Cherri

Is online learning hindering our social skills and abilities? We live in a very fast paced society where many facets of our lives are certainly influenced by technology. Technology has pervaded our educational system and brought forward many positive benefits to a mostly adult student demographic, many of them juggling several roles such as parents, and working professionals, etc. Online education makes it possible for many of these students to acquire an education as well as improve upon already existing skills for work or personal advancement. However, Muilenburg and Berge argues that a lack of social interaction among students engaged in the online learning process is a severe barrier as perceived by students overall. In a large scale study conducted to investigate student barriers to online learning, Muilenburg and Berge discovered that among many of the students involved, a lack of social interaction was a major culprit in their online learning experience. They found that social interaction among their students is strongly related to online learning enjoyment, effectiveness of learning online, and the likelihood of taking another class (Muilenburg and Berge, 2005). It seems that many of the students felt isolated and found it difficult to achieve a sense of togetherness among their peers. Among many of my working friends engaged in online learning, almost all of them agree with this finding. They certainly enjoy the convenience factor, but whishes for a more traditional feel when it when it comes to social interaction. After going through an entire semester of engaged learning with other students, they certainly don’t feel as though they achieved a sense of communication among their peers, and all agree that their fellow peers remain as strangers in the back of their minds. While our culture embraces technology for all of its wonderful benefits, we fail to see some of the negative setbacks. Technology, the internet, and many online learning environments may unknowingly be impacting our social skills, so much so, that individuals/users will tend to lose the savvy and skills and patience to conduct social relations in the corporeal world (Affonso, 1999). Are we creating our own demise? Many researchers fear that we may be creating students that lack the ability to be socially interactive, a very basic skill that is needed in everyday life. Social learning and interaction helps to support decision-making, communication, trust building, and conflict management, all of which are important components for effective collaboration (Dabbagh, 2007). If our students lack the very skills needed to assume leadership roles as well as other roles typically assigned in teamwork, then what happens to our society as a whole? Among others, social skills are one of the skills that employers look for in potential employees and a lack of it will certainly make students and our society vulnerable. Currently, our students fall behind in mathematics and science when compared to our international neighbors, and if we are producing students with poor social skills, how are we to remain a viable contender on a global scale? Reference: Muilenburg, L., and Berge, Z. (2005). Student Barriers to Online Learning: A factor analytic study. // Distance Education. //1__(26), 29-48.__   Affonso, B. (1999). Is the Internet Affecting the Social Skills of Our Children? Retrieved October 30, 2010, from: []. Dabbagh, N. (2007). The Online Learner: Characteristics and Pedagogical Implications. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from: http://www.citejournal.org/vol7/iss3/general/articled1.cfm.