The Future of Higher Education
By Kirsten Keith
The
discussion between online education and Brick and Mortar colleges is becoming
more and more pertinent towards this generation. The real question is, are
online courses the answer for a higher education? Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
will provide a better future of higher education by introducing a positive,
efficient learning environment at no cost, helping students gain more knowledge
for a specific major, and informing those, all over the world, who simply
possess the desire to learn.
There are people all over the world that are not getting any education. These MOOCs can help those in other countries that have the desire to gain an education. Not everyone can afford to go to college so MOOCs are the answer. They are free and an excellent way to begin education. I don’t think MOOCs will replace colleges completely, but they are going to provide higher education, because anyone can take them. Anyone can build up their education and pursue their goals. I also don’t think someone should build their entire education just on MOOCs especially if they’re looking for a higher job position, but online courses are definitely a good way to get started. And when everyone has adapted to technology, online courses will be the only way.
So what exactly are
Massive Open Online Courses? To put it
simply, “MOOCs are noncredit bearing courses being offered for free by numerous
universities and organizations to anyone interested in enrolling in these
courses.” (Milman) These courses are supported by some of the best
organizations and can really be helpful when trying to learn extra information
or even just beginning education. These online courses can help provide a
higher education because students are expanding, reaching out, and using them
to gain more knowledge. These massive online courses help students all over the
world, but how much help depends on the student.
The phrase ’What is a
MOOC?’ can vary depending on the university and the motivation behind the
course. MOOCs are still usually intended for students not enrolled in college
but there is also a move towards universities providing free online courses for
their on-campus students. Online courses can not only launch those who haven’t
had any higher education into an environment of learning, but can help students
already in college understand better and maybe even stay ahead of the curve. I
know I would love to take an extra FREE class that I could do on my own time
and that would help me better understand my major and chosen career path and to
stay focused. MOOCs are the future of higher education.
A blogger from Top
Universities comments that MOOCs are “too good to be true.” I mean free online courses from some of the
world’s top universities? That’s incredible! MOOCs are all the hype and are
another tool to help adapt and adjust with technology. Technology is changing
our world. It’s inevitable. What’s that saying? “If you can’t beat ‘em, join
‘em.”! Students should be ready for a new way of learning for higher
education—an online education. MOOCs can help! They can aide students in
gaining a better, more efficient future for higher education.
What
do they do?
The
idea of MOOCs is to replace introductory courses from regular academia. These
online education courses can help students take care of those classes faster
and more efficient on their own time. The courses are taught by real college
professors all around the nation and are really beneficial. For those who
cannot afford to go to a big college campus or university can sign up for MOOCs
and get their schooling done for free. This would be for students that have the
desire to learn and are willing to do the work and complete the class on their
own time and at their own will.
These
online courses can also help provide for a higher education by helping students
study what they, individually, are interested in. They can take classes that
pertain to their major so they can better understand their set curriculum. This
can help them gain more knowledge and attain their goals and career faster.
Lacking
in education
Technology is advancing
quickly, and brick and mortar colleges cannot adapt quickly enough. Online
courses provide a faster way to get started on your education. Electronic
schooling is inevitable. It’s so much easier, so much faster, and so much
better that anyone who owned a computer could simply get online and begin
learning right then by some of the best professors from colleges and
universities across the United States. MOOCs can help people gain knowledge and
a higher education.
Why
is higher education so important?
Why
is gaining a higher education so important? Education is power. Education
provides so many experiences and opens so many doors. Better, high paying jobs
are offered, intellectual conversations are made, and through that making
connections with some of the smartest, most important people. Have you ever
seen the movie, Limitless? It is an action-thriller about a writer, Eddie
Morra, who takes an experimental drug that allows him to use 100 percent of his
mind. Everything he has ever seen, read, or heard is suddenly organized and
available to him. With this, he writes a book, he learns new languages; he
learns all about the stock market and become filthy rich! Now, this is all very
unrealistic, but could you imagine? Possessing a lot of knowledge can make one
extremely successful. Do you get the point?
