Future of Online Education - Essay Example

of the of the Concerned 16 April 2009 Online Education is the Future Nothing could be more detrimental to human progress and development then the limitation of human perception. There is no denying the fact that education happens to be the ultimate instrument of human emancipation and liberation. Yet, this is also a disturbing reality that education system till now has been a prisoner of set notions and perceptions. Almost everybody will agree to the fact that when one talks about education, a majority of people think in terms of schools, colleges, universities, classrooms, lectures, laboratories, staff rooms, offices and what not. Education system till date has been bound by the shackles of material requirements, fixed premises, administrative needs and a direct contact between the student and the teacher. These unwarranted limitations of the education system had manifold and debilitating ramifications. Is it imperative for a learner to make efforts to somehow push his way into the premises of an academic institution and to be bound by the constraints of mandatory attendance and fixed schedules? Cannot it be the other way round? Cannot the contemporary education system evolve to be so flexible and pliable so as to reach the learners, wherever they are located? Luckily it is possible. Online education is the concept that can literally revolutionize the way people learn and teach throughout the world (Deane 4). Online education is the future of the modern world. Online education, that is also popularly known as distance learning or e-learning is a system of education where the students need not be confined to the fixed premises like the schools and universities, nor are they required to follow the straight jacketed academic schedules. Off course this system of education needs the teachers and instructors to design coursework and prepare assignments (Ko 17). The difference is that the students can access all the coursework and assignments through a computer at any time and from any place. The students are also not bound to be physically present in any academic institution to submit their assignments or to receive their instructors comments and grades. All these aspects of education are taken care of by the aid of digital gadgets like the computers, phones, scanners and the fax machines. Still there are many online courses that give the students the facility to interact face to face with their teachers and guides, but usually such provisions are left optional. Certainly the students are required to possess the instructional material that may be in the form of regular textbooks or may come as saved in the digital storage devices like the CDs and the DVDs. Thus this concept of online education opens up a whole new range of possibilities. Students which were earlier not able to assess education either due to professional or personal responsibilities, geographical constraints or other such reasons can now easily assess the reputed academic institutions and celebrated academic experts and counselors online. Online education has finally freed the contemporary education from the bondage of time and space. This in the true sense stands to be the democratization of the education system. Online education has opened the doors of education to those sections of the society, which earlier even could not even think of committing to the rigorous requirements of the standard education system (Deane 6). One major reason for the rising popularity of the online education is that it is relatively economical. The students need to possess a basic digital infrastructure comprising of a computer, a broadband connection, VCR, CD or DVD player, which mostly involves a one time investment and can easily be procured through the student loans. Even if a student does not afford this equipment, one can easily assess such gadgets at public libraries and cyber cafes for a negligible cost. Also one does not need to be a rocket scientist to approach the online education. A basic knowledge of the functional aspects of computers will serve the purpose. The students can choose to log in to the database whenever they feel like and can up to date themselves with the latest developments. People like parents with household responsibilities, working professionals, students facing geographical constraints like being located in the far flung areas, foreign students, retired professionals or the employees who need to upgrade their skills can readily become online learners without imposing any special constraints on their time and commitments. All that is required is a disciplined approach, self motivation and the desire to excel. Though online education certainly deprives a student of the social aspects of education, yet it is a fact that a majority of the online learners are people who work or have other personal and family responsibilities that provide them with ample social exposure (Caruth 4). Online education is sans geographical and financial constraints. The ultimate relevance of an education system lies in its responsiveness to the job market. It is a fact that most of the online degrees and courses are today considered to be at par with the regular degrees and courses (Green 36). The modern employers are well aware of the rising trend towards online education and in fact prefer to employ people who choose to learn while they earn. What concerns a majority of the employers is not whether an applicant received education via a real or a virtual classroom, but the fact that whether the academic institution at which one received one’s education is accredited or recognized or not (Get Degrees)? The online education system is also fast gearing up to the challenges imposed by the current job market. A number of online institutions do offer placement services to their students and many online courses are actively collaborating with the leading corporate concerns to upgrade and customize their courses so as to make their students more sought after and competitive in the real world. One big problem with the traditional education system is that it is influenced by the prejudices pertaining to race, age, physical features, ethnicity, level of language skills and gender (New Straits Times 3). The students and the teachers affiliated to online education can choose to focus specifically on the content and the curriculum, without ascribing to such unnecessary diversions (New Straits Times 3). Online education system makes the education system totally student centric and thus does away with the hegemony of the teachers, professors and instructors (New Straits Times 4). Students choosing to go online can readily hold group discussions and discourses through the video conferencing. This relives the education system of the unnecessary expenditure incurred on the buildings, surplus staff, routine expenses and other such financial requirements. Besides the student responses published on the online message boards give the students a chance to share their views and ideas. The students can choose to have a virtual social life by forming online communities and groups. Considering the fact that the students pursuing online courses hail from diverse locations, belong to different age groups, have variegated professional backgrounds and are more diverse in their interests and affiliations, the online education certainly offers a more full bodied and enlightening academic environment to its students as compared to the regular classrooms. No doubt, the virtual world is more promising, rich and fascinating as compared to the real world. With the ensuing advances in the telecommunication technology and the changing face of the society the world over, the online education system is expected to become more popular. It is the only way of taking education to each and every eligible aspirant. Definitely the standard modes of education are going to stay, but the real future of the world lies in the online dissemination of knowledge and facts. Total Words: 1,270 Works Cited “Advantages of online education for students”. New Straits Times. 2000. HighBeam Research. 16 April 2009 Caruth, Joseph H. Jr... “Some advantages and problems associated with Distance education”. Academic Exchange Quarterly. Rapid Intellect Group Inc. 2001. HighBeam Research. 16 April 2009 Deane, Susan. Online Education: Is it for you? New York: Author House, 2005. Get Degrees. 2009. 16 April 2009 Green, Jeff. Graduate Savvy: Navigating the world of online higher education. California: Glocal Press, 2008. Ko, Susan. Teaching Online. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Read More