Is Online Education Effective
Online education is
beginning to transform the way people learn and get a college degree. The
expansion of the Internet and increase of new technology has led to the rise of
online learning. Attending online
colleges and universities has become somewhat of a trend within the past few
years and every year more and more students are enrolling into online classes
in order to open additional doors in their future. Not just
students, but also working adults and stay-home parents are attracted to the
free online classes provided at universities across the United States. College
students have access to a number of online options that either supplement
classroom learning, or in some cases, provide an entire degree program. As
online education or MOOCs started to become more popular, many people started
to question if online learning is better or worse than tradition on-campus
learning. Some people find it hard to believe that you can receive a quality
education by learning though a bright computer screen. But many studies and
tests have proven that online education is just as good as traditional
schooling.
MOOCs
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are
extremely popular today. All you need to access these online classes is a
computer and an Internet connection. Online education provides new
opportunities for students who want to achieve a higher education but their
financial or other circumstances prevent them from doing so.
There are a lot of advantages from online education that appeal
to many students. One of these advantages is flexibility. Online education
allows students to take classes wherever and whenever they want. Another
advantage is all of the lessons are recorded which means students can replay
them over and over. Online education is specifically designed for working
students and adults with busy schedules and other social responsibilities.
These advantages and many more are what have led to the rapid increase of
online courses.
History of Online Education
Online education has been around ever since computers were
available for personal use. Back then online education was called
computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). The British Open University,
the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the University of British Colombia
developed some of the earliest online courses. (Marques) The term MOOC was
created in 2008. MOOC started to appear all over the world. Many North American
universities started to offer online courses to anybody. Scholars saw the value
in online learning and they enjoyed the many advantages and freedoms the online
courses provided. At first the idea of not have an actual class time was mind
blowing. It didn’t take long for other
professors adapted this idea of online learning, and know online classes are
offered everywhere. Many traditional institutions have committed to integrating
online learning into their classes. Over the years, online colleges have
improved the idea of online learning by making it more efficient and effective
for users.
Classroom Learning
Traditional learning is the oldest method of education. Students
get to see their professor face to face and are able to ask relevant questions
about the subject they are being taught. Face to face interaction is important
because it creates a more lively conversational setting. This allows the
instructor to engage and inspire their students. Students also have the ability
to meet with other students to create study groups to help them understand and
also better prepare for future assignments. Peer interaction also allows
students to exchange project ideas with one another. As students interact with
the instructor and other students, they get the opportunity to practice
teamwork through cooperative activities. Although these advantages for
traditional learning are effective, these usually only come through small class
sizes. What happens if you in a class with over four hundred students? Classes
like this place students in more of a passive than active role, which can
decrease learning. Traditional classes sometimes focus too much on the
presentation and give no time for students to practice what they learn. Also
not every student has the same pace of learning. Some students can follow the
instructor with ease, while others need time to fully understand the
information they are given. Even though there are some valuable things students
learn in a traditional classroom setting, online courses provide more
advantages for students to make their learning experience more meaningful and
effective.
Advantages of Online Education
Flexibility
There are a lot of advantages from
online education that appeal to many students. One of these advantages is
flexibility. Online education allows students to take classes wherever and
whenever they want. All of the lessons are recorded which means students can
replay them over and over. Online education is specifically designed for
working students and adults with busy schedules and other social
responsibilities. Single parents can still attend school after taking care of
their children for the evening, and working professionals can attend class
after their work commitments are completed or if they are on the road. These advantages and many more are what have led to the rapid
increase of online courses. Online classes give students the flexibility to
spend time with their work, friends, family, or any other activity they like as
well as their studies. This is great for people who are frequently taking care
of others, working to provide for their family, and other things that make it
difficult for them to make it to a campus on a regular basis.
But even though this is a great advantage for students, it can
also be a disadvantage. Flexibility can be a student’s downfall. If you’re the
type of student that finds it hard to spend your free time on your studies,
then this could be really difficult for you. Online course require good time
management skills because if you do not manage your time properly, you will
find yourself buried beneath a giant mountain of homework. Online classes
require self- discipline to set aside parts of your time to complete your
studies. (Youngberg)
Accessibility
Online courses are easily accessible. Online learning brings the
classroom to people who may not have access to education, such as disadvantaged
people and those who live in rural areas. Online courses offers education at
your fingertips no matter which part of the country you live in. The lectures
and lessons provided for you are recorded which means you can watch them over
and over again if you do not understand something. Everything is available to
you in an online class. You can access notes, take practice quizzes, review
assignments, and also chat with fellow students any time you want.
