The Online Higher Education Market in the USA - Essay Example

? A new trend in the education industry is the ability of universities to offer online s. In there were approximately 5.6 million enrolled in at least one online course (Sloanconsortium, 2012). There are hundreds of universities worldwide that offer accredited online education. “Enrolments in fully online courses are around the 11% mark of all enrolments, and this is expected to increase to 20% by 2014” (Bates, 2010). Taking a course in a traditional school is different than taking an online course. In both scenarios there is a professor in charge of a classroom. In online courses professors are often referred to as facilitators. There are some similarities between taking an online and a traditional course, but there are also a lot of differences. Students often are exposed to both types of courses in the curriculum of universities. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast traditional and online courses. In traditional school the majority of courses are taken on a semester basis. There are some school systems that are offer trimester courses. The length of a semester is approximately five months, while trimesters are completed in about three months. Online schools are different in their scheduling. A lot of online schools offer courses in six-week spans. A student that takes six-week online courses can complete a master’s degree in 18 months instead of two years. Both online courses and traditional college courses are very challenging and require a full commitment from the students. The grading format of online courses is different than in traditional courses. In traditional courses at universities, the teacher places a lot of weight on examinations. The exam grades often exceed 70% of the total value of the grade. An online course has a different emphasis. Professors in online courses allocate a low portion of the grade to exams and a larger portion to essays or term papers. The participation dynamics of an online course is much different than in traditional course. In a physical college the professor stands in front of a classroom and speaks to the class. Students are able ask questions to interact with the professor. In such a scenario, the professor has full control of the material that is discussed in class. The dynamics in an online course is much different. Online classes utilize a classroom forum for participation purposes. The professor typically posts discussion questions for everyone to answer. The students are supposed to answer the question and also post replies about the answers of other students. In this dynamic the student is more involved than in traditional courses. Online students are provided more opportunities to develop their written communication skills, while in traditional courses the students are able to improve their verbal communication skills. Courses in colleges with physical infrastructure take place in an environment that is well suited for higher learning. In a traditional course the students get to meet face to face. During the course the professor often assigns group projects. Due to the existence of physical contact among the students, the group meets outside of class to coordinate project deliverables. Often, bonds of friendships are formed among students that take the same course. Online courses are a bit different since they tend to be impersonal. Students do not interact with each other since in many instances, students live thousands of miles away. An advantage of online courses is that it helps improve the skills and abilities of students working in virtual teams. “Dispersed teams can actually outperform groups that are collocated” (Siebdrat, 2009). The facilitator in an online course typically assigns more than one team project to be completed by the classmates. Often, online students take advantage of multimedia tools such as Skype to have conversations in real time video with other online students. Smartphones can also be used to have video phone calls with other members of a virtual team located in different parts of the world The job of a professor in an online course is different from that of a professor who gives regular classes. In traditional courses professors giving three credit courses provide three hours of lectures weekly. The professor also has to comply with a few hours of office time a week. The professor has a lot of control over the material brought to class since he prepares a teaching plan that includes all the topics he wants to cover. In online courses the professor does not have to abide by a set classroom schedule. The message forum represents the classroom for online students. Online students have to answer discussion questions provided by the professor as well as participation messages. During the participation message the students can bring new material to the classroom for the classmates and the professor to discuss. A professor in an online course has a very hefty load of reading to be performed every day. The communication between students in online courses is direct at academic topics since the facilitator guides the conversation in that direction. Online teachers have to enter the classroom forum everyday since online universities are open 24 hours a day seven days a week. Sometimes, the online professor has to provide their students with technical support. This occurs a lot when the professor is teaching students that are taking online courses for the first time. A major difference between online courses and traditional courses is that online courses heavily rely on technology, while in traditional courses technology is used as a secondary tool. The environment in an online course is a virtual setting. The courses take place virtually as students interact with each other through the computer that is logged in to the school’s website. Some of the common technologies used in traditional courses are projectors, DVD players, and laptop computers. It is mandatory for online students to own or have access to a computer to be able to take the course. The environment in a traditional course is a room full of desks and chairs where the students sit. In front of the classroom, there are typically chalk boards that the professors can use to write material for the students to read. In both online and traditional courses, the professor plays an instrumental role in the learning process. Professors in online courses have a tougher workload in regard to grading assignments submitted by students since they have to constantly read the classroom board. In terms of grading tests, their job is extremely simple due to the fact that tests are graded automatically by the school’s system. In the 21st century, people have realized that education is an important factor that leads to success in life. Both traditional and online courses can be very beneficial. Students can earn a quality education using either system. Often, online courses can be more challenging due to the accelerated learning systems many accredited online universities utilize. Traditional courses are more familiar to students due to the fact that the environment is similar to the classrooms of high schools. It is important for students to study frequently to have success in traditional and online courses. In the future, universities will be integrated with further online education so that students are exposed to both educational systems. References Bates, T. (2010). The online higher education market in the USA. Retrieved February 14, 2012 from http://www.tonybates.ca/2010/02/08/the-online-higher-education-market-in-the-usa/ Siebdrat, F. (2009). How to manage virtual teams. Retrieved February 16, 2012 from http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2009-summer/50412/how-to-manage-virtual-teams/ Sloanconsortium.com (2012). Class differences: Online education in the United States, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2012 from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/survey04.asp Read More