Online education is primed to change the nature of all education. Clayton Christensen predicts that it will eventually completely disrupt and greatly improve the entire educational process. Yet we too often see such programs fail, and fail miserably. So what is standing in its way? To some degree the problem is simply that key technological advances have not been created that will bring the revolution Christensen envisions, but in reality the primary problem lies in the failure to implement what we already know.
In the past few decades, research has provided us with a tremendous depth of knowledge of what works and what does not work in the traditional classroom, yet only a small minority of schools make use of that research. Most schools continue as always, relying on long discredited methodologies because they are the ones with which they are familiar. It is no surprise, then, that when such practitioners are asked to create new online programs with no guidance, they typically try to move outmoded methodologies into a new medium about which they know too little. To do this, they may rely on technology experts with little experience in education theory. The result is an educational process that springs from ineffective methods of education and shoehorns it into a medium for which it is ill suited. Neither the technology nor the instructional processes make use of what we know is effective in education today.

The starting point for an effective online education program is effective instructional practice--either in the traditional classroom or in the online environment. The most powerful online programs take what we know about excellent classroom practice and use it as a basis for online instruction. It then looks at technology to see how it can enhance and even improve that instructional practice. Although some effective classroom practices do not work well online, some work even better online, and technology allows us to do things with students that were never possible before. It all comes down to making key decisions about what is best for student learning and making a commitment to reach a goal of high achievement for all students.

Failure is usually due to a disconnect between the program's goals and its implementation. Just as a driver should know the destination before leaving home, a program must first honestly evaluate its goals and its resources before setting off on its path. Taking the wrong direction from the start is the primary reason a program does not reach its goals. Adsit Consulting will show you how to evaluate your goals and make sure your program sets out on its proper path

If the following belief statements describe your program, then Adsit Consulting will help your program reach its goals:

• We want students to achieve at high levels, and we believe they can do it.
• We believe that higher order thinking skills are important to student learning.
• We believe student performance is critical in learning.
• We believe an active and skilled teacher should diagnose student learning needs and make appropriate interventions to overcome learning challenges.

If the following belief statements describe your program, then Adsit Consulting is not right for you, and you should seek help elsewhere.

• Students need to get credit for classes and thus graduate from school in the fastest way possible--actual learning is a pleasant but unnecessary byproduct.
• Student success in school is almost entirely dependent upon the skills and motivation of the student, and there is little a school program can do to overcome that.
• Teacher/student and student/student interaction is an unnecessary and costly addition to an instructional program that adds needless costs. Eliminating them makes a cost-effective product that will save us money.