Here are some problems I see with asynchronous self-paced instruction. Let me begin by first setting forth some assumptions I have about what self-paced likely entails.
- Instruction is automated: the content is largely produced asynchronously to your use. You are not directly interacting with a teacher. Instead, you are likely watching little tutorial videos and/or reading.
- Grading of the course is automated: you probably are using some system to either give short answer or multiple choice responses which can be scored by a computer. It is very unlikely you are submitting complete arguments or writing proper work for a human to properly evaluate
Both of the above features are almost essential since they keep the cost of such instruction at a minimum. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for in this case because:
- Lack of human interaction robs you of the chance to have unique experiences in the classroom with your peers. Jokes, shared suffering, asking questions and/or seeing your peers ask questions... these are not going to happen with automated instruction.
- Temptation to game the system: when you know the homework is just a computer game then it is awful tempting to treat it as such. On the other hand, if the homework is given in real time by a professor who expresses actual interest in your maturation as critically thinking students then it is much less likely you ignore the homework.
- Inability to identify outliers: part of the job of a professor is to identify excellence or diamonds in the rough. This is one of the more subtle parts of teaching, to see past bad preparation to see the student for what they could be rather than what they appear to be in the present. I cannot fathom an automated system which does such a service justice.
Now, perhaps none of these things matter since the math we are thinking about is just a general education requirement. Even so, I know some of our best Math majors came from majors where math was just a general education requirement. If that gen-ed course had been automated, they might never had the chance to forge a relationship with a professor passionate about math. I think that is a great loss since such non-traditional lateral entries to the math major are some of our most creative students.
I should make an important caveat from what I say above. Most of my criticism is based on the automation and lack of professional guidance in the education. In fact, I am all for self-paced instruction provided it is guided by actual professors in a individually crafted fashion. Furthermore, I think it works best when there is a single test at the end of the study, like a "ClEP". This path is not for all students. Students must be self-motivated and above average for this to work. Ideally in the summer when there are not a lot of other distractions etc.