Online Education - Assignment Example

 Online Education Online education started from the corporate world in 1980’s where companies were using computer- based programs to train new and old employees but due lack of internet at that time it was a limited practice. After the invention of internet the method was used widely as it was cost cutting. In the beginning the online education was not organized as it is today. Like today, courses and course material were not accessible through internet. Even if the material was found it was usually in the text form. In recent years with new inventions and improvement in computer technology and the internet, the face of online education has changed a lot. Modern ways of communication through internet and new forms multimedia has helped the online education to become more resourceful and accessible. With more advanced input technologies like webcams, screen capturing software etc. the trainers able to record and upload all the helping material related to the course online. Students have the option to download or stream videos and helping material online. The latest technological advancement is virtual class rooms where instructor and students can communicate in real time by using live webcams and microphones (Allen & Seaman, 2011). Online education is a mode of providing educational information through internet on a personal computer rather than a traditional classroom environment. With internet as a medium of online education courses are offered to students in different forms, including audio and video formats primarily. These types of electronic communications create a bridge between student and the instructor. Online education is usually considered distant learning home based education but in some cases there are hybrid education courses which require students to complete comes portion online and the rest of it requires class room session. E-learning (Online education) trend is increasing quickly according to the recent study by the Sloan Consortium (A nonprofit organization that studies online education trends) (Bishop, 2006). Online education trend is increasing by about 21 percent from 2008 to 2009 and on the contrary enrollments are only growing by 1.2 percent a year. More universities and colleges are offering online courses (Pew Research Center, 2011, p. 4). Online education courses are customized for people who are either already having a degree or they want to develop some new skills to progress in their fields. Professionals with full time jobs usually prefer online educations as they can study and can also do their jobs. These online courses consume less time as it save the travelling and waiting time for classes. It is also very flexible to take classes as at times workload is heavy and the employee has to work late hours. Professionals involved in online education are usually from the fields of management, business or education, hoping that this education will help them in getting better jobs or improve their salaries. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages of online education course. Professionals with jobs or any other thing which keeps them occupied from giving time to education can go for online courses. Advantages There are a number of advantages to online education. Less tuition is one of the biggest and the obvious advantage of online learning. Tuition rates of online earning can be considerably less as compared to tradition academic institutions. In some countries there are virtual school programs which are state-funded, which at time reduce or waive of the complete tuition fee. Customized Educationallows students to engage in online courses in a unique way and students also have a variety of options to customize their education. Students have access to all kind of educational resource with challenging assignments and helping tools to aid their education. A certain group of students feel comfortable in this educational setup, specifically students with learning differences or students who are unable to excel in traditional classrooms. Flexibility is another important benefit of online education. Student can access their virtual learning environment from anywhere and at any time. People with full-time jobs are going for online course rather than traditional institutions as at time it is not feasible for working professional. Ease of access is the usage of internet for education reasons which have inspired many new learners. The convenience of learning from anywhere is a crucial element responsible in the increasing demand of online learning. Instructors are also able to cater larger number of students as compared to traditional classrooms as it eliminates the need of classroom itself. Technology wise online courses are in multiple media formats. From emails, threaded discussion boards and newsgroups to chat rooms, webcasting and audio/ video technologies, everything is a part of online learning between teacher and students. A report conducted by Distance Education at Degree- Granting Postsecondary Institutions depicts that two-third of the degree-granting schools offer online courses (Parsad and 2008). There are many motives behind this reason. One of them is to increase number of students; secondly schools are able to offer larger number of courses to meet student demands and with fewer requirements of classrooms and more flexibility. In this way education is offered even to those who are not able to afford it as online education is also economical in nature. Another finding by U.S. Department of Education suggests that students enrolled in online courses perform well than those who took the same course in the classroom. The finding suggested that it is because of the mixture of online education aids including multimedia written formats and online video based interactions. The findings above suggest that online education has become more effective educational method for many students and professionals. Disadvantages A person who is to enroll in an online course should also know that there are some shortcomings to online education as well. Interaction among students is not present in an online course where a people not only just interact but also get motivated. It also includes exchanging notes, group discussion, class activities and group assignments. A person might feel isolated as these courses lack human interaction. Even apart