Disadvantages of Internet-enhanced instruction

Of course, no new technology, especially one dealing with a field as complex as education, is without pitfalls. Some of the potential disadvantages of trying to use the Internet to enhance instruction include the following:

1. Development time. Additional time is necessary for faculty to become familiar with the basic Internet tools and to convert traditional syllabi and handouts to an html format. This, in fact, may be as far as an instructor needs to go, initially. However, if the instructor wants to exploit the collaborative possibilities of e-mail and the more interactive elements of Internet-based multimedia, then a complete rethinking of the curriculum and instructional strategies may be called for. As students are exposed to more course Web pages, expectations for quality and design will increase. "Home pages must present a professional-looking image that reinforces the instructor's credibility" (Junk and Fox, 1998, p. 1). Some who have pioneered networked courseware are concerned that there is often little institutional reward for the time that has to be committed to these innovations. Bothun (1996, p. 7) cites this as the most serious drawback to using technology in education, questioning whether colleges and universities are ready to "marshal the resources to engage in a system-wide revamping of traditional curriculum sources."
2. Maintenance time. When students become familiar with electronic mail and use it to submit both questions and assignments, an instructor can spend many hours just responding to e-mail. The larger the class, the more significant the support time. Some institutions deal with this by offloading a portion of these tasks to teaching assistants, but care is needed to avoid decreasing the quality of the product delivered.
3. Equity issues. Although the cost of powerful computers and networking infrastructure has dropped dramatically over the last few years, many prospective students, including those most in need of service, lack the personal resources to access the Internet. Educators are understandably reluctant to exacerbate the growing rift between the information-age haves and have-nots. Likewise, many public and private colleges on tight budgets are struggling to build and support the necessary computer networking infrastructure. Historically, innovative information technologies tend to initially widen the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. "As emerging media mature, drop in price, and are widely adopted, however, the ultimate impact of information technology is to make society more egalitarian" (Dede, 1998). For example, universal telephone service is more egalitarian than the systems it replaced, telegraph offices and messenger boys.
4. Technological reliability problems. Inevitably, even the best-planned Web courseware or e-mail exchange will be disrupted by hardware failure, software glitches, or Internet traffic jams. The more dependent an instructor is on the technology, the more disabling becomes the malfunction. The best defense is to have in place a solid contingency plan, a responsive technology support staff, and a sense of humor.
5. Dehumanization of the learning process. There is a general concern that as we move towards more general usage of computers, the quality of interaction between instructors and students will be negatively affected. Face-to-face communication is certainly richer than anything that can be transmitted through a keyboard. "Responses are immediate, verbal cues enhance communication, and group dynamics become an important part of the message" (Berman and Tinker, 1997, p. 54). The model of Internet-enhanced instruction counters this problem by making computer-mediated communication a supplement to -- rather than a substitute for -- face-to-face teaching. In fact, when carefully planned, the Internet can substantially increase the interaction between instructor and students (Junk and Fox, 1998; Kubala, 1998; Francis-Pelton and Pelton, 1996).
6. Difficulty with some subjects. Not all courses or topics work well over the Internet. Subjects which are emotionally charged, such as sexual harassment or downsizing, may benefit from more of a personal touch. Some courses, such as introduction to computers or basic literacy skills, would probably be too intimidating in an online environment for students unfamiliar with the technology. Here again is where the more gradual approach advocated in this paper of using the Internet to supplement face-to-face instruction could provide the best of both worlds.

Next:

Guidelines for Instructors