Recently finishing up an online course conducted by Santa Monica College last semester, I have personally undergone the process of being taught by an unseen teacher, surrounded by invisible, unknown students in the confines of my bedroom, my dining room table, and even my car.

I didn’t mind the ambiguity of my class, and the ability to complete each paper and assignment by a certain time and simply receive the teacher’s feedback worked perfectly in my eyes.

However, as students continually enjoy these online classes, teachers whose home consists of blackboards and perfectly rowed seats have grown worried that the future of online courses will render actual classes obsolete in the long run.

Fortunately for these teachers, a wider list of online courses also means a wider financial plan, and with the budget crisis’s taking hold of numerous colleges and universities, online courses are viewed as an additive, not a necessity.

For example, the Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University has spent a near $1 million on each of their 15 online courses. But neither Carnegie Mellon nor other institutions have ventured to create an online course that works without the hand of an actual human instructor.

To imagine courses run by a machine rather than an educated teacher completely takes away from the point of education. People are supposed to learn, from those who are experienced professionals. In my perspective, a machine will never compare to the opinions and instructions of a true educator.

Online courses create an easily accessible and affordable way for many people to receive a college education. However, we must be aware of technology and its ability to take away the most important aspect of an American education, our teachers.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/business/06digi.html?src=me&ref=general