Online Schools Provide New Education Options - Essay Example

Now, researchers and teachers as well as students and parents are looking towards computers and the internet to provide an alternative to the conventional teaching methods. There is no doubt about the fact that online education is increasing, however, just how effective is it and what exactly are its advantages and disadvantages are questions that need to be answered.             There is no doubt that online education has some advantages; whether it is saving a lot of valuable resources, like time and money, or being more convenient for certain students, online education does have an edge over traditional education.

Students can log on from their homes and not have to spend so much time commuting to and from the institution, for instance, what is more, the institutes do not have to spend so much money on infrastructure when the classes are online, resulting in lowered tuition fees. However, online education also has certain disadvantages. The students taking online courses do not have much if any, social interaction with their peers, as they would in a traditional classroom, therefore, they might end up not only missing out on normal social growth but most definitely also on the total experience of school life, which is considered a rite of passage in our society.

Moreover, by missing out on face-to-face instruction by their teacher, the students also have less of a chance to be monitored for comprehension, i.e. it is harder for the teacher to know whether the student has understood the lesson or not.             However, as per an Associated Press article, sometimes special-needs students benefit a lot from online education. Giving the example of Douglas Meikle, who suffers from ADHD, the article lays out how online education has made the educational experience of Meikle much easier, as he was essentially ostracized in a normal school setting.

Such incidents have caused those in the government to take an interest in online education to test its effectiveness. It is interesting to note here that the US Department of Education has begun to take interest in the possibility of online education. As per a meta-analysis of studies released by the Department some time ago, it was revealed the students who took both online and regular classes did the best in their studies (Jaschik). This is a fascinating finding. However, the meta-analysis has also laid out the importance of more research in this field as not enough data is available presently that can effectively state whether online education is better or not.