Online Learning: Psychological Considerations and Sociological Effects - Coursework Example

Online Learning Psychological Considerations and Sociological Effects The advancement in technology has come with its toll of changes on all the educational frameworks that were practiced in the past. Some years back learning involved attending a class and then succinctly listening to the instructor as the instructions and the guidelines were being made. Graetz, 2006, in his definition of a classroom as is understood and how it is supposed to be, he says that a classroom is any environment which has quantifiable and perceptible physical characteristics that allow the learning student to think and perceive in a manner that will allow interaction between them and the instructors (Graetz, 2006). This environment can be either a lecture hall at the university or a school or it could be even under a tree in a certain secluded place (Graetz, 2006). The nature of the classroom is supposed to arm the student with the needed psychological awareness and allow the teacher to have a simple time when the real learning activities commence (Graetz 2006). The set up of the ‘classroom’ draws the students’ attention to the classroom and they become ready to assimilate the teaching that will be done. This set up also allows interaction between the instructor and the student and hence the students’ weak areas can be addressed more efficiently and on a personal manner. Learning environments are rich in materials that articulate the students’ mental awareness and help them adjust in a manner that will ensure that they receive the learning skills and the objectives of the instructor are achieved. This set up is becoming increasingly changed with the advancement in technology and the initiation of online learning in many institutions. In online learni9ng, the instructor only deals with a virtual audience or classroom. The interaction has been made possible by the inventions in fast internet and other devices that allow the instructor to interact with students even without the physical presence. This section will look at the psychological considerations and sociological effects of online learning as a new method in the integration of the education system. Physical Characteristics of a Classroom The physical characteristics of a classroom can affect the results obtained in a learning environment. Online learning involves the interaction of the instructor with the students through the online platforms and so the cohesiveness required between the two is not achieved. The needs of the learners are well addressed when it comes to the earlier class set up where there was the physical interaction between the learners and the instructor. The objective of education is slowly changing from the times when it was supposed not only to arm the student with knowledge and understanding of life as a whole to another era where the main objective of education is just to arm the students with theories and laws with little more to see from the whole process. The initiation of online learning has served to increase the gap between the instructor and the student and hence killing the physical classroom that was there initially and replacing it with a virtual world where the two parties interact and exchange learning tips without coming into contact. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Physical Classroom The earlier set up that involved the physical meeting of the instructor and the student had and the instructor ensured that the two interacted more and so the concerns of the students could be addressed on a personalized manner. The instructor also had the chance to facilitate better learning as s/he could be able to monitor the learning of the student and add to their values through the implementation of disciplinary measures. The set up also enhanced concentration in class as the movements of the students could be monitored by the instructor. The disadvantages invo0lved is that the class number could be limited not like in online learning set up where one instructor can arrange video conferencing classes where they can handle a massive number of students. The distance problem can also not be catered using the physical classroom. In online learning this is catered for and as long as one can access the internet, they will be in a position to benefit from such a set up. Sociological Effects of Online Learning The sociological effects of online learning as highlighted by a research by a number of studies include the following;- First Online learning has achieved the aim of reaching a larger audience as opposed to the traditional learning set up where the classroom was limited to some factors like distance. Online learning relies on technology to make it a success. The number of students can be determined by a number of factors which include the access to the devices like computers which are used to make online learning a success. The other important factor is access to the internet so that one can interact with the instructor and other members of the virtual classroom (Educause Center for Applied Research). The costs vary and in some set ups it is fair considering the earlier costs of attending the classes and the costs that were involved. It has therefore brought a positive revolution to the education sector and it has been upheld by many institutions. The advantages of increasing the number of students in a classroom is that the overall costs will be reduced and the costs of setting up an institution is reduced amicably. The students can access the learning materials at the comfort of their homes and attend classes and other interactive sessions from anywhere they are. This in return saves time and money improving on the outcomes in the new set up. Social Interaction The new mode of study that relies mainly on computer mediated interaction has come under intense criticism from many people claiming that it reduces the social interaction among the players hence impacting negatively on their social growth (Lynch, 1999). One of the objectives of an education set up is to create the social bonding between the players and with online learning, this had been highly doubted. However, with the new strategies in online learning, the students are allowed to interact more and even though there is no physical meeting they are able to exchange ideas and help in the social development of each one of them. According to a study by Rheingold, 1994, he termed the set up as inhibiting life due to the way the world was being reduced to revolve around the computer (Lynch, 1999). Many people are adapting to the new education set up and they are not aware of what they could be missing be following that set up. Online learning limits the way some of the people express themselves and a person who is so vocal on the online platforms may turn up to be totally unable to express himself or herself in real