

they offer the opportunity for every student to participate. Students who are more shy or anxious

often struggle to participate in a traditional classroom as some students dominate the

conversations while others simply fear the attention. Discussion forums require every student to

participate and allow for the students to give their best answers and have time to think them out.

This is easier and more comforting to students than the pressure of participating in a

conventional classroom. Also, students can comment on each other’s work to offer more peer

input to help enhance the learning experience for all students. This may not completely cover

social interaction or participation for students, but the mandate only requires one class to be

taken online to graduate; meaning students will still have social interaction.

Brittany O’Grady, a student, speaks out on another fear for online education. She felt as if

she learned better in the traditional classroom, as it was more effective (Rothstein). Many fear

online education is completely ineffective, or just not as effective as traditional learning. Kristine

Fish and Hyun Gu Kang, discuss a study done comparing a class taken both online and in a

conventional classroom in order to show the effectiveness of online education versus

conventional learning. Effectiveness, in this case, relates to what type of knowledge is being

taught to the students. This specific paper refers to declarative knowledge versus procedural.

Declarative knowledge refers to knowing something is a fact, such as being taught two plus two

equals four. Procedural knowledge relates to how to do something, like being taught how to do a

math problem. The studies show that in general, online learning actually exhibited more

effectiveness in teaching declarative knowledge. When it came to procedural knowledge, there

 10

was no evidence to say it was more or less effective. In instances where the same instructional

methods were used, online and traditional learning generated the same amount of effectiveness

for declarative knowledge. The article continued to discuss the results and came to a conclusion

stating neither online education nor traditional learning was more or less effective overall (180-

90). Effective learning is simply learning of the highest quality for the student where the student

retains information and is able to use that information. A mandate for online education isn’t

going to change the effectiveness of learning for the student. The student can still learn as much

and as well as in a traditional learning environment.

Tuan Nguyen covers the positive, null, and negative findings in studies done on the

effectiveness of online learning as opposed to conventional education. One thing found in

relation to students’ poor grades in online classes was a lack of time spent on the class. The

online students’ grades were lower than their ‘brick-and-mortar’ counterparts, according to

Nguyen, because the traditional students did spend significantly more time on their studies (313).

This study was done on classes taken outside of high school and while it does hold water, it must

also be looked at from a different angle since the mandate will be for high school students. In the

high school classes, the school itself can make sure students are taking the amount of time

required to ensure receiving a better grade in the course.

The Center for Online Education writers raise a good point about online education in

their article when they bring up cheating (Should online courses). Cheating is a genuinely

difficult concern to address when it comes to online education. It is very difficult, and borderline

impossible to truly always know when and if a student cheats. Online quizzes, discussion posts,

and papers make it challenging for a teacher to handle cheating. Dan Cabrera offers several tips

to help the teacher get a better handle on cheating. For testing, Cabrera states one should, mix
 11

objective and subjective questions, use question pools, set a timer, and/or display questions one

at a time. For homework, create different kinds of assignments, check for plagiarism using a

screening tool like SafeAssign, and/or use discussion assignments (Cabrera). These are not fail-

proof ideas to eliminate cheating altogether, but rather ideas to help reduce cheating. Traditional

classes also have issues with plagiarism and cheating as well, it is just a different kind of beast

that teachers are already familiar with, in the sense they can more easily recognize plagiarism.

Once online education becomes more familiar, teachers will catch on. It may take some time, but

eventually, cheating will be much more easily prevented with online education, if only for the

fact that it will become more well-known and will be more easily caught by teachers.

Brittany O’Grady also voices another the fear of learning styles for online education.

People fear students will not be able to properly learn from a computer if it is not their learning

style (Rothstein). Alina Zapalska and Dallas Brozik cover ways to incorporate every different

learning style into the core of online classes. It is entirely possible to cover all learning styles by

building the class itself and designing the class to take different learning styles into account (9-

11). There is also the problem of students currently in the conventional system struggling with

their learning styles not being taught. While learning styles can be a problem, if the online class

is well designed, learning styles will not be an issue.

