Online Education

Online education is becoming a more popular way to get one’s degree today because it is more convenient to earn one’s degree from the comfort of his/her own home and at one’s own pace. The fast-paced lifestyle of today makes it more difficult for working adults, especially those with families, to take time out of their busy schedules and go to traditional classrooms on university campuses in order to obtain or upgrade their degrees.

However, online education is not the same as offline education in terms of how the classes are structured and how the material is taught.

There are many reasons why people fail online education:

1. The person is not used to working in an online classroom setting.

An online classroom is considerably different from a traditional classroom. There are rarely textbooks; most course material is presented online on web-pages, in downloadable reports, and in video and audio lectures.

In addition, you don’t sit in a traditional classroom with other people sitting next to you, behind you, or in front of you. Instead, they are on their computers at home or elsewhere, looking at the same course material you are, so you have no direct contact with them. You usually can “talk” to them via message boards or forums, making posts that anyone in the class can respond to, and vice versa.

In some rare instances, you might talk to them or your professor via the phone, but direct contact is not usually possible, and some students who are trying online education for the first time cannot overcome the lack of interaction and direct dialogue to complete the coursework and pass the course.

2. The person is not used to the rigorous expectations from a professor teaching an online course.

Online education is a new experience for professors as well, as this is a whole new medium for them to teach what they know. Some professors are more willing to embrace this new way of learning than others.

Some professors feel that they have to “make up” for the lack of interaction and direct dialogue that you would get in a traditional classroom setting, so they give you more assignments to complete than they would their traditional students, just to make sure that you are getting the education you should be getting because these professors are not confident or convinced that online education give you the same level of knowledge as traditional education does.

Some students cannot handle the extra workload and demands expected from some online professors, which is another reason why some students can’t complete online coursework.

3. The person is not able to deal with the extra distractions associated with online learning.

When you take an online course, you do so on your computer. Often, this is at home, where other distractions can affect some online students. This includes children and/or pets who are unruly and/or need constant care. Other worries regarding home life can also distract the online student from doing his/her very best, since he/she is still in the same environment even when he/she is “attending class.”

This can prove to be too much for some online students, resulting in them not completing online courses.

4. The person doesn’t have the computer skills necessary to complete the online courses.

For those who are trying to start a brand new career, especially one that is technically challenging, sometimes, the whole experience of working with computer software and programs that you have never used before can prevent students from doing well in their courses.

Not only do they have to try to learn the course material, but they also have to learn how to access the course material, how to ask for help when they need it via the message boards/forums, how to access the tests when they are ready to take them, etc.

For some online students, the experience is so overwhelming that they don’t succeed in completing their courses.

5. The person does not utilize good time management skills in order to keep up with the online coursework.

In order to be successful in the online classroom, you have to have good time management skills. After all, you’re the only one who decides when you “attend class,” when you take the tests (within reason; there is a time limit to complete the course, but you decide what days you take the tests, unlike the traditional classroom,) how much time you spend on the message board or in the forum, etc.

Some online students can’t designate their time between all the tasks required to complete online courses, as well as balance the rest of their lives.

It is suggested that online students stay current on their coursework as much as possible because once you fall behind, it’s very difficult to catch up, especially if you are not comfortable in an online classroom setting in the first place. Most experts suggest logging in at least once a day at least six days a week to give you the best chance of staying current on your coursework and giving you the best chance of completing your online courses.

By being aware of the reasons above, you can better prepare yourself to handle these challenges and give you a better chance of completing those online courses and your degree.

The appeal of an online education through distance learning as an educational alternative is ever increasing. “Its presence will continue to grow”, say curriculum directors, who expect that by 2010 nearly a fifth of students will be taking some of their career training coursework through online education or E-learning at an online university or college.

Technological advances in medicine, aerospace, agriculture, the environment, communications and education permeate the world we live in. We have new drugs and vaccines, new ways to strengthen the immune system, the International Space Station, alternative crop and livestock systems, renewable energy sources, personalized information technology and E-learning, online education and distance learning.

• With the introduction of $100 Laptops by MIT, E-learning will reach millions of children in developing nations like Brazil, China, South Africa, Egypt and others.

Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is working on a plan to distribute the laptops to schoolchildren. A goal of the project is to make the low-cost PC a grassroots movement like Linux or Wikipedia. The laptops will have a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. Power for the new systems will be provided by electric current, batteries or by a windup crank attached to the side, since many countries do not have power in remote areas. The systems will be Wi-Fi and cell phone-enabled and will include four USB ports for connectivity. “The idea is simple. It’s an education project that will make online education a simple reality.”

Research has predicted that in the future more people will complete their studies at home as distance learning concepts continue to evolve. Over two million students enroll for online university and online college courses each year. Just as the world continues to change so must the conditions in which we live and learn. In a fast paced society we will see E-learning designed to accommodate busy students – time flexible, geographically independent, competitive cost and value and learner-centered. E-learning offers both synchronous and asynchronous modes of learning thus enabling a student to access information anywhere and at anytime. The numerous features and benefits of an Online Education and E-Learning will play a major role in post secondary career oriented education.

• E-learning is self-paced and gives students a chance to speed up or slow down as necessary

• Geographical barriers are eliminated, opening up broader education options

• 24/7 accessibility makes distance learning easy and allows a greater number of people to attend classes

• Travel time and associated costs (parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance) are reduced

• Online education fosters greater student interaction and collaboration

• E-learning is self-directed, allowing students more control over their learning process, leading up to a 60% faster learning curve.

• Web-based products allow instructors to update lessons and materials across the entire network instantly.

• Develops knowledge of the Internet that will help learners throughout their careers

• Exposure to resources not commonly found in standard classroom settings

Wireless technology has paved way for Mobile Learning, where one can easily access learning materials anywhere and at anytime. Instructional and communication techniques create an interactive online education environment including case studies, demonstrations, role-playing, simulations, streamed videos, online references, discussion groups, personalized coaching and mentoring, chat rooms, bulletin boards, tutorials, FAQ’s and wizards.

Collaborative education will play an important role in developing future Online Education and E-learning strategies. Almost all Learning Management Systems (LMS) conforming to E-learning standards offer collaborative networks, enabling students from remote areas to share knowledge and communicate ideas with fellow classmates from around the country and the world.

Virtual and Augmented learning will gradually replace existing scenarios thus giving a new dimension to knowledge management. Certain concepts which are difficult to imagine or simulate can be implemented using augmented learning.

Online education programs are becoming increasing popular among employers. Many companies are likely to give support to their employees who are interested in pursuing a degree or further education through online education programs. Some companies even give scholarships or grants specially dedicated for their employees who enroll into online education programs. Why many employers like online education programs and encourage their employees to pursue their degree online if they are interested to enrich their knowledge with a degree?

Traditionally, if an employee want to further his study, he needs to either quit his job or takes a long unpaid leave in order to go back to school for a degree. If this is the case, employer will need to hire a new staff to replace the leaving employee or he need to find a temporary replacement if the employee is taking a long unpaid leave. It’s inconvenient for the employers if many of their employees want to quit their job and go back to school to get a further degree for their career advancement. Employers definitely do not want to let their experience staffs to leave and keep hiring new staffs and re-train for the vacant positions.

Online education programs have provided a perfect solution to employers. Employees who like to further their study are encouraged to pursue their degree online. Employees who are taking online degree programs will be able to continue their job and their current living style while effectively manage their time for the online courses so that it won’t crash with their working schedule. Flexible, self-pace and study from anywhere and anytime are the key advantages that will benefits both the working individuals and employers. For job that need a lot of traveling, online education program fits in perfectly. It allows the online students to attend the online classes from home or while traveling.

Strong educational background that equip with the required skills in the related field will enable the employees to perform their jobs flawlessly. Now, employers can encourage their employees to earn a job related degree to gain more knowledge on their working field and be prepared for more challenging tasks. IBM, one of bigger corporate players is continuously encourage their employees especially managers and senior management team to pursue their MBA through distance learning programs. IBM commented that they needs a wide range of qualified managers at all level and that online education approach is the only one that is feasible in terms of cost, time and numbers.

Many companies do allocate scholarships and grants for their employees who are interested to further their study. Among these scholarships, some are dedicated specially for online students. Fund allocations for employees who study online are increasing showing more employers are encouraging online education to their employees.

Summary

More and more employers are encouraging their employees who like to further study to pursue their degree through online education programs. Employers like online education program because it provides a perfect solution for employers to allow their employee to enrich their knowledge in their job related field while retain their employees at their company.