Online Education Essay

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).

"Distance Education and the Evolution of Online Learning in the United States." Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, vol. 17, no. 1/2, Sept. 2015, pp. 21-(Sp)34.

Online courses are defined as those in which at least 80 percent of the course content is offered online. On the other hand, traditional colleges and universities offer courses in which zero to 29 percent of the content is provided online. The number of schools that provide online courses has significantly increased for the last decade. Online enrollments have continued to grow at rates far in excess of the total higher education student population. According to Elaine Allen, professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at UCSF, the number of online enrollments in 2013 reached 6.7 million. The proportion of higher education students taking at least one online course has also continued its stable growth over last ten years. “Online learning is increasing in American universities; almost one-third of all post-secondary students have taken at least one online course” (Allen & Seaman, 2011). All instruction is mediated by means of technology in these fully online incorporated courses. Instructors deliver course information, communicate and share feedback through the Learning Management System software, and students discuss content, communicate and share their work through it. However, little is known about the effects of online learning on how faculty teaches and how students learn.

Learning can be a difficult task to anyone who wants to expand his or her knowledge. With the help of online schools, learning has stepped into a new environment that is growing rapidly. Secondary education is now possible for students who want to complete his or her degree online. This might not necessarily be the ideal education for some students but it is perfect for others. A student in an online school must learn to use his educational skills and tools to ensure that he or she receives the maximum benefits of college online. This Student Survival Guide will help all online

Learning outcomes in online instruction reflect both the course goals and students’ information technology competency (Shinkareva & Benson, 2007). When research compares the amount of time dedicated to distance versus traditional instruction in the areas of distribution of instructional content, student guidance and advisement, and student evaluation, the findings clearly show that, with the exception of student evaluation, more time is necessary to deliver a course at a distance (Tomei, 2010). To be able to convey more effective and efficient results

The Internet has dramatically changed the world today as much as the Industrial Revolution changed the world two centuries ago. It revolutionized many fields such as education. Many educational institutions offer online courses providing time, distance, and place advantages for learners who work full time or live miles away from their schools. Rachel Farhi, an editor of The Daily Cougar, in her article “Online education innovators should be wary,” states that distance learning classes give students from disadvantaged areas opportunities to learn knowledge through reducing the cost. On the other hand, online courses bring some disadvantages, such as no social interaction, academic dishonesty, and procrastination. David Smith, an editor of The Daily Nebraskan, in his article “Reliance on online materials hinders learning potential for students,” claims that web-based learning cannot be a substitute for on-campus classes because e-learning decreases students’ learning pressure and motivation. Once students have less pressure to study, their academic performance may be negatively influenced. It is more likely that online education decreases students’ learning effectiveness and quality, even though it provides convenience and cost efficiency for them. After reading the two articles, I do not think that online education is as good as traditional education. Smith is absolutely right that online education is not as effective as regular classroom

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

Throughout history, education has played a large roll in all of its forms. Education has been one of the greatest innovations of the human race, and continues to develop in new, yet sometimes controversial ways. Over the past few years, distance education has become a very popular learning career choice. Online schools serve hundreds of students, with their enrollment numbers increasing each year. Many believe that this is the future of education. However, not all can agree, when it comes to this current education controversy. Online schooling is an efficient, effective and positive learning opportunity because it allows for students to have a flexible schedule, provides a safe learning environment,

Another important distinction between the two types of courses is the limited human interaction in online courses. While conventional classes afford real communication with the teacher, most online classes are done strictly over the Internet which means that in almost all cases the teacher and student will never actually meet or even really interact. These benefits go both ways, students and teachers alike have much to gain from human interaction, whether for a teacher to better asses a student’s understanding through facial expressions or tone of voice while asking questions, or students forming a connection with the teacher and thereby feeling comfortable asking those questions. This friendliness often generates wide ranging discussions, which contribute greatly to the learning experience.

The most important feature of distance learning is that online schools offer flexibility for prospective students. This allows students the ease of attending class in their own time and the place of their choosing. Flexibility is very important for students with hectic schedules such as balancing school, work, and personal life. In fact, studies have shown that online colleges are specifically designed to cater to busy students. Studies have shown that about 1,000 schools offer online curriculum using distance learning

As we move forward, online education is gaining more popularity yearly, more individuals are looking towards the direction of online education to earn their degree. In fall of 2002, students enrolled in distance education was about 1.6 million. Five year later, that population grew to about 3.5 million and in 2012 about 7.1 million students enrolled in online learning from just American universities (Trammell & LaForge, 2017). With the rise of online education there is an effort to close the gap between online education and traditional education. Online learning has become an important avenue for individuals to gain knowledge and for professors to provide student with learning experience (Mader & Ming, 2015). Delivering education in this format has its flaws and benefits, with the introduction of technology the flaws are becoming less problematic and as time proceed the gap between traditional learning and online learning is lessening.

The Internet has revolutionized the way people are educated and impacts every aspect of society. According to the New York Times, “Bill Gates, whose foundation funds a lot of education programs, predicted last month that in five years much of college education will have gone online. The self-motivated learner will be on the Web, Mr. Gates said, speaking at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe. College needs to be less place-based.” Both, traditional and online courses are held in different environments, there are many difficulties that become apparent in holding each to the same standard. Just like traditional classes, students receive the same knowledge as a classroom-based course. The standards implemented in

17. Solutions Strategies and actions n eed to be planned and implemented early. T eacher s must establish rules and expectations early to ensure students know the boundaries.

Taking online class 's is an emerging form of learning of the internet age that did not really exist 20 to 30 years ago. The technology was not there before for the large scale of distanced learning allowing people that 'd previously have very limited options, the ability to learn from across the world that we can easily see from today. Many people can now learn and get many respected degrees from respected Colleges and Universities without as much of a need to be in a set classroom at a set time a few times a week, something that can be very difficult for many busy hard working adults. On the contrast of online class 's, there is the traditional Face to Face classroom setting that nearly every adult has experienced and has many developed and evolved teaching techniques for almost any student 's preferred style of learning whereas online learning may only be good for certain learning styles and not appeal so much to the older generations of students. "At Lockheed Martin, a survey of senior management and employees found that senior managers all of whom in the 40 's or preferred class learning over other forms” (Merriman, 2006). Traditional classrooms can provide students more structure than what can be provided in an online class 's that 'd require more self-discipline, but the question needing to be asked is online learning as good or even better in some respects than the traditional class structure.

Distance education has changed and grown a lot from external studies and correspondence education during the last century. Distance education has become a recognized phenomenon today, thanks to technology which has shortened the physical distances.