Building a successful online class is a major step toward making online education work

for all learning styles. According to Murali Shanker and Michael Hu, the framework for building

a successful online class requires a proper learning environment, course design, and student

satisfaction. It is absolutely essential to build the class by making sure to properly incorporate

discussions, solid teaching, and communication techniques. All of this contributes to the student

satisfaction, which will, in turn, raise the level of discussion and increase the learning
 12

environment (104-7). A major issue with the class design is incorporating the learning styles.

The class should be offering the content in multiple forms, allow for individual control, and

encourage interaction. Teachers must ensure they have something for every single student,

whether they are visual, auditory, reading and writing, or kinesthetic learners (Brozik 10-12).

The best option for when to make this mandate happen will not always be the best timing

for everyone, but with that being said, it is necessary to do something. The proposition is to

begin the process for the mandate starting in the 2019-20 school year. This will give school

districts a few school years to begin the process of getting ready for the mandate. Also, it would

be best to begin preparing districts before the mandate begins as budgets take time. This will also

give time to readjust the education budget for Pennsylvania, as the PA government should add

extra assistance to make this mandate happen effectively. It will be up to the districts and the

government to decide how much money will be necessary for each area as this will provide

autonomy for the districts and ensure they have more of a say in the proposed mandate.

The mandate should be presented to the schools in the beginning of summer before the

2017-18 school year. The schools will then have the chance to decide on a proposed budget that

they will each individually require. They can then present the proposed budget to the education

department in the school year of 2017-18. There will be time for revision of the budgets

throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, it will be time to finalize the budgets

and get the money to the schools. The transitions, training, and class design will take place over

the summer following the 2018-19 school year. This will lead into the mandate being enforced in

the 2019-20 school year.

Students are the future and they deserve the best education they can get. It is up to the

schools to give them that quality education. Online learning presents opportunities, advancement,
 13

and preparation for students. This is something that should be necessary as quality education is

essential for students. The Pennsylvania online learning mandate offers those students simply

what they already deserve: a quality education.

 14

Works Cited

Benson, Nigel, Collin, Catherine, Ginsburg, Joannah, Grand, Voula, Lazyan, Merrin, Weeks,

Marcus. The Psychology Book. New York: DK Pub., 2012. Print.

Cabrera, Dan. “Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment.” NIU Faculty

Development and Instructional Design Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Cho, Moon-Heum, and Scott, Tobias. “Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online

Courses? Effects of Online Discussion on Community of Inquiry, Learner Time,

Satisfaction, and Achievement.” The International Review of Research in Open and

Distributed Learning IRRODL 17.2 (2016): 123-41. Education Source [EBSCO]. Web. 2

Apr. 2016.

Dallas, Brozik, and Zapalska, Alina. “Learning Styles and Online Education.” Campus - Wide

Information Systems 24.1 (2007): 6-17. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

Davis, Charles K., Ph.D., Dykman, Charlene A., Ph.D. “Online Education Forum: Part Two –

Teaching Online Versus Teaching Conventionally.” Journal of Information Systems

Education 19.2 (2008): 157-64. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

Davis, Charles K., and Charlene A. Dykman. "Online Education Forum: Part Three - A Quality

Online Educational Experience." Journal of Information Systems Education 19.3 (2008): 281-

89. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

Esnault, Liliane. Web-based Education and Pedagogical Technologies: Solutions for Learning

Applications. Hershey: IGI Pub., 2008. Print.

Fish, Kristine, and Kang, Hyun Gu. “Learning Outcomes in a Stress Management Course:

Online versus Face-to-Face.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 10.2 (2014): 179-

92. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

 15

Ghaoui, Claude. Usability Evaluation of Online Learning Programs. Hershey: Information

Science Pub., 2003. Print.

Gould, Cheryl A. Personal interview. 1 Apr. 2016.

Hickey, Ryan. "5 Disadvantages to Consider about Online Education." Peterson's. Peterson's, 05

Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Hopewell, Joy. “The Benefits of an Online Education - What Degree Should I Get.” What

Degree Should I Get. Digital Agency Blue Fountain Media, 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Nguyen, Tuan. “The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Beyond No Significant Difference and

Future Horizons.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 11.2 (2015): 308-20.

