RPO: Virtual Online Schools .. Why not?

[Dinre]

Alan's comments make a lot of sense. I would say that choosing a medium after choosing course material is an ideal situation. I would also say that it is much more likely that the medium is already chosen, and the material needs to be chosen to suit the medium. Online courses frequently attempt to mimic face-to-face course, and I would suggest that the online medium requires a mostly unique approach to material.

I have taken a number of online courses due to the specialized nature of my work; the courses I needed were offered in various places around the nation. I have only attended one online course that actually felt educationally productive, and that class was taught by a businessman who conducted most of his work with international partners. The course format and material were designed to specifically take advantage of the synchronous, collaborative communication possible with the internet.

I'm no PhD in human learning or in communication, but I think most online educational efforts are wasted. We haven't spent enough time learning to take advantage of the medium, so people mostly make trash.