In our technologically advancing and competitive society it has become a necessity for higher education. Online learning has become increasingly popular especially over the last 5 years. In fact, a survey completed the fall semester, 2006 shows that about 20% of America’s students were enrolled in at least one course online.
Many institutions feel that their online curricula are equivalent to or better than their traditional courses. The students are able to learn in a way that suits their own needs, which encourages more comprehension and retention of material. Also, students who may not have been outgoing enough to engage in the classroom setting are actually interacting with peers and feeling more comfortable in the online environment, which helps to build their self confidence, therefore helping to build their interpersonal skills.
Online learning has become more popular with the baby boomers as well. This age range of adults is coming upon retirement age. A large percentage of them actually plan stay in the workforce beyond their retirement. This forces a greater need for continued education to compete with the younger adults fresh out of college with a greater knowledge of technology thus a competitive advantage.
A common misconception is that older adults are unwilling to learn. Contrary to popular belief, older adults actually have a greater willingness to learn than younger employees (Githens, 2007). Distance education provides more flexibility than traditional classroom setting and gives access to a vast array of material and information.
Distance education is helpful to the colleges and universities as well. Many have overcrowding issues as well as facility demands. The commute for the faculty and students is lessened, which helps with parking issues and facility maintenance. Institutions can also increase their service area. With the courses being taught online it is possible for a student residing in California to obtain a quality education from a university in Maine.
Not only does it allow students, regardless of their geographic location to receive an education, online learning also allows for someone to easily juggle family and school. Those students returning to college later in life can work at their own pace and have the flexibility they would not be given at the on-campus setting.
Teachers will need to maintain and continue their education as well. With the advancement in technology and the increased popularity of distance education it will be necessary for the educators to be fluent with the online environment they are teaching in, especially the software they use to interact with their students. Now educators have access to a greater depth of graduate-level coursework than they may have had in other professional development settings (George, 2007).
Overall, distance education is an effective means of receiving a quality education. In a 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement study, it was found that online students feel they were more engaged than their classroom counterparts. Given this information and the convenience of online courses it is no wonder the experts predict a continued growth in enrollment.
References
George, M. (2007, November). Online-learning communities. MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools.
14 (6), 14-17. Retrieved July 29, 2008 from Academic Search Complete.
Githens, R. (Winter, 2007). Older adults and e-learning: Opportunities and barriers. Quarterly
Review of Distance Education. 8 (4), 329-338. Retrieved July 29, 2008 from Academic
Search Complete.
3 comments:
Great post. This is something that all of us in this course can relate to and we probably all have our own opinion on what we think about online classes. The one thing I would disagree with in the article is online classes are helping people who are not that outgoing build their interpersonal skills. Personally, I think online classes make these people even more sheltered because they do not have to interact with their peers face to face. But thats just my opinion.
This was an excellent artifact. It is true online learning can be rewarding, but it can be very frustrating, too. In an online class, I think the student has to work much harder because he/she has to read everything. In a classroom, the teacher will kind of point out or emphasize the important lessons. Also, it is difficult when he/she does not get prompt or valid feedback on work submitted. Although online learning has been a huge benefit, I think it still has a long way to go vefore I'll be singing any accalades to the format.
Great work, very detailed. Online learning is great. I know I would never be able to get my degree if not for online. I have a hard time working within my schedule. But I do believe at times it is much harder to complete. You really have to be a motivated person. It will be interesting what the future brings to distance learning.
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