Education Research Complete [EBSCO]. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

Pulliam, John D. History of Education in America. 3rd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill, 1982.

Print. Merrill's Foundations of Education Ser.

Rothstein, Ethan. "High School Students Required to Take Online Classes." ARLnow. N.p., 09

Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Should Online Courses Be A High School Graduation Requirement?" OnlineColleges.net. N.p.,

23 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

"States Beginning to Mandate Online Learning." DreamBox Learning. N.p., 16 Apr. 2013. Web.

24 Apr. 2016.

Technology Initiatives and Curriculum and Instruction Alabama Department of Education. "High

School Distance Learning: Online/Technology Enhanced Course or Experience Guidance."

Alabama Department of Education, n.d. Pdf. 14 Apr. 2016.

The English Standard Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001. Print.

Virginia General Assembly. “8VAC20-131-50. Requirements for Graduation.” Virginia Law.

Commonwealth of Virginia, 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

 Torrance 1

ENGL 102 (07)
Professor Gatlin
6 April 2016
Annotated Bibliography
Academic Books

Collin, Catherine, Nigel Benson, Joannah Ginsburg, Voula Grand, Merrin Lazyan, and Marcus
Weeks. The Psychology Book. New York: DK Pub., 2012. Print.

This informational source discusses a number of topics relating to psychology. It covers

important topics pertaining to psychology, such as different theories and ideas from
famous psychologists. This book covers ideas that were, and sometimes still are, hotly
debated among psychologists. It is strictly informational and was written for people who
simply want to know more about psychology and it’s key topics. The book covers topics
that include: philosophical roots, behaviorism, psychotherapy, cognitive psychology,
social psychology, developmental psychology, and psychology of difference.

This source is useful to my research because it gives the ideas of psychologists that are still
applicable today. The Psychology Book offers the knowledge of six different contributors
who all have valuable information to add for the final author. Collin and Ginsburg are
clinical psychologists offering knowledge on learning styles, Benson is a lecturer offering
his knowledge on learning, Grand is a business psychologist offering psychology points to
the book, Lazyan is a writer and editor offering critiques for the book, and Weeks is a
writer and musician offering editing critiques. Each contributor is a lover of psychology
and offers his or her own knowledge to add to the book. This book will help my research
because it is purely informational and will contribute to the learning of the readers as
well as my overall argument.

I will be using this book as one of the major points in my supporting argument section of
my paper to discuss the stages of development in children. It will be used to prove
students can adapt to different ways of learning based on the stage of development high
school students should be in. I will use it because it offers a more substantial proof that
students are capable of learning in an online environment and that it won’t mess up their
learning. This source will strengthen my argument because it offers research already done
and accepted by famous psychologists.

Esnault, Liliane. Web-based Education and Pedagogical Technologies: Solutions for Learning
Applications. Hershey: IGI Pub., 2008. Print.

This book is an informational book and covers several different topics relating to online
learning. The major sections include: the learning process, learner’s behavior, designing a
system, and life-long learning. It’s an informational book that offers a perspective on the
side for informational learning. The multiple authors are covering a wide range of
subjects inside the online learning umbrella. This book helps break down the major ways
online education can help students to actually learn in an online environment.
 Torrance 2

This source contributes to my paper because it offers statistics as well as multiple
perspectives. There are several lists of more references at the end of every chapter as it is
a collection of multiple works. According to IGI Global, Esnault is a professor at E.M.
LYON as well as a project manager dealing in e-learning development. She received her
Ph.D. in fundamental molecular physics and is teaching classes in an e-business course.
Her specialty is in dealing with e-learning and network learning. Her teaching on e-
business gives her a good handle on the online world.

The chapter on improving effectiveness will play a role in my paper in my call to action
section as it offers several how to answers on the concept of quality. The authors of that
chapter give examples to help further explain their idea of quality and what makes up
quality teaching for an online environment. I will use this source as an example to show
how to go about making the mandate happen in Pennsylvania.

