2 annotated sources

HUNT, J. (2009). Attitude is everything. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 26(3), 19-20. Surveys and interviews were conducted by the Sloan-C company, which is an “association that promotes online learning” (Hunt, 1) to better understand the issues that lie within the topic of online education. They found that teachers’ attitudes were hindering the progress of online classes because many teachers are not in favor of teaching classes online. The growth of online learning is in no way slowing down or stopping in the near future; teachers are being taught how to understand online programs. Some teachers with a better attitude towards online learning are finding that teaching classes online is more convenient and it helps them reach out to particular students, but many are finding it tough to understand the programs and interact with the class. The future of online classes will continue to grow once necessary changes are made.
Park, J., & Hee, J. C. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners' decision to drop out or persist in online learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 207-217. A high percentage of students enrolled in online classes are between the ages of 25 and 50. Although the high numbers of students enrolled in online classes may seem to say that online classes are an important area in education, research shows that nearly 70% of students enrolled in online classes drop out. Although the type of student enrolled in these classes usually has other priorities (which leads them to taking more convenient online classes), it’s hard to say whether or not the dropouts are from poor classes or the external environment. Online students are put into their own classification, nontraditional students. Then factors such are external and internal factors, the learner’s characteristics, age, educational background, gender, family support, and satisfaction with the course are taken into consideration to figure out who is dropping out and why.