Gateway to Learning? A review of Education-Portal.com

Online Learning

            As the Internet becomes more ubiquitous, it seems only natural that online learning would grow as well.  Distance education is nothing new, but with the continuous advancement of web-based resources and high-speed connections, it is becoming much easier and more interactive.  With companies like Google and Facebook providing their services to users for “free,” people have become accustomed to having access to information without having to pay.  It is natural that the idea of “learning online for free” (or at least learning online for cheap) has made its way into education.  One website that has endeavored to provide this service is education-portal.com.

            Education Portal (EP) is part of Remilon, “a Web media company on a mission to make education accessible,” (“Making Education Accessible,” 2013).  The mission of the company is to bring content to as many people as possible at no cost.  In order for their work to have meaning in the broader world, they use their content to prepare students for a variety of tests given by outside vendors for college credit.  There are three ways EP’s courses help students prepare for college credit.  After completed an online course, students can 1) take a CLEP exam, 2) take a Credit-by-exam test administered through Excelsior College, or 3) take a DSST (DANTES) exam.  While the exams are not free, all of the preparatory material from Education Portal is.

            Like any free resource, it makes sense to evaluate the process and product that Education Portal is providing.  Below is a rubric with explanations of how Education Portal rates in each category.

Accessibility and Ease of Use – Grade = A

            The whole point of a free online resource is for it to be accessible to as many people as possible.  Education Portal is very easy to navigate and clearly lays out the different parts and pieces of the site and its services.  Not only are the courses easy to find, but the website does an excellent job of leading the consumer through how and where to go to earn college credit for the course/exam if that is one’s purpose. The use of videos is also helpful for students who are more visual learners, though the website’s contention that they are providing, “a visually stimulating, engaging, multi-media experience made specifically for the web user,” (“Our Mission,” 2013) might be a stretch.  

Mostly their videos are a mix of teachers talking to the camera, still photographs, and crude cartoon characters “acting out” the descriptions by the teacher.  Essentially, they are amplified 10-min lectures accompanied by a transcript and a five-question quiz.

Depth of content – Grade = B-

            Education Portal has done a good job in researching and presenting a lot of content for each of the modules they offer.  However, it is clear that they are basing their presentations on what the various exams will cover.  You can proceed through the entire English 102: American Literature class and not actually read any American Literature.  Essentially the course is providing a summary of the various movements and time periods in American Literature but not providing exposure to the material itself.  Presumably major works are discussed to the extent necessary to pass the CLEP or other exams.  However, it seems wrong to me that you can pass an American Literature class without actually reading any literature.

Quality of online formative assessments – Grade = B-

            It is clear that the developers realize that assessment is a key component in any educational endeavor.  They are smart to offload the actual summative assessment to other companies, but they do attempt to provide some formative assessment along the way for the student.  

Each module comes with a five-question quiz that can be taken at any time during the module.  This allows the student to decide whether they need to complete the module (pre-assessment) or whether they need to repeat or review pieces (post-assessment).  The problem with these assessments is that they are only five questions and they are all multiple choice.  While this may be enough to determine whether one understands the main idea of a chapter, it is not enough to know whether true depth of understanding is achieved.

Critical Thinking and Communication – Grade = F

            Part of competing in the global economy of the 21^st century is the ability to communicate.  In his book The Global Achievement Gap (2008), Wagner positions critical thinking, problem solving, and oral and written communication as part of the seven survival skills needed to succeed in the 21^st century.  While these play a major role in success in most high school and college classes, both traditional and online, they are virtually non-existent in the Education Portal courses.  Instead the courses merely ask the student to listen and memorize in order to be able to regurgitate the information on an exam in the future. 

Overall Impression – Grade = C

Education Portal is serving a much needed function in the world they way it has been established.  It has done a decent job setting up short lectures with animations and visual presentation of text-based information.  However, it total is mostly a vehicle to help students learn basic, rote information.  While this may help one pass a test and get college credit, it is not a true education.

References

“Making education accessible,” (2013). Retrieved from: http://remilon.com/#high-quality

“Our mission,” (2013). Retrieved from: http://education-portal.com/academy/how-it-works.html

Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need – and what we can do about it. New York, NY: Basic Books.