Ghaoui, Claude. Usability Evaluation of Online Learning Programs. Hershey: Information

Science Pub., 2003. Print.

This source is an informational source on the concept of online learning and its uses.
Ghaoui gives several papers discussing the online learning atmosphere as well as some
more general information about online learning. The book offers a lot of information on
different arguments against online learning, such as quality issues, theories of learning, and
learnability. Overall the book is a great source for understanding more of what online
learning can and can’t do. It covers the major points of learning and how that is done
through online education.

The book will be benefit my paper in the sense that it offers several good points of
view on the opposing side while also offering rebuttals. According to IGI Global, Ghaoui
is a senior lecturer in computer systems at the School of Computing and Mathematical
Sciences. One of her areas of expertise is in the application of multimedia/Internet
technology in education. She is also an advisor for eUniversity in the UK, which
promotes online learning.

I will be using it in both the proposal section and the refutation section. This book will be a
great addition to my research as it offers information on several topics I have been looking
into. This book will mostly be used in my paper to argue that students can learn through
online education. It will also be used to cover teaching quality concerns for the refutation
and one reason why online learning is beneficial for the proposal.

Pulliam, John D. History of Education in America. 3rd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill, 1982.
Print. Merrill's Foundations of Education Ser.

Pulliam presents the history of the development of the education system in America. It is
an informational book that goes over a wide span of topics in the background of the
education system. Pulliam touches on several topics including the European heritage,
the American Revolution, and the future of education. Some important points are
found in his last two chapters, which highlight controversial issues in today’s education
 Torrance 3

and education in the future.

This book is helpful to my paper because it offers a good solid background on education
as well as several controversies at the time the book was written. Pulliam has written
nine editions on his book. According to Montanan, Pulliam was the dean of the
University of Miami’s School of Education and he later retired. He offers his expertise on
education as he was once the dean for the School of Education and was able to see
education in an up close light as opposed to other writers.

This book will help me with my research because it has the future thoughts of education
as well as multiple controversies. It also touches on how the education system is
constantly changing. I will use this in the supporting argument portion of my paper to
highlight the argument that the education system must change and update in order to keep
up with society. The book discusses constant change of the school system as society
changed, and thus I will highlight the idea that society is still changing today and the
education system needs to follow suit in order to not fall behind.

Original Research

Gould, Cheryl A. Personal interview. 1 Apr. 2016.

This interview offers a teacher’s perspective on why it is important to have online

learning available in the classroom. The interview focuses on the reasons online learning
can benefit students in the future. Dr. Gould offers an informative perspective on how to
go about change in order to create the mandate for schools in Pennsylvania to require an
online class to graduate from high school. This source was informational, but also
argumentative as Dr. Gould believes in online education classes and answered from that
perspective.

This source will be highly beneficial to my research because it offers a viewpoint from a
passionate teacher who has been in the field for roughly 20 years. Dr. Gould has been a
teacher, a student, the director of student services and the director of student teaching,
and an educational specialist where she supervised fifty-five teachers in Henrico County,
Virginia. She has a good, solid background in teaching and learning both with and
without the online learning aspect. Dr. Gould has seen the change when technology
became very integrated into education. She has a sound input involving technology in
education and she teaches a class at Regent University that discusses technology being
integrated into the classroom.

I will use this source throughout my argument and refutation sections of my

paper to help boost my point. This source has given me a better idea on how to see the
opposition in a different way. It has helped me get a more creative perspective on the
actual idea of online learning in education. Dr. Gould stresses quality and that idea will
be referenced frequently throughout my paper as it is something I feel is important to
highlight. The idea of quality in online learning is something I am trying to stress is
possible throughout my entire paper.
 Torrance 4

Academic Journals, Articles, and/or Periodicals

Cho, Moon-Heum, and Scott, Tobias. “Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online
Courses? Effects of Online Discussion on Community of Inquiry, Learner Time,
Satisfaction, and Achievement.” The International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning IRRODL 17.2 (2016): 123-41. Education Source [EBSCO]. Web. 2
Apr. 2016.

