Good Example Of Essay On Online Education

Studying from home at one time meant taking home a week or more of the required readings, homework, and even testing materials that were required to pass a course. In those times it was still dependent upon the discipline of the student and/or their guardians to make certain that the material was covered, understood, and then handed in. Not so in this new age. With the advent of technology and the many interesting uses that it has been discovered to harbor the inclusion of the online class has become a rather interesting and popular choice of education for many throughout the world. Despite the innovation and convenience of online studying however, it will not easily, if at all, replace traditional, in-class education.
During its inception in the 1990’s, online education was still in the vast minority, as it offered no degree programs, no true advantage other than the convenience of taking classes at home, and could not be funded by financial aid. For a time employers wanted nothing to do with anyone who’d attended an online college, as it was believed that their diplomas and degrees were manufactured rather than earned. (CollegClasses.com, 2014) The traditional manner of earning a degree would remain the preferred method until the turn of the century in fact, as technology’s reach began to expand and offer more than the mere dial-up internet connection, making it possible to access information quicker and in a much more secure fashion.
As online courses grew in popularity it was discovered that they offered a great deal more than traditional classrooms in that they afforded more flexibility to those who wished to attend school but were bound by work, home life, or other issues that could not be so easily put to the side. Parents wanting to educate themselves to provide a better life for their children, employees that had ceased to advance because of a lack in their educational background, and even those who simply wanted to turn their lives around for various reasons have quickly found that online courses offer a great deal more freedom than the traditional classroom. (Bird, 2014) It is far easier to spend a few hours at most in a day studying than to spend six or more hours between classes while attempting to juggle a job, a family, and other necessary matters.
At one point and time the degrees offered from online courses were frowned upon, but within the past decade they have become more widely accepted as more and more colleges, accredited institutions all, have adopted the online venue in order to not only raise their attendance numbers but also to make life a little more convenient for the students that their institutions are built upon. In order to serve the school it is necessary to serve the student, who in turn is expected to reciprocate through the act of learning and advancement as they strive to reach their goals. Online courses will likely be a highly accepted supplement to traditional courses throughout the coming generations as there is little true replacement for hands on experience and face to face communication. The degrees earned online when pitted against those earned from in-class experience are just as valuable as the premise of online learning is that the student must find a manner in which to still instill the discipline within themselves that is necessary to complete their courses and continue forward. Some might even say that online courses are harder at times given the amount of freedom they offer and the terrible desire to procrastinate that come with it.
The instruction given through online courses is a bit less demanding at times, though again, it is more to the point that a student practice self-discipline, just as in a regular class. No instructor can make a student learn, it is something that must be desired and sought after in their own mind. In that vein online courses and traditional courses are quite the same, as each one requires the desire to learn and the will to continue onward with said studies. Also, with the advent of webcams, online discussion boards, and even the possibility of Skype and the ability to phone the professor, communication between student and professor is still possible.
The true quality of online courses lies in how it affects the student and thereby how it allows them the convenience of studying when they can, not when they have to. It has its drawbacks without a doubt, as just with traditional classrooms it is reliant upon the student to attend courses, gather material, and then complete the lessons. What is fortunate however is that with online classes the material, excluding books or any other implements that are needed, is there to be accessed when the student needs it. Lessons, tests, study materials, again excluding any physical books or other tools, is always available, and dependent upon an instructor only when it is time to be graded or answer questions.
There is no doubt that online courses offer a great many advantages over traditional courses, but it is doubtful that they will replace them altogether even in the many generations to come. The number of students that learn better face to face and with in-class interaction is still a very realistic and astounding number, despite the rising number of students that enroll in online courses. Some use either one to supplement their course load, and have thus created a new manner of student that is a hybrid comprised of both online and traditional learning. No matter the method however, it is the importance of what the student gains, not the method by which they attain it.

Works Cited

Bird, Kendall. “Online vs. Traditional Education: The Answer You Never Expected.”
Rasmussen College. Illinois Board of Education, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2015
“A Brief History of the Online Classroom and Virtual College Courses.” CollegeClasses.com.