OPINION: Proposal would make it harder to develop qualified workforce
The Department of Education wants to ban asynchronous learning in career prep programs, a move that would likely hurt police and fire departments.
Asynchronous learning allows students to take classes not live, but at their own pace.
The proposed regulation deals with “clock hour” programs, common for certificates, trade schools, and community colleges.
These are based on the actual hours spent in the classroom, versus the standard “credit hour” system used by universities.
The administration “propose[s] protections to make sure online students in career-focused programs get direct instructor interaction by prohibiting the use of asynchronous instruction,” according to a Department of Education announcement.
Officials want to roll back the use of this type of learning “based on complaints received from students.”
These programs include training to be a paramedic, police officer, and firefighter – fields already facing a shortage of qualified applicants.
Some of this training has to be done live and in-person.
No one would want to be treated by a paramedic who only watched videos and did assignments from home. Paramedics need to actually put people on a stretcher, administer CPR, and place an IV in an injured person.
But some parts of these programs can be done without a live instructor. For example law and medical terminology courses are suited to asynchronous learning.
The programs are also beneficial to students who are working full-time or have other responsibilities.
An aspiring police officer might be working nights as a security guard and can get some classes done during the day or during down time at work. This will make it harder for people who are trying to balance family and work while studying for a career change or advancement.
The changes will also hurt the healthcare workforce, as many lower-level, but important jobs, are trained by clock hours.
This includes medical assistant, pharmacy technician, and medical billing.
Again, some of these skills, like drawing blood, need hands-on training and live practice with an instructor.
But learning specific codes or laws related to healthcare does not need to be learned live and in-person.
This proposed Department of Education regulation would be bad for cities, harm healthcare workers, and make it harder for people who want to avoid the exorbitant cost of higher education.
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