This journal is informational as it compares taking online course without discussion

among the students versus taking the class with discussion. It covers the idea that
discussion could help enhance online learning to make the class a higher quality for the
students taking it. The journal shows the results of an actual study to defend the idea that
discussion in the online classes does, in fact, increase the quality of learning.

This journal is peer reviewed and has two authors. The authors have included several
sources at the end of their report to help establish more background for the reader. Tobias
received his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of
Missouri. Tobias now works at the Kent State University. He gives a teacher’s perspective.
Moon-Heum works at the Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. Moon-Heum works
in the teaching industry and is able to provide a teacher’s perspective and add to my paper.
This journal will be a good source because both authors write from their own perspective
giving a good balance to the paper, but without being biased.

I will use this source in the argument section of my essay to show there can be social
interaction with an online class as well as ways to further enhance student learning. I will
use it to argue that this is actually better for some students as it gives those who are timid
a requirement to participate. It’s a good source to use for this because it gives research to
back up the claim that it’s better for students to have discussion in an online class than it
is to not have it.

Dykman, Charlene A., Ph.D., and Davis, Charles K., Ph.D. “Online Education Forum: Part Two
- Teaching Online Versus Teaching Conventionally.” Journal of Information Systems
Education 19.2 (2008): 157-64. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

This journal compares online education to traditional ‘brick-and-mortar’ school learning.

The journal also gives tools and ideas to teachers on how to properly facilitate an online
class in order to have the best quality for the students. While the journal does focus on the
differences of conventional versus online school, it also highlights course design for
online courses. This journal is informational.

This is a peer-reviewed journal with two authors. Both Davis and Dykman have a Ph.D.
in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston. Dykman focuses
on the online education aspect while Davis focuses on the business side. These are both
important to online education. This journal is part of a three piece series on the topic of
online education. The authors provide resources to offer more information. This source is
 Torrance 5

useful to my paper because it offers a good background of understanding that remains
unbiased.

I will be using this source in the background section of my essay to help readers
understand the difference between classes in a physical school everyone is used to versus
taking a class online. This journal offers a lot of information on the differences between
the two different types of classes and it will help bring the readers up to the same level of
knowledge on the subject as me.

Fish, Kristine, and Kang, Hyun Gu. “Learning Outcomes in a Stress Management Course:
Online versus Face-to-Face.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 10.2 (2014): 179-
92. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

This journal highlights a study on two groups. The test took students in the same class
where one group was online and the other was in a face-to-face setting. The journal
discusses the results on which class did better overall. In this particular case, there wasn’t
vast difference, but the journal considers the fact that perhaps some classes may be better
suited for an online atmosphere than other classes. This journal is informational.

This is a peer-reviewed journal with two authors. Fish is an associate professor in the
Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion in CA State Polytechnic University in
Pomona, CA. She works to better education and that is a highlight of my paper. Hyun Gu is
an assistant professor for the Department of Kinesiology at the CA State University in San
Marcos, CA. He also works to better education. This source is useful because it follows a
case study but also remains unbiased by making sure readers understand this case isn’t
necessarily the standard.

I will be using this source in my refutation section. This journal will be used to show that
just because a class is taken online, that doesn’t automatically make it have any less
quality than a class taken face-to-face. I will also be using it to validate my opposition by
showing that yes, it may depend on the class taken. This journal has helped me
remember that the opposition does have good points on their side as well and will motivate
me to work harder to prove my point.

Nguyen, Tuan. “The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Beyond No Significant Difference and
Future Horizons.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 11.2 (2015): 308-20.
Education Research Complete [EBSCO]. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

This paper focuses on the idea that online education is definitely as good as traditional
learning when it comes to properly educating students. It highlights online education as
being effective, but not necessarily always more effective than traditional learning. This
journal gives the positives, the negatives, and the indifferent verdicts on the topic of
online education. It also discussed some of the factors that go into making an online class
effective. This journal takes a very good look at the idea of online education being
important to the future education of students. This journal is informational as it merely
teaches on the differences and similarities.
 Torrance 6

This is a peer-reviewed journal. Nguyen is on the leadership team as a research graduate

assistant at Vanderbilt Peabody College in Nashville, TN. He received his Master in the
Arts of Teaching at Washington University in St. Louis. His expertise is in teaching, which
adds to the quality for my purposes. This sources is useful to my research because it talks
about making classes effective, which contributes to the overall quality of learning.