life. the main objective of learning is to enhance productivity, with the new set up the students miss some opportunities to get important life skills that could only be learnt by the physical interaction with people. Online learning creates a collaborative environment where the students participate more and in the end they gain more from the sessions. The people who are rather shy in normal set ups and the ones who are easily intimidated find this set up good and it helps them to interact more without feeling intimidated. This has been termed as an advantage of online learning as it slowly improves on the self esteem of some people and they are able to participate actively to real life issues. Role of Students in Online Learning Unlike the traditional learning set up, online learning promotes the students ability to handle them in a better manner as there are no instructors to always follow up on their progress and performance. This has made a big sociological impact on the person and the society as the new generation of people involves the group that has undergone through this set up. The students no longer get everything given to them (Lynch, 1999). This means that they have to go a step further and get what the instructor was not able to give them. Another arising issue is the ability to manage time. The learners have to be good in managing their time and be able to attend the collaborative and interaction forums that replaced the physical classroom. The student is much more on his own and so he becomes disciplined without being monitored by a senior. A study by Gomez, 1997 portrays online learning as a new opportunity for the minority and those harassed by social biases to be able to express themselves in the society without fear or favor. These people can even decide not to express their feelings at all and still feel secure. This new role of an individual in the society has changed the community and the people involved are able to become whoever one wished due the environment cultivated by the online forums. In online learning a student would feel more at ease to express her problems to an instructor for assistance rather than on a face to face basis where the student may feel shy of doing so (Educause Center for Applied Research). Looking at this benefit, then it means that once the instructor learns of the students’ weak points, he will be able to formulate a personalized approach to the situation that will be aimed at maximizing the results and the student will benefit more. This also notes the interaction between the students as they will have fewer chances of conflicting as they are living far apart (U.S. Department of Education). This will promote their interactions and they will each benefit more compared to the traditional set up where interaction could be limited to a few group members. Socio-Economic Impacts of Online Education While looking at the social impacts of the new mode of education it is important to look at its effects on the economic status of the society (Biocca, Eye, & Jackson 2003). The new form of education has greatly changed the way people perceived education and more people are able to access it. The main impact has been made on international learning programs. Initially the student aspiring to do a course in an oversees College or University was supposed to have a large sum of money that would cater for the program, tuition, accommodation, food and all other costs that needed to be catered. This made education costly and accessible to the few people who could afford it. Today with the tuition fee only one can access education at the comfort of his home. One can access the online resources from the websites given by the university he or she is attending and other online forums like emails and such. The interactive sessions are also changing and with the new social forums one can leave a message to the tutor as you do some work and then see the solution later. With such benefits, the people already in family systems have found it the best way to do their education and further their studies as they continue working. The other economic aspect of this new form comes in the establishment of the learning institutions. With the high number of students needing to access education, institutions are finding it hard to build lecture halls that can accommodate all of them. They have therefore resorted to online learning which saves them the agony of having the massive lecture halls to0 accommodate the high number of students. This also saves the money to be used on paying instructors and tutors as a tutor can now handle a large number of students compared to when the number of students was being limited by the classes available. This in return has boosted education and improved on its access to more people. Psychological Considerations Any education system should be able to enhance the psychological growth of a student and improve on their thinking. Online learning has come with its challenges and advantages in addressing this aspect as will be discussed in this chapter. The interaction between players in an educational system is crucial in enhancing the growth of the student (Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). What the student learns both in class and out of class helps him/her in decision making and thereby playing a role in the overall wellbeing. In looking and evaluating the psychological considerations we shall look at how online education impacts on the individuals’ ability to think critically and make philosophical decisions in life issues (Yan, Hao, Hobbs & Wen 2003). It is also important to look at how the individuals involved in this system are able to curb the challenge of split attention as they have to serve more than one masters at a time unlike in the traditional set up where the students had the advantage of being in a classroom with all the attention being on the studies. Nowadays it is different since you find students who are in the family way and they have to balance both and are expected to achieve the required results on the time frame specified. Cognitive Psychology The cognitive psychology of online is brought about by the aspect of the virtual environment created by the system. In this environment any person can exist in the form he or he wishes and they shall be able to express themselves freely without the fear of being intimidated. Online learning has been able to go beyond the racial barrier as the individuals are able to interact freely and make their perceptions towards each other not on the basis of their race or color but on the basis of their ideological thinking and how well they express themselves (Yan, Hao, Hobbs & Wen 2003. Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). This has been a great achievement in the Field and in this new system and it has been highly advocated for breaking the racial barrier that existed in the earlier systems where some people could feel suppressed due to their racial background and therefore limit their participation in an active forum. This interaction has led to the new perception to global citizenship and people get to know more of other cultures therefore enhancing global unity and understanding. Social Psychological Considerations Online education should be able to enhance the psychological growth of a person and improve his/her social perceptions to issues in the society. Social psychological aspects that need to be addressed look at how an individual who has been under the online education system is able to interact and handle himself in the society (Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). Due to the virtual environment created by online learning, the system has come under intense criticism as some of the individuals going through it are unable to interact and deliver well in real life. As seen in cognitive psychology the virtual environment created in e-learning sometimes will impact negatively on the individuals’ psychological growth and limit their performance (Kenny & Baron 1986). This is common where the esteem of the person is low and it had been created by interacting in virtual forums. Social psychology of the individual should always be enhanced in online education by increasing the interactive forums rather than just concentrating on the instillation of knowledge to the students. Students who are molded in all aspects of life will perform better and become more dynamic in the changing world. This dynamicity is sometimes limited in the online set ups which has led to the criticism that has been directed to them. This calls for changes in some of the institutions on their courses to enhance more interaction and give the students more than just the academic benefit that they get at the end of their courses. Organizational Psychology The considerations in organizational psychology aim at evaluating whether the student has acquired the skills of working in a group as that will prove important when it comes to working in any company. The perceptions towards people and life as a whole are critically evaluated and the impact of online education on a student critically evaluated. Normally different institutions have different strategies laid that are aimed at improving the organizational skills of their students. This is done by promoting interaction among the students and conducting projects that are aimed at the same. Organizational psychology involves other aspects of psychology like industrial psychology and instructional psychology which are also seen when one is participating in a certain group (Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). Institutions should therefore embark on promoting the same to ensure their students get the best from their studies to arm them for their future life while working. Developmental Psychology Developmental psychology relates the overall growth of the person biologically to his/her psychological growth. The two should always come hand in hand and they are used to evaluate the person’s overall growth. Online learning which involves use of the internet will highly impact on the person’s development psychologically (Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). For instance due to the uncontrolled use of the internet one can access vulgar content which can cause negative impact on their growth and perceptions (Jiong & Coll 2010). This has led to the system being criticized. However, due to the development in technology, it is argued that the best way is to guide the students on the morals and ethics that should govern the society rat6her than blocking their use of the internet. This has been supported and therefore not posing as a hindrance to online learning. The Learning Environment Lastly the learning environments of the students differ and this can affect how they access or benefit from the programs. Though the world has changed greatly and it is possible to access devices and the internet in many parts of the world, it is totally impossible to do so in some other parts and this creates a barrier to the people who may like to access it from those areas. This has been a major hindrance in the delivering of online education. Conclusion Online education has helped to adjust with the new changes in technology and also serve the growing number of students who need to get the education. However to make it successful the psychological considerations illustrated above need to be addressed to ensure that the student gains psychological and social growth as s/he gains the academic growth (Yazdi & Zandkarimi 2013). Due to the virtual environment created by the online learning set up, many students fail to acquire basic organizational and social skills that are meant at helping them in the job market. The persons’ ability to cope well in the society is a determined greatly by the systems they have gone through and so the education system should embrace the responsibility of molding the students in al perspectives (Jiong & Coll 2010). Dynamic students cope better than the ones who have been subjected to systems that do not embrace dynamism. This should be among the priorities before enrolling students for the online learning programs (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). References Biocca, F., Eye, A. & Jackson, A. L. (2003). Children and Internet Use: Social, Psychological and Academic Cosequences for Low Income Children. American Psychology Association. http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/12/jackson.aspx Educause Center for Applied Research. (n.d). Impacts and Challenges of E-learning. Supporting E-learning in Higher Education. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0303/rs/ers03036.pdf Graetz, K. A. (2006). The Psychology of Learning Environments. https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0663.pdf Jiong, Y. & Coll, M. (2010). E-learning in Universities: A Social Psychology Perspective. 5144-5147. Kenny, D. A. & Baron, M. R. (1986). The moderator-mediator Variable Distinction in Social Psychological Research: Conceptual, Strategic, and Statistical Considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 51(6). 1173-1182. Lynch, K. (1999). The Social Impact of On-Line Learning. Monash University, Clayton. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane99/papers/lynch.pdf Sloan, C. (2004). Elements of Online Education: Into the Mainstream. Edited by. Bourne, R. B. & Moore, J. C. 80-96. U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity. Office of Educational Technology. Yan, Z., Hao, H., Hobbs, J. L. & Wen, N. (2003). The Psychology of E-learning: A Field Study. J. Educational Computing Research. 29(3) 285-296. Yazdi, M. S. & Zandkarimi, G. (2013). The Impact of E-learning on some Psychological Dimensions and Academic Achievement. International Journal of Education and Learning, 2(2) 49-56. Read More