My next point is that we are human,
and competition is in our nature. It has been observed that parents are more
education than this generation. We should be improving and gaining more
education! Not the other way around! On the Here & Now radio station, Robin
Young and Jeremy Hobson commentate, “For every five
students who start in community college, only one finishes within three years,
even though community college programs are supposed to be two years or less. The
numbers at four year colleges are not much better — only around half the
students who enroll manage to get their Bachelors’ degrees in six years. Reporter Jon Marcus says that statistics like those “have
helped push the U.S. from first to 10th in the world” for the proportion of
college graduates. Marcus says this generation of college-age Americans could
become “the first to be less-well educated than their parents.” ("Will Today’s Generation Be Less Educated Than
Parents?") Another source states, “Today, only about 20%
of young adults will reach a higher level of education than their parents, a
rate that’s among the lowest rates in the developed world, according to the
OECD. Schleicher says that a major problem in the U.S. is that the skyrocketing
cost of going to college has created a barrier for many young Americans.” (Brinkerhoff) This is embarrassing. Our
generation is lacking in education, not just by a little, but the worst it has
ever been, because of the low economy. MOOCs come at no cost so that
consequently, students can learn and gain an education for free. This will help
motivate and build student’s education so that hopefully this generation can
make a comeback!
Introduce,
help, and inform
Online courses are a great way to bring about a positive and efficient
learning environment. When someone enrolls for an online course, it is because they
want to learn and gain an education. They have a positive attitude to go into
it, because it’s something they want to do, not something forced upon them. Also,
they are free so it’s okay if it doesn’t work out the first time! It provides a
fast and more efficient way of learning for those who cannot afford to pay for
college tuition.
Some students may already be enrolled in a college or university and are
just looking for more knowledge pertaining to their focus of study. What a
better way to learn more about a specific subject than a free online course!
Students can get ahead in their major by taking MOOCs in the comfort of their
own home. They can also take the course in their spare time. There are no
deadlines and no pressure. There is only the sense of learning and gaining more
education.
MOOCs can inform people all over the world with a variety of education.
Anyone can get online and participate! Anyone who wants to learn, but can’t
afford to enroll in college, should register for MOOCs immediately! Why wait?
Start your education today! There is so much knowledge in the world that needs
to be learned, and so many things left to discover!
But what
about . . . ?
Many may say that taking courses
online prohibits people from gaining the social interaction that they need, but
according to ELI Publications, “The online activities can be augmented by local
meet-ups among students who live near one another.” In addition, “MOOCs are
typically provided by higher education institutions, often in partnership with
organizers such as Coursera. . .though some MOOCs are being offered directly by
a college or university.” (“7 Things You Should Know About MOOCs II”) This
points out that students can contact one another and meet up to study together,
and at the same time, interact socially. Could this be dangerous? It would be
just like any study group meeting. There is no danger added. Because MOOCs are
provided by higher education institutions, it creates opportunities for
students to create a better future for themselves for higher education.
In Conclusion, Massive Open Online
Courses are a great idea and a great way to provide a higher education for
anyone. Anyone can use MOOCs and gain an education. They introduce a good
learning environment, help students in a specific subject, and inform people
all over the world. The advancing technology makes online education a more
efficient option for learning and the fact that they are free provides a
solution for our generation deficiency in education. Massive Open Online
Courses are the future of higher education.
Works Cited
“7
Things You Should Know About MOOCs II.” EDUCAUSE.
ELI UBLICATION, 11 Jun 2013. Web. 14 Nov 2013.
Brinkerhoff, Noel.
"U.S. is Only Developed Country wher Younger Generation will Receive Less
Education than their Parents." AllGov.
N.p., 04 Dec 2012. Web. 26 Nov 2013.
Milman, N. B. (2012). MOOCs: What are they? plus 20 questions
we should be asking about them. Distance
Learning, 9(4), 91-93.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1372088500?accountid=4488
“MOOCs: The Future for Higher Education.” Top Universities. QS Quacquarelli
Symonds Limited. Jul 2013. Web. 14 Nov 2013.
Young, Robin, dir.
"Will Today’s Generation Be Less Educated Than Parents?." Dir. Jeremy
Hobson . Here & Now.
NPR, Boston, 30 Aug 2011. Radio.
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