I will use this journal in the refutation section of my paper. This journal shows there isn’t a
significant difference in online education versus conventional learning. This is a good
way to refute the opposing idea that online education isn’t as effective as traditional
learning. I will use this source by showing the factors that go into making online learning
just as effective as traditional learning in the sense that it can accomplish the same learning
goals. I will also be highlighting the points the author makes on the positives, negatives,
and null findings in my background section.

Zapalska, Alina, and Dallas, Brozik. “Learning Styles and Online Education.” Campus - Wide
Information Systems 24.1 (2007): 6-17. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

This journal discusses learning styles and their involvement in online education. It
highlights the different kinds of learning styles and how those can fit into the design of an
online class in order to have the most effective learning for the student. The major idea and
point of this journal is that it is completely possible to design a class for all learning types
and styles once the style has been identified. This journal is informational.

This journal is peer reviewed and written by two authors. Zapalska is the Professor of
Economics for the Department of Management for the US Coast Guard Academy in New
London, CT. She has been in the teaching field for around 30 years. Because of her field
work, Zapalska can add to the education ideas to improve education itself. Brozik is the
Professor of Finance for the Division of Finance and Economics at Marshall University in
Huntington, WV. He received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Brozik’s
expertise comes more in enhancing the quality of things, which is helpful for online
classes. These authors give a good background of learning styles in an unbiased
perspective. This will be useful to my research, as I want to highlight learning styles.

I will use this source in my call to action where I discuss how to go about installing the
mandate for online education. I will use this to talk about class design. I will also use this
source in my argument section to say online education can work for any student and still
remain an effective way of learning. I will this journal because it offers an alternative
solution to the dilemma of students who supposedly cannot learn in an online
environment.

Internet

Cabrera, Dan. “Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment.” NIU Faculty
Development and Instructional Design Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
 Torrance 7

This site is informative as it offers reasons why cheating is prevalent in online education
and offers tips to help with cheating. While it doesn’t give ways to avoid cheating
altogether, it gives great tips and advice on how to assess students’ knowledge despite
possible cheating. It offers these tips to help with cheating for both taking tests and
completing homework assignments. This source can also be considered argumentative
since it argues for certain alternatives to enhance test taking and avoid cheating.

Cabrera is an author/blogger for the site. According to the NIU website, he received his
Ph.D. in Public Health and is now the Multimedia Coordinator at NIU University. He
works with multimedia and education as one of his responsibilities as a faculty member.
This is useful to my research because cheating is a major issue for online students or
online classes, as well as classes with just an online aspect to them. Cheating is also a
major point for my opposition. Because Cabrera works with multimedia and education as a
faculty member, his sole job is to improve multimedia (online) education.

I will be using this source in my refuting section. Cheating is a huge issue and I will
acknowledge that in my refutation section. One of the benefits of this site is that I will use
it to show my opposition that there are alternatives and ways to help avoid this issue of
cheating. I will be using alternatives on the list such as mixing subjective and objective
questions and several other tips. Using these tips to show an alternate route will help make
my point stronger.

Hopewell, Joy. “The Benefits of an Online Education - What Degree Should I Get.” What
Degree Should I Get. Digital Agency Blue Fountain Media, 2014. Web. 03 Apr.
2016.

This website highlights three major topics of online education for secondary education:
growth rate, blended courses, and the rise of online education. Though it is an
informational site discussing online education, it writes from the argumentative
perspective that online education is actually beneficial. The site references several
statistics involving students choosing online education. The site also highlights the rates
of students enrolled in online classes versus traditional schooling.

While the site does write from the perspective of online classes being beneficial, it
remains unbiased in the sense that it offers multiple statistics and looks at the opposing
arguments. Joy Hopewell is an education writer and counselor and offers a good general
overview of online education in the college system. This site is useful to my research
because it offers a look at what secondary education is doing and thus it helps my
argument for why students should be prepared. Hopewell has been writing many articles on
education and has a good authority on the concepts of education after writing so much.

