In 1999, Mark Bonner of PricewaterhouseCoopers accurately predicted, “Online learning will rapidly become one of the most cost-effective ways to educate the world’s expanding workforce.” Fifteen years later, his statement is truer than ever, as the price of going to a four-year university skyrockets, and technology required to get the same degree online becomes more available. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, from 2000 to 2010, the average cost for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public institutions increased over forty percent. There is good reason for the growth in online learning in college environments. Student populations have diversified since the introduction of the personal computer and …show more content…
As technology became more accessible, the diversification in student populations developed hand-in-hand with more diverse course delivery methods (O’Malley and McCraw). Today, online courses are offered at most colleges to fit the needs of their diverse study bodies, and students who otherwise, would not be able to take these courses. A study published in US News reported, more than six million students took at least one online course during the fall 2010 semester, which is an increase of over ten percent from the fall 2009 semester (Lytle). Many studies have found insignificant differences between online and traditional course settings. For instance, in a literature review by Friday, et al., the results of many studies did not show any substantial differences in performance between online and traditional courses (69). However, Friday, et al., noted that at the undergraduate level, face-to-face methods of course delivery are more beneficial in terms of student learning compared to online, web-based course delivery methods (77). Diaz and Cartnal note that the traditional classroom setting may be especially motivating for extrinsically motivated students who prefer to accomplish goals in a face-to-face setting where they are able seek the reward of the assignments of an instructor (135). Online courses can also cause issues with social
Online courses have started within the past 30 years as a means of learning. With increases in Internet use, many U.S. schools offer online classes. Because of the main disparities amid online course and face to face instruction, numerous questions have been brought forth in regard to the quality of online courses. This research will help American college students to understand the difference between online classes and face-to-face courses, and give them an idea that how effective that online classes are. Therefore, the leading research question of this study is what advantages and disadvantages of
The authors analyzed statistics of online learning to determine what they mean. They looked at the growth of online options in institutions. They also compared online learning with traditional learning to determine if it was as effective.
Companies are benefitting from their employees increased training and education. However, they are paying out higher wages for the same employees. Additionally, working adults are putting in longer hours after work to study. The students that cannot attend a traditional college or university are finding that online degree programs fit their needs and schedule better, which helps motivate them to complete the journey they set out on. These new programs are already being accepted by most employers, resulting in an increased number of online students.
There are others, like myself, who feel that online learning is better. The supporters of this back their claim by stating that online classes can be more beneficial for teachers and students. For example, fewer distractions in a classroom like other students disrupting class. Students can come into class late after the teacher has already started class and cause a disruption or talk during the class. With online classes the student can control their environment. Also, a teacher can provide in writing just the basic information a student needs for an assignment. This way there is less of a chance for the student to get confused on the assignment when the topic
In today’s society, so many people are continuing their education beyond high school. We realize that in order to make a decent living, a degree is most likely a requirement. In some cases even a bachelor’s degree is not enough to qualify for many positions. Nevertheless, thanks to technology, we now have the option to learn online or in a traditional classroom setting. There are very few differences between the two, and students need to understand that as much time and energy will need to be devoted to the online courses as on a campus. “A 2010 meta-analysis and review of online-learning studies concluded that online learning was as good as or slightly more effective than traditional face-to-face instruction” (Mendenhall, 2011).
Virtual campuses are an essential part of today’s education. It ensures that all students who have the potential to attended college have the time needed to succeed successfully. Virtual campuses, also known as online campuses affect over 28% of the American population. This affects ranges from online campuses who offer associate degrees to online campuses who offer degrees up to post-doctoral. Within the 28% of Americans who attends online campuses, over half of those students carries full-time responsibilities such as but not limited to: careers or jobs, bestowing family care, and many more. If online campuses were not offered as an option for the American population, some too many would may have such found it very difficult to attend school to obtain a higher
Computer based learning, as it stands, has plenty of disadvantages, but many in business and educational arenas remain optimistic about its future. There are two indisputable truths about computer-based learning, or e-learning. First, it will revolutionize education and second, such a future is just around the block. Educational experts agree that most types of study are not yet effective when delivered purely online, mainly because of bandwidth limitations, expensive set-up costs, continued resistance to the medium and a shortage of quality course content.
Online college courses are almost becoming traditional for students. Some may perceive that a student does not receive an equal education when taking an online class. People tend to think that if a teacher is not directly giving the information about the subject, the course learning experience is different or unjust. This assumption is wrong according to the perception of many online course takers. Online college courses offer students the advantage to learn on their own time. The skills that a student learns in self-discipline, scheduling to complete graded assignments, and advantages learned with technology gives online classes equal education experience compared to classes on campus.
Technology is changing every aspect in our lives, even the way we learn. Online classes are a rapidly growing trend it today’s society. Online classes are a cost-effective substitute for traditional courses and more convenient for many, so more schools and universities are offering this option. Due to the increase in online course enrollment, people are questioning if students truly learn something from online classes because it’s not a traditional learning environment. Online classes are just, if not more, effective as traditional classes because grades have increased and online discussions provide students with the chance to interact through networking while earning a degree for less than what it would cost to enroll at the same university.
In contemporary times, the technological advancement known as the Internet, has revolutionized the way in which society is educated. This tool greatly impacts not only the field of education, but every aspect of society. Indeed, Lewin documents, “those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day” (A1), connected to the Internet. This citation illustrates the extensive amount of time today’s youth are online. To that end, the Internet is prevalent in many homes throughout the world and continues to influence the way in which people are educated both in the classroom and even while performing homework. The impact of the Internet becomes evident when one begins to examine similarities and differences between the slew of
Online education used to be a novelty in the United States education system. As of today, more traditional universities like Arizona State University, offer various methods of online education. This method of education used to lie strictly within for-profit organizations until recent years where public and private institutions adopted the concepts (Burnette, 2015.) When looking at fully online programs, several important aspects must be taken into consideration. Arizona State University clearly targets their audience to encourage new student enrollment. The university uses marketing strategies, promotions, promises, and statistics to capture prospective students.
Virtual Learning continues to transform the educational system in the United States. For the past decade, virtual enrollments in higher educational institutions have surpassed traditional enrollments. According to the Babson Survey Research Group (2015), virtual enrollments in higher education boasted an overall increase of 3.7% between 2012 and 2013. As described in the Grade Level: Tracking Online Education in the United States report (Allen & Seaman, 2015) four year private and four year private non-profit institutions reflected high enrollment growth—7.2% and 12.7% respectively.
Education has undergone significant changes because of the development of information and communication technology over the 21st century (Lin & Jou, 2012:2). As a convenient and inexpensive way to gain knowledge while pursuing higher education, online learning, a form of training or teaching that takes place over the Internet, has been considered as an alternative to traditional classroom learning (Zhang et al, 2004). This essay will argue that even though online learning has benefit such as flexibility which could outweigh traditional learning, traditional classroom learning might still not be entirely replaced. This essay will discuss positive and negative aspects of online and traditional learning in terms of four criteria:
One of the biggest issues that students have to overcome in a face to face class is the fear of doing well. Steinberg notes,
Andrew Simoncelli once said, “Students who take online classes must be motivated, independent learners.” This is relevant because independence and motivation is what it takes to succeed in an online course. Online learning will not only expand what students learn, but will also bring a number of positive changes in the way students are taught. Courses online have changed everyone’s look at learning all over the world. It allows more opportunities for observers to learn online rather than learning in class. Another affirmative of taking an online course is flexibility and convenience. Students who would like to experience some of these ideas should look into an online class!