Characteristics of the Online Learner

There are many characteristics for online learners. My characteristics are scared, overwhelmed, and excited all in the same breath. However there are three main characteristics found in every person, entry characteristics, participation behaviors, and course outcomes. Such characteristics can be broken down into age, race, gender, and employment status. Although these are the main characteristics found in this article, I think there are much more to the characteristics to online learners then meet the eye. (British Journal of Education Vol 44

Online classes offer more flexibility to adult learners, allowing them to balance work, family, and their education for success. Brenda earned her degree through this platform for this flexibility; however, the school’s representative also played a role in her decision to go back to school and attend Ashford University in San Diego, California.

Returning to school as a non-traditional student has included a lot of challenges. Online classes have presented the most challenges. I have not enjoyed any of the online classes I have taken because I struggle with computer technology. This questionnaire reinforced the changes that I knew I would need to make in order to succeed in an online learning environment.

In conclusion, learning online comes with the unique perk of flexibility and pitfalls related to flexibility. Juxtaposing the classroom with my dining room ( traditional vs. nontraditional learning environments) reveals the only difference between the two environments a personal state of mind. Meaning, I must remain focused, humble, and fearless because my success is ultimately my responsibility. When I accepted this responsibility in 2005 and I started by taking one class at a time until I gained enough confidence to enroll full time. Graduating next year is going to prove that how you start is not as important as how you finish; I plan to finish stronger and wiser than when I began this

Online education is especially valuable to those students who juggle demanding work, familial and social schedules that necessitate access to learning in special forms. The idea of online training becomes valuable to the business world as well as trainers also face situations with adult learners who may experience similar constraints especially those of time and geographical distance. (Bartley & Golek, 2004).

Advances in technology helped form a new type of education. This type of education is an alternative to the more traditional approach to education. Some individuals oppose the new form of learning stating that it is ineffective. While those who favor it assert that it’s a type of learning that is beneficial to students. This new form of learning commonly occurs exclusively through cyberspace and is referred to as distance education. Distance education is a type of education that combines typical teaching methods with technology to instruct students who aren’t physically present like in a more traditional classroom setting. “Online degrees and online colleges are becoming more prevalent and popular with students’ increased access to the Internet. A growing number of students enroll in at least some online courses while studying for their degree.” (Explorer 233). Some individuals believe that distance education isn’t as successful or beneficial as traditional education because students don’t receive the same face to face interaction like they do in a classroom. People presume that distance education isn’t successful because “college students in online courses fail and drop out more often than students in classroom-based courses.” (Maxwell 214). What they don’t take into consideration is why an online college course may have a higher fail rate. For instance, students typically fail a class because the class might be overly difficult for the student to comprehend. Other times

Online education is well established as a viable means of education in both the corporate and academic environments, and it has taken a remarkable pace. A survey undertaken in 2001 of online education instructors conducted by the National Education Association (NEA) indicated that 72% of online learning instructors have a positive opinion about online learning. They believe more students can be reached, learning can be customized and flexible, and interaction can increase among students (Focus, 2001).

In the last twenty years, internet has become the driving force for the development of our society. It significantly changed our life in many ways, such as online education. In 2002, more than 1.6 million college students took online courses and unsurprisingly, this number almost tripled in 2008 (Allen and Seaman, 2010). Queen and Lewis found (2011), “74% of school districts with distance education programs planned to expand online offerings over the next 3 years.” However, although many students and instructors are using online education, the debate about the efficiency of online instruction comparing with that by traditional mode still going on as online education does not achieved universal acceptance. Thus, it is necessary to examine

The Ohio State University continues to change, adapting and integrating successful and new educational practices, to fit the needs of their students. One of the biggest changes taking place is the growing popularity of online education. Over the years, the Ohio State University has offered a number of online courses which continues to grow each year. Because of such growth, many play with the idea that Universities, such as Ohio State, could eventually offer a completely online education. I believe that the expanding variety and availability of these online courses will allow students to take many of their courses online. However, I also believe that while online courses successfully help a variety of students, not all students should seek this kind of education. Some students may challenge my view by saying the benefits of an online education outweigh the costs, while, other students are afraid to stray from tradition and, therefore, do not give online education thought. Even though online education is not suited for everyone it’s benefits such as convenience, price, and flexibility often overrides the importance of effectiveness and quality in the eyes of a student.

