Online Higher Education 's Individualist Fallacy Essay

Education has long been the frontier for society and academic advancement in one’s life. Long gone are the days where only a handful of people were expected to enter into college and earn a degree. In 2014, there are so many colleges and universities that one can choose from. Not only is the choice, whether or not they attend school, but the choice is, whether they want to attend school online or in a traditional college setting of brick and mortar.

Although taking online courses may appear to be very time consuming and hard at times, the idea of obtaining your college degree from the convenience of your own home has made it easy for students to continue on with their everyday life. This article has given me a whole new perspective to this online learning experience. Through the group assignments and class participation, online learning generates relationships amongst peers and instructors and allows us as the students to value each individual student’s walks of life under the same subject. This online course will prepare me to become the educator that I need to be when dealing with the different diversities with the students, parents,

Many people are choosing to return to school to further their education. The majority of students returning to college are choosing to do so online. Most people in this day and age do not have the time to attend classes daily at specific times. There are many advantages to taking online courses. Several reasons for going back to school online are saving money, having more time with family or children, and the flexibility to work full time while going to school.

Neem states that there is an “individualist fallacy” in connection with the “online revolution” meaning that people do not have an understanding of how students learn, professors teach, nor do they understand what makes a great teacher or scholar. Neem’s views on Individualist fallacy is developed by his convictions about traditional college and the benefits that result from the college community, culture, and networking. Because he values social interactions as they pertain to higher education he cannot appreciate that one may benefit equally from the curriculum on their own as an individual as they would in a social classroom

The convenience of the professor being physically present for any inquiries promised for instant clarification when needed. As time goes by it has become more difficult to find balance between work and school schedules. I have had advisors and professors tell me I would have to decide on what was more important to me. To my dismay the goal of earning an undergraduate degree seemed even further out of reach, it was not until one day my mother asked me, “Why don’t you see if there are any online programs?” Dumbfounded by her ingenious, I consulted the all-mighty Google. As it should happen was I stumbled upon none other than Regis

While tuitions rose and salaries static, families no longer see the need to splurge on the “college experience”. Not only are students paying for the expense of academics, but on campus dorms and a meal plan as well. Although Students could choose to commute to cut out the cost of dorms, many colleges are too far away from home to do so. If living on campus and commuting were out of the question, then students may enroll in online schooling to get the education they need

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.

In “Reliance on Online Materials Hinders Learning Potential for Students” by David Smith the author argues online education has some benefits students are also able to suffer. Smith begins his article with stating students are lucky for being able to have the amount of access they have to receive education unlike past generations. He goes on by stating “this variety has begun to work its way into academia, as well; more and more, it seems, organized instruction is moving beyond the classroom and into cyberspace” (Smith, Par 3). The “traditional” educational experience is slowly being taken over by the technology world.

The traditional adult attending a college or university is attempting to get their foot in the door of life. While the non-traditional adult, someone who is already in the workforce, is attending college for a different reason: either to change a career, improve a job skills, or for the joy of learning. The wise employers are sending employees back to school in order to make the business successful. Universities and colleges are adapting their programs to the needs of these non-traditional adults. As the non-traditional adults flood the colleges and universities, corporations and educational institutes are collaborating to establish the most optimum way to support the needs of the students while providing the best trained and educated workers in the industry.

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.

Contrary, to what others have stated about online college classes, I found that there are many advantages and disadvantages for those who choose to advance in their career. Online college courses have become worldwide allowing individuals like me to make their own decisions on how to manage their college courses. Before I made a decision to take college courses online I had to be sure I was up for the challenge. Online college classes require the same amount of commitment as the traditional colleges. As I made the decision to attend online college courses I also explore every element of life factors and different skill techniques to help me succeed in my college classes.

Historically, the quintessential college student leaves home at the age of 18 to live on a college campus for four years. These students have long been labeled as ‘Traditional’ college students with the learning category outliers such as Adult, Online, Part Time, and those working Full Time while earning a degree being considered Non-Traditional and a minority amongst students. However, the learning demographic across the United States is shifting, and our ‘Traditional’ learners have become a minority. According to the Department of Education, in 2011 there were 17.6 million undergraduates enrolled in American Higher Learning. However, just fifteen percent of

For my journal entry, I choose to read Online Higher Education’s Individualist Fallacy by Johann N. Neem, a professor of history at Western Washington University. According to Neem, there is a higher value associated with institutional culture. To put it another way, the traditional college student will reap more benefits from being on campus and partaking in the college experience and developing a collegiate spirit than the student who attends online. According to Neem, institutional culture is imperative because learning is a social experience and depends on relationships since under the guidance of a professor a student will prosper, be inspired by the energy in the classroom setting, and additionally benefit from their professors' ability

Non-traditional students are finding it easier and easier to maintain a job, a family, and pursuing a college career at the same time. This is possible because more and more non-traditional students are receiving an education using distance learning, as opposed to traditional, in-the-classroom teaching. Distance learning is basically taking college level, credit-bearing courses via the Internet. One of the most obvious advantages of distance learning is that it puts the classroom in your home, office, or wherever you can find a computer and log on to the Internet. However, there is much controversy regarding the quality of the courses being offered on the Internet versus the quality of

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.