Cost
The cost of online
learning right now is much lower than any other university or institution. Some
universities charge the same amount for online students as they charge
on-campus students, but this is not always the case. Even if the tuition fees were
the same, by taking online classes, you will save the costs of transportation
and housing. Most online courses today are free. Free classes? How can you beat
that? The cost of online learning is the main thing people find it hard to
believe that you can get a quality education. Many argue that as online
learning becomes more and more popular that it will not remain free. This is
probably true, as more people join online courses, they will most likely have
to charge something. But even if this does happen, online learning will still
be a lot cheaper than going to a university. Online education provides the
opportunity for students who want to achieve a higher education but can not because of their financial
situations.
Individual Attention
Another big advantage to online learning
is they offer more individual attention. When you go to school in a traditional
classroom setting, you many online have a few minutes before or after your
class where you can discuss with your professor. Sometimes there might even be
other students competing for the attention of your professor. In these
circumstances it is difficult for the teacher to give equal attention to every
student. In online courses each student is assigned to a specific professor. They
are willing to fit into your schedule without any hassle or inconvenience. Students are able to email their
instructors questions about anything they do not understand about the subject.
Students do not need to wait until an instructor’s office opens to ask
questions. Students who are shy and quiet in a classroom setting can interact
and participate better online.
Comparing Online Learning and Classroom Learning
So if online classes have all of these advantages, how do online students compare to students who receive face-to-face
instruction. In the article, “Online Charter Schools Expand Option and Benefit
Students,” the author, Michael Van Beek, explains that online learning can meet
the needs of students who do not do well in traditional classrooms. In his
article Van Beek explains that universities are introducing online learner for
a number of reasons. Van Beek explains that online colleges allow students to
choose more courses and programs that might not be available on-campus. He
showed how flexibility is a great advantage to online students. Van Beek also
addresses that some students have a hard time in classroom setting courses and
that online learning is a better fit for them. Van Beek includes a study from
The U.S. Department of Education testing over 1,100 studies on the topic: comparing
online students and traditional classroom students. Based on the results on
average, online students preformed better than traditional classroom students.
This research suggests that online learning is better or just as good as
traditional learning.
In the article, “Online Learning Programs Are
Changing the Way Students Learn,” the authors, Jason Orgill and Douglas Harvey,
talk a little bit about the history of online education and how it has become
so popular today. Orgil and Harvey explain that the advancement in technology
has led to the rise in online learning programs. They explain that students are
able to learn to their full potential through these new online courses. As well
as Van Beek, Orgil and Douglas all agree that if online learning and
traditional learning are combined that it can result in a higher quality
education for students. They explain that a blending online with traditional
learning combines the socialization opportunities the classroom provides with
the enhanced active learning features that online learning offers. Orgil and
Harvey include a study that
was done by the U.S. Department of Education. Data showed that students in
online conditions preformed better than those receiving face-to-face
instruction. Orgil and Harvey show that online colleges provide more courses to
take. They explain that the greater selection of courses motivates students and
also helps improve their educational experience. Orgil and Harvey end with a
prediction that online education will provide people free quality learning but
it will gradually become more and more expensive. This article, like Van
Beek’s, helps show that online learning is just as effective as traditional
education and that if you “blend” the two, it can enhance the educational
experience.
Blended Courses
Blended courses have proven to be among the most popular
choices for students at universities where they are offered. Blended courses
appeal to many students because they allow students and faculty to take
advantage of much of the flexibility and convenience of an online course while
retaining the benefits of the face-to-face classroom experience. Michael Horn,
co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, explains that these blended
courses or more effective than attending a “brick-and-mortar school.” These
blended classes allow each student to move at their won pace and can view
lessons that meet their individual needs those of the entire class.
So… is online education effective?
All of the evidence points to “yes”. Online education offers
so many advantages to students, which allows them to preform just as good and/or
better than traditional classroom students. Now I am not saying that online
education should replace colleges and universities. But for those who cannot
afford college or are too busy, online learning is a great option. Online
schools find new techniques every year to make online education more effective
for their students. With the advancement of technology, online education opens
the doors to countless opportunities.
Works Cited
Van Beek, Michael.
"Online Charter Schools Expand Options and Benefit Students." Charter
Schools. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Virtual Learning and Student Achievement.”
Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Orgill, Jason, and Douglas
Hervey. "Online Learning Programs Are Changing the Way Students
Learn." What Is the Role of Technology in Education? Harvard
Business Review (4 Nov. 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web.
28 Oct. 2013.
Horn, Michael. "The
transformational potential of flipped classrooms: different strokes for
different folks." Education Next 13.3 (2013): 78+. Opposing
Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Youngberg, David. “Why
Online Education Won’t Replace College—Yet.” The Chronicle of Higher
Education. 13 August 2012.
Marques, Juliana. “A Short
History of MOOCs and Distance Learning.” MOOC
News & Reviews. 17 April 2013.
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