Archive for February, 2009
Advantages of Online Education
February 25th, 2009 | 
Author: Advantages of Online Education
Many colleges and universities are implementing online education, which is a learning program via the web. Read this article to know about the advantages of online education.
Online education is defined as learning, training, degree program or credit-granting course, which is mainly delivered via the Internet or an Intranet. It is a method of redefining the method of study where people can educate themselves without boundaries of timing, attendance and travel difficulties. In online courses, the students and teachers can meet once or periodically in a physical setting for lectures, labs and exams. Overall, online education gives more emphasis on global interaction and the concept of latest knowledge expansion.
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Advantages of Online Education For online education, one needs a standard personal computer with an Internet connection. Many people with family and job responsibilities dont have time to attend the regular classroom studies and find online education beneficial. Online education includes many online courses and online degrees. Let’s discuss some of the advantages of online education. People can opt for many online courses, in universities where the facility of online education is available. It is very helpful for students residing in remote places. One can study any course of his/her own choice offered by universities around the world, without the physical presence for that course. There is no need for relocation and hence, is cost saving. Physically handicapped students can go for higher studies without worrying about traveling or being physically present for studies. Also, one can continue education at any stage and update himself with the latest knowledge through online education.
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At present, many of the online universities are accredited by recognized educational bodies. Hence, the degrees offered by these universities are accepted all over the world and one can enroll in a top university within the comfort of home.
If somebody is looking for additional training for a better career prospect or promotion, then online education is the best option. It is the most convenient and flexible way of learning and updating one’s knowledge without disturbing the current job.
People can study at their own pace without any strict regulations; there are no class schedules and fixed timings and assignments. Only the quality of work is evaluated, not the speed or the appearance of the student. Even, people can interact online and discuss with the students, scholars, researchers, subject-matter experts and professors for any type of query or problems.
Another advantage of online education is that all the learning and training materials of the online course are archived. One can retrieve and use it anytime via mail or from the school’s website. If somebody has a doubt, he/she can communicate with the college or university through e-mail.
In addition to the above advantages, there are some disadvantages of online education. Student assessment and feedback is limited as compared to the traditional classroom programs. There may be problems about the validity of the degree assigned after completion of the course. In this case, one has to produce certain proofs such as copies of the course assignments and syllabi and most importantly, proof of the college or university’s accreditation. Since, most of the interaction of the teacher and student takes place via mail, sometimes, there may be chances that the student misses the instructor’s advice. Another disadvantage is non-availability of the course of study. Also, one should take care while choosing the online universities, as certain universities are better than the others.
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| By Ningthoujam Sandhyarani Published: 12/25/2008 |
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There are Challenges with Online Education
Enrollment in online education is at an all time high, according to a recent study by the Sloan Consortium. Based on responses from more than 2,200 colleges and universities across the U.S., the study reveals that 3.2 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2005, an increase of 850,000 more than the year before. The report is available at www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/index.asp.
With the rise in popularity of e-learning comes some unique challenges not extant with more traditional classrooms. Students need to be aware of the differences between online and traditional classes and be prepared to make the necessary adjustments. Significant challenges faced by online students include the following:
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Technical problems. Computer hardware and peripheral devices such as printers, modems and routers are not indestructible; as with any other man-made device, they can break down or malfunction at the most inopportune time. In addition to equipment failure, an older computer may be incompatible with some software required for the course. Viruses, trojans, spyware and other malware could infect a computer, causing it to run poorly or not at all. A slow internet connection might cause problems logging into class, retrieving and submitting assignments, and posting to threaded discussions. Any of these problems could cause a great deal of frustration for the student trying to complete course assignments. Therefore, it is important for the student to have access to a backup computer to use in case of equipment malfunction. Staying motivated. Going to school always requires a certain level of motivation from a student regardless of whether it’s a "bricks-and-mortar" institution or online class. In a traditional classroom setting, a student has live, face-to-face interaction with the instructor and fellow students — a camaraderie that may help boost enthusiasm and motivation for the course. In an internet-based class however, there is no live contact with instructor and classmates — the student works alone in a virtual environment. This lack of live contact may lead to a feeling of isolation, and make it difficult for a student without a high internal commitment or personal drive to stay motivated during the course. Self-discipline. As with motivation, a student needs good self-discipline to succeed online. The freedom and flexibility of e-learning is what’s so attractive to many people. There’s no obligation to login to class at any particular time or place — you can go to class and do your assignments whenever it’s convenient for you. However, this same freedom can lead to procrastination, and cause the unwary or undisciplined student to fall behind in his assignments. Once behind, it can be difficult to catch up. |
It’s difficult to improve oral communication skills. There are many classes such as speech, drama, debate, teacher education and so forth that require the student to make oral presentations in front of a group of people. With online courses this is not practical, as the classroom is virtual, and the students are not all gathered together at one time in one room. A student wishing to improve oral communication skills may need to take these classes in a traditional classroom course.
