Taking Online Class is a Sociological Event - Essay Example

Taking online is a sociological event Introduction Online study is one of the most important medium for providing education in the modern world. Due to cultural diversity and economic needs people now a day’s look into education that can be obtained without going to regular classes. The reason is because modern students like to work along with their studies. Here online education provides a very important role for learners so that knowledge can reach to each and every student who has an interest of learning. Online education is a part time course providing education system wherein students are provided proper assignments, real-time class videos and study materials all through internet. This becomes easier for students to work and learn at the same time. This essay deals with the different principles and concepts involved with online class. This essay also describes how online class is a sociological event. By this statement it means that students should be able to understand sociology and apply the understanding in their life and society. Discussion The implementation of online class is very significant in modern society. Students are more prone to online classes rather than regular classes because the mode of online classes is internet and students can learn any time they prefer instead of a stipulated routine. Online classes are not a traditional practice so there are many questions raised whether it can be considered a sociological event. This essay brings out some important traits which proves online education can be considered as a social event. Some important questions that rose among theorists about online classes were “Which student in terms of race and ethnicity is prone to online education” “What are the forces that drive offline and online classes” “What are the outcomes from online classes both social and educational” “For a complete study in a online class what are the additional research strategies”. These questions were later taken care of by proving that online classes are also important and it is a part of educational society and hence a sociological event. There are certain principles and practices that are needed to be kept in mind before taking online class. The first principle is to be there at the course site. It is very important for faculty to be present during course commencement. Students should be informed previously so that they do not lack the interest towards the course. If by any means a faculty is not able to reach during commencement of a course it should be properly communicated with students by texts. Students should not be felt abandoned and their time should be valued by faculties in order to maintain the trust in online classes. The second most important principle or step is to create an encouraging online course community. There should be sufficient measures taken by faculties to make interactions encouraging (Liu, 2008). In most of the online classes students are provided balanced set of dialogues through mini-lectures via video or texts or audio podcast. However there are some important strategies that can be added up so that students can gain interest in course-work and they are more responsible towards their class works. Faculties should arrange discussion groups so that conversations are maintained between lecturers to student and student to student. This kind of conversation will indulge the interest of students and raise their responsibility in class. Faculties should be more transparent with students so that there could be a proper atmosphere maintained during off time. Online classes are sociological event because it gives same amount of knowledge that is given in a regular class. The difference is about the physical appearance that is not present during online class-work. Another important principle or method is to share a clear expectation for students regarding the amount of work they need to complete in a week and the amount of time students need to communicate with faculties. This kind of clear communication and setting and expectation will help to complete the given work in time and in return will prove to be beneficiary for students. Faculties can set an expectation within students about the time they would allot students to complete assignments and respond (Saret, 2008). Faculties can also provide students with course material and give them a stipulated time to submit answers before commencement of exams. Proper monitoring is also required during online classes. This can be done by checking number of students active during course works. Online learning is as intensive as learning in a regular class the reason being online classes also have a scheduled time by which given work should be completed and materials delivered are also explained by professors. The students are provided enough opportunities to ask any questions related to subject. Hence it can be said that it is a sociological event just like a regular class. With advancement of technology mode of education is also changing and it should be accepted by society for optimum results. The most important principle that can be implemented for betterment of online classes is to create a discussion post that includes discussions, questions, responses and reflections (UWEC, 2009). Discussions that are done in online are equivalent to discussions in a regular class room where there is physical appearance of a lecturer the only difference is that in an online class room students have time for thought and reflections that cannot be controlled. There are certain methodical ways that can reduce the difference of an online class and a face to face class. Students can be provided open forums for questions and answers to make their practice easy. Students can be encouraged towards creative and critical thinking. There should be social interactions between faculty and students and between students so that the interest in course can be maintained. There should be enough measures taken to support inquiries and student reflections so that they do not hesitate to ask questions. These are some of the key features that can be kept in mind while building up a community for student interactions. For best closing and for students to keep course study in mind there should be a proper list involved with student’s course as well. In the later part of course completion most of the students are stressed out with the load of work they are given it is difficult for them to remember everything that is necessary. In order to optimize correct closing and lessening the stress of students they should be provided with a list that is easy to remember and students should be encouraged to make the list in their own style so that they do not have to remember everything about their work and they will not get puzzled. End of course often includes summaries, presentations and analysis of their projects. Presentations help students to remember important course material better than reading about same. Presentations indulge with real time explanations by students themselves and hence it let students understand a topic and remember because they are interested about course works. These ideas can help students to perform better and automatically we see that online classes can be regarded as a social event. From the above principles it is clear that engaging students with these steps will help in optimizing online studies. Traditional course undoubtedly has its advantages but there are also certain demerits of traditional courses. Most of the faculty members try to complete the text books prescribed and do not go intensely as per students understanding on a certain topic. While in regular classes the prime objective of faculty member is to complete the text book content in the allotted time. However in online class things are different. In online class then faculty members do not have a specific text to cover so students can gather maximum knowledge about any topic discussed. The demerit of online classes is that completion of topics is less compared to regular class but students understanding is better related to any topic taught in online classes. Online classes are helpful in many ways for learning of students. Because of online studies students can get ideas about a topic from various sources. It helps students to interact among themselves and faculties more compared to traditional classes. This increases the self confidence among students and in-turn helps students to develop their thoughts socially and technologically. Conclusion From the above discussion it clearly signifies the positive impacts of online classes in the modern society. Advancement in technology is a result of change in educational sector from traditional classes to online classes. There are many positive aspects of online classes because of which it is preferred over traditional classes now a days. Online classes give youths the opportunity to work and study at the same time. Many theorists have also supported the trend towards online classes because of its time saving features. Students can obtain vast knowledge about a topic in an online class however in a regular class students have to stick to a common text prescribed. There are many positive features of online classes as it also enhances self-confidence among students. Hence it can be said that taking online class is a sociological event because it helps students to develop their skills and obtain sociological culture through their knowledge obtaining medium. References Liu, S. (2008). Students Interaction Experiences in Distance Learning Courses: A Phenomenological Study. Retrieved from: . Saret, L. (2008). Retention Theory: Why Students do not persist in Community College Course. Retrieved from: . UWEC. (2009). Best Practices in Online Teaching Strategies. Retrieved from: . Read More