I will use this site in my supporting argument section for the fact high school students
need to be prepared for college because college is transitioning into online now. I will
also use the statistics to show that many students are actively choosing online so they
should be ready for exactly what that entails later on. It will be a good site to introduce
other options, such as blended classes, in my refutation suggestions.
 Torrance 8

Seaman, Peter. “Why Are My Online Discussions so Boring?” Portland Community College.
Portland Community College, 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

This site considers discussion posts and forums in online education. It highlights why
these discussions can be bland in online classes, but it also offers ideas to make those
discussions better. This site also brings up the point that in online class discussions, every
student must participate, while in face-to-face classes not every student always gets a
chance or has the confidence to participate. This site informs readers of the latest
considerations on the discussion post matter.

The author Peter Seaman is a blogger for this site and for education topics. According to
PCC’s site, Seaman is the Online Development faculty member in the Distance Learning
department. He gives points of view from both sides and remains unbiased to the online
discussion post issue. This source is useful to my research because it offers an example and
definition on discussions and participation, which is a major issue for online classes. He
proves his expertise on online discussion posts as his job is purely based on development
of online classes.

I will be using this source in my background section to reference the discussion post issue
that has become relevant lately with online education classes. I will show this by
discussing the fact participation is thought to be a valid issue with online classes, when in
reality, according to the site, there are tips and tricks to make discussions better quality and
that quality allows for better participation. I will also use this in my call to action section to
highlight one way to raise the quality of online class education for the mandate in
Pennsylvania.

Virginia General Assembly. “8VAC20-131-50. Requirements for Graduation.” Virginia Law.

Commonwealth of Virginia, 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

This website gives the restrictions for graduation for public high school students in
Virginia. It lists the entire group of stipulations for all students. The site lists credit
requirements and discusses IEP situations and several other things pertaining to the
graduation requirements for Virginia students. One of the things it lists is the new mandate
requiring students to complete one virtual class in order to graduate high school. This
website is purely informational.

This site was written by the Commonwealth of Virginia and posted online by the Virginia
General Assembly. This site is used strictly for public use in order to keep up with the
latest laws and mandates. This site is not a legal consult though it is drafted up by the
Commonwealth of Virginia. The website is constantly updated in order to keep the public
informed, therefor they have every reason to make sure the information is accurate. This
site is valuable to my research as it shows the law in another state that I can use as a
reference.

I will use this site in the background section of my paper to cite and show other states are
 Torrance 9

already starting to enforce this mandate. I will be using this site strictly to inform my
readers of what is happening for Virginia students graduation requirements and how this
mandate is already being used. I will be using this site because it offers the exact law and
mandate for Virginia.

Biblical

The English Standard Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001. Print.

This source is considered informational, as I will be showing verses as facts from a

Christian standpoint, which isn’t accepted as fact. I will be using several passages that
speak about knowledge and wisdom. I will be referencing several verses on these topics,
such as Proverbs 4:13, Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 18:15, and a few more. These all
reference knowledge, wisdom, or teaching in one-way or another.

To Christians, the Bible is very credible. It is the inspired word of God and cannot be
refuted, but to a non-Christian, this source isn’t necessarily credible. Historically, the Bible
has been proved to be factual, but that doesn’t mean everyone considers it credible. There
are several authors, but most Christians are of the opinion the ultimate author is God
speaking through the writers. This source will be useful to my paper for the Christian
worldview aspect.

I will be using the Bible as a source for part of my argument section. I will have a
separate section to discuss the Biblical standpoint when it comes to education
and learning. I will treat the entire paper from a Christian worldview, but overall the
major argument for the Christian angle will be in its own argument section. This source has
given me another perspective on how important knowledge is to Christians.

Technology Initiatives and Curriculum and Instruction Alabama

Department of Education. "High School Distance Learning: Online/Technology Enhanced
Course or Experience Guidance." Alabama Department of Education, n.d. Web. 14 Apr.
2016.