– Classes with lab or hands-on requirements may not be available online. If a lab course cannot be simulated or practically offered online, a student will need to take the course at a local college campus or other location with the necessary facilities for completing the course work.
Students considering taking online courses need to be aware of these and other challenges, and be prepared to meet them in order to be successful online. If any challenge seems insurmountable, the student should reconsider the online option and perhaps take a traditional ground-based course instead.
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Reasons for Online Education
The World Wide Web is embracing all spheres of human life at a phenomenal rate. Ticket reservation, e-mail correspondence and online shopping have become an inherent part of our life. Sure enough, the education field was not left out of the loop…
In fact, according to CCA consulting, nearly 50% of all higher education institutions are currently engaged in some types of online learning. This percentage promises to rise drastically very soon, since the benefits of online education are vivid and speak for themselves.
| 1. High Quality Education
The outstanding feature of online education is that it can rank on a par with traditional campus education, since the online instructors have the same qualifications and demands to the students. On top of that, online educators come with practical knowledge and may be from various parts of the world. This allows students to be exposed to the knowledge that can’t be learned in books and see how class concepts are applied in real business situations. 2. Who Pays The Piper Calls The Tune Another bulky advantage of online education is that it is ’student centred.’ This means that once you pick up some online course, you become your own master in terms of studying, having the unlimited choice of: |
a) time and duration of your studies: since course materials are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, you can download them any time you want. Moreover, you can plan your schedule so that to be able to fulfill all your tasks apart from studying, such as work, child care;
b) way to study: this means that you can choose your own pace, methods and your own degree of intensity that work best for you;3. place of studies: all you need to start studying online is a computer with an access to the Internet. That is all that matters. Where you are going to study is solely your choice. Thus, you can study at home, work, on a street or wherever your imagination drags you;4. special subjects you want to pay special attention to and feel interested in.
Such freedom is a significant part of online education. At university you are restricted to certain rules that don’t register with you, but online education is custom, thus more pleasant and resulting.
3. Cost and Money Savings
Your satisfaction may be even more warmed up by the fact that online education is quite often cheaper than traditional campus education. Truth to be told, online education saves you quite a fortune.
First of all, you are saved from travel expenses, or paying for hotel rooms you will need to stay during all years of your campus education. Moreover, with online education you can print items as needed when provided with handouts and readings online. The result is the reduced expenses for the cost and time associated with never-ending copying, collating, and distributing these materials.
4. Equality with Other Students
Another benefit of learning online is that it provides the learners with the reinforced feel of equality.
Participating online is much more intimidating than in a classroom. All online students have equal opportunities to ’speak up’ by posting messages without typical distractions such as seating arrangements, volume of student voices, and gender and race biases.
Shy and anxious students feel more comfortable expressing ideas and backing up facts when posting online instead of speaking in a lecture room. Students can also think longer about what they want to say and add their comments when ready. In a traditional class room, the conversation could have gone way past the point where the student wants to comment.
5. Vast an Unlimited Resources
Since there are no geographical borders in online education, students can find diversity of course materials that may not be available to them during traditional education. Internet links can take you to other web-sites, databases, libraries, agencies, special archives and much more.
It should be also mentioned that with technology it is much easier to learn. Course materials include resources with a variety of perspectives in any number of media types-photos, audio, texts – thus enhancing the quality and the interest factor of your course. This is especially true for professional training such as medical billing training or purchasing training.
6. Unlimited Access to Teachers
Online environment makes your instructors more approachable. Thus, whenever you have a question to specify or want to get a sound piece of advice, you can contact with your online instructor either via e-mail or in chat boards whenever it is convenient for you without waiting for office hours. In his return, the teacher will try to respond as soon as possible. This option for communication provides enhanced contact between instructors and students.
Taking everything into account, we can see that online education is undoubtedly the best option for those who wish to get qualitative and appropriate education which will easily fit in in their hectic lifestyles. If things keep on developing at the same rate online education promises to deliver even greater benefits in the future.
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