Computer Mediated Learning in Elementary vs. Higher Education

Introduction: Who Benefits from Computer Mediated Learning?

For busy adults with conflicting schedules who face a multitude of family and work demands but still wish to add to their academic credentials or vocational qualifications, computer mediated learning may seem like an ideal way to satisfy their educational needs. For an elementary school instructor, however, computer mediated learning lacks the supervisory, mentoring, and hands-on capacity that is usually deemed necessary for imparting basic skills. An "online, collaborative learning approach using the Internet offers solutions to many of the problems plaguing university education," such as oversubscribed classes and the difficulty students face in gaining access to the courses they need to graduate on time (Jones, 2004). At a higher education level, computer mediated learning allows students to be enrolled in more sections on a year-round basis — but this is not an advantage enjoyed by elementary school students. At best, in terms of managing high enrollment, the computer-mediated classroom is an asset, not a supplement to face-to-face learning at the lower levels of education.

Why Online Learning Suits Higher Education

Even advocates of distance or computer mediated learning at the university level have stressed that such an educational format works best when students are mature, preferably adult learners who are "comfortable with independent learning and computers" and who have a clear sense of why they wish to obtain their degree (Jones, 2004). Such a description could not be more antithetical to elementary school children. Moreover, "to be successful, the implementation of such a learning approach requires significant technical and educational skills and experience," as well as motivation on the part of the learners (Jones, 2004). Distance education thrives under conditions — adult autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and technological fluency — that simply do not characterize the average young learner.

Limitations for Elementary School Settings

The qualities that make computer mediated learning effective at the university level are largely absent in the elementary school context. Young children are not independent learners in the same sense as adults; they require close supervision, immediate feedback, and the kind of relational mentoring that a physical classroom provides. Expecting elementary students to navigate self-directed online environments without substantial teacher scaffolding sets them up for disengagement rather than achievement. The gap between the conditions that support online learning and the developmental realities of childhood means that computer-based tools must be used with great care and intentionality at this level.

Conclusion: Rethinking Computer-Based Learning for Young Learners

Computer-based learning can and must be more than simply an effort to transfer face-to-face classroom instructional practices into a different or virtual medium, for the learning does not take place face-to-face but is primarily student-directed. There is a heightened responsibility on the elementary teacher to create assignments that motivate and engage students' imaginations when making use of computer-based learning for specific, targeted purposes. When done effectively, however, the rewards are great for both teachers and students.

Works Cited

Jones, David. (2004). "Solving Some Problems of University Education: A Case Study." Horizon. Retrieved 14 Jun 2005.

Perez, Lucia. (1996). "The Effectiveness of the Internet in the Foreign Language Classroom." Horizon. Retrieved 14 Jun 2005.

Shaw, Robin. (1996). "Conversion of a Mathematics Course to Tutor-Supported Computer-Assisted Flexible Learning." Horizon. Retrieved 14 Jun 2005.