from the education and all people need interaction with other people. Due to this isolation a student may also not gain confidence for performing daily activities related to his job or course work. For example presentations give a lot of confidence to student. Lack of discipline can be there as there is no one to monitor tests, assignments and projects. Student might not complete them in the manner they are required to and may also use unfair means. Like in exams is a student is giving exam from his home, even with the timer on the exam he might still be able to open a book or a website to help him. So the sense of examination dies with it. Procrastination can arise in online learning as there is no one to tell or warn about the upcoming test, quizzes or exams. A student might feel that he has more time than there really is. If he doesn’t follow a strict routine he might suffer. Taking an example of a student who has to see two lectures a day of 45 min each, if he fails to take those two lectures they will add up in the next two and times a person feel like delaying those lectures thinking that he can cover them up in one day. That might not happen and the mid or finals come. That student will suffer aa lot due to this act of procrastination. Technological expertise is must in online learning. At times a student who is not much of an expertfeels hesitant and drops the course in middle. It more like every student didn’t had a computer laptop from childhood; he might be new to it. In many online institutions there is azero semester which a student can take on campus or through a video which enables them to use computer and internet more efficiently for educational use. Distractions while studying at home or any other place except for classroom are possible. It more like when reading an online text or watching a lecture which is recorded, the chances of getting bored are too many. The concentration is kind of impossible when family or friends are around. Instructional Support is available on internet but the delay in it may create frustration in the student who is going through the course material. An instructor cannot reply promptly to a student’s query and the student can have his course delayed just because he was not able to understand a topic from the course material. Online education can be categorized in a variety of modes. Adult Online Education: This is a program which promoted by The U.S. Department of Education’s Division of Adult Education and Literacy for adult Americans to educate them with basic skills they need or education like basic math, science, reading and problem solving. Hybrid Education:  a hybrid education combines online education with traditional class education. In hybrid courses students have an option to learn from teachers through internet or face to face lecture in the class (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Another setting is that students usually learn on the internet but their exams are conducted in the class rooms. This looks a fair kind or way as the exams are monitored properly and there is a less chance to use unfair means. Online Continuing Education: Is method where a number of different courses are offered to students already having a degree but want to upgrade their education in order to advance their expertise in certain subjects to upgrade their jobs and be successful in them. This is goes for people who want to do dual specializations as well. For example a person having a degree in marketing can go for this kind of course and have another specialization in management as well. Online Distance Education: This technique offers a student who is already enrolled in degree program, an option to take some courses online rather taking all of them face to face. Students have more flexibility to design their curriculum and can have easy schedules. This also helps student who are from different states. They can have a few courses online and at time it can help the completing their degree sooner. Online Higher Education: Student with any reason like time constraints, family responsibilities or health issues can opt this type of online education where they can have bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree with ease of without going to and traditional university. These degree programs are lengthy in nature but they can help an individual a lot in upgrading of his education. At time people don’t get to have their promotion just because they don’t have a master degree and they also can leave their jobs. So this is the best way to improve education for them (Van Dusen, 2014). To conclude online education known by its many name is the latest trend in the educational industry. In many countries the admission merit is also very low and online education is not considered having a good worth as compared to traditional education style. Employer don’t like to higher people with online education as they feel they might lack in few areas as compared to a person who had his education for a regular university or college. People with online degrees face a lot of problem while applying for jobs and getting selected as well. Technologically e-learning has improved a lot from simple text based courses to audio and video lectures, but still there is a gap between student, instructor and institute itself which is yet to be covered in the future. To improve online education it should be made more interactive. More disciplinary measures should be introduced to make it fair and competitive in the market. References Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010. Sloan Consortium (NJ1). Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011.Sloan Consortium. PO Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. Bishop, T. (2006).Research highlights cost effectiveness of online education. (n.p.): The Sloan Consortium. Parsad, B. and Laurie L. (2008). Distance Education at Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2006–07. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009044. Pew Research Center. (2011). The digital revolution and higher education: College presidents, public differ on value of online education. Washington, DC: Taylor, P., Parker, K., Lenhart, A., & Patten, E Van Dusen, G. C. (2014). The Virtual Campus: Technology and Reform in Higher Education. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, Volume 25, No. 5. Read More