Today, adult learners are transitioning back into the classroom. Now, the traditional classroom has transitioned to online learning. Online learning has been the preferred format of higher education for adults in order to balance work and family life. Educators have to be prepared on how to teach the adult learner as well as adult learners need to be prepared in what format will be more suitable for learning. Online learning is not for every adult depending on his/her learning styles. This paper will focus on understanding the adult learner, obstacles for the adult learner, Knowle’s andragogical assumptions.

Over the last few decades online education has vastly grown especially in the USA. Online education has became popular among students of all ages. Universities have increased their enrollment numbers by creating distance learning programs. Online University programs are a convenient way for students to further their education and has the benefit of not having to go to a geographical location. Students can access the courses without losing any quality of education that is being taught in on site degree programs. Many Univiersities now offer online degree programs as gives the opportunity to students who cannot for some reason attend regular hours further their education.

The higher education experience for distance education learners varies greatly from one that can be had at a traditional brick and mortar university. The experience between the two different types of course delivery formats will never be the same. However, online learners deserve services that are equal in quality as their peers. The traditional four year baccalaureate education is usually comprised of a background in the liberal arts, accented by coursework in a major or specialization of choice. While degree requirements in distance education programs usually mirror those of their brick and mortar counterparts, the actual lived experience of the two are vastly different. On campus students have access to student success programs, clubs and service learning organizations, and research symposiums to help enhance the learning experience. Typically, distance education students are classified as non-traditional learners who are inclined to continue working and maintaining traditional adult roles while attending courses (Renes & Strange, 2010; Carnoy et. al., 2012). Additionally, graduation rates in distance education programs have been lower than full-time brick and mortar programs (Inkelaar and Simpson, 2015). Research suggests that multiple variables impact the distance learner’s experience, including: access and competence with technology, commitment to program completion, and intrinsic motivation (Renes & Strange, 2010; Carnoy et al., 2012; Alfifi and Almari, 2014; Ouyang

Over the past decade, online learning that is facilitated by technology has become a prominent feature of higher education. As more higher education institutions continue to offer online courses and degree programs, it is evident that majority of the learners signing up for online courses are adults who often have families and full time jobs (Yoo and Huang, 2013). This trend has raised debates and arguments regarding adult online education and the adult learner as a new player in higher education. As higher education tries to accommodate the adult learners, it has become necessary for universities and other higher learning institutions to understand the needs of these learners and weigh the potential benefits and limitations of adult online education. Whereas past studies have explored the features and benefits of adult online education, it is necessary to examine the benefits of adult online education in comparison to classroom education. Research suggests that adult online education is beneficial as it is accessible, flexible, enables personalized learning, and promotes degree attainment rate and career development.

I chose to discuss Online Learning vs. Traditional Learning for this final project. Since 1999, the debate on the differences and similarities between traditional and online learning has been ongoing. Notably, this was the time when institutes began to use the internet as a way of conveying distant education. Despite the differences that are there, it is worth noting that they are being narrowed down since technology is emerging prevalently. These facts beg the question; how do the two learning formats differ and what can one expect during the transition to eLearning? Before seeking answers to this question, it is worth mentioning that I chose this topic because even though I am currently taking online classes, I wanted to research and learn more about the different benefits of online learning. Also, I am interested in researching on the major differences between online learning and traditional learning.

Online learning, as a newly emerged platform to access to higher education, has become prevalent in China in the past years. Some scholars think highly of this form of education and believe that it will finally lead to a revolution of education. However, due to its short history of development, online learning platforms are not as mature as traditional universities and its learning outcomes are hard to be measured and examined. Those platforms are like a hotchpotch which consists of a variety of courses from educational institutions from all over the world. For online learners, they have to learn in a different way than they learned in universities because online courses are managed in different ways, and for Chinese learners, they may also have to overcome the language problem and culture issues, because the idea of online learning was introduced from western world and many online courses are instructed in English. This Research focuses on the factors that are related to the success of Chinese online learners and evaluating their learning characteristics from the perspective of the adult learning theory. By doing an online survey, the researcher collected 100 valid samples, for each one 20 variables are included. Through statistical analysis, the researcher reveals that some learning characteristics are significantly related to a better learning outcome. The result may be helpful for Chinese online learner to improve their manners of learning thereby