Online Education- Changing Perception

In the past people perceived online education as an unserious and unscrupulous way of laying hands of a fast degree and getting good grades without much effort and hard work. People also had doubts about the reputation of education institutes offering online education. However, the times have changes significantly and today the majority of educational institutions offering online education are well established. Most of the world’s leading education institutions have commenced online programs, which vindicate the validity of online education. Most of the online courses offer in-depth learning to the students in their respective educational modules.

Factors Contributing To The Growth of Online Education

Online education is becoming popular because most of the educational institutions offering online courses ensure qualitative learning. Talented professors and subject matter experts are at the helm of affairs at almost all accredited universities and colleges offering online courses and online degree programs. The students can be assured of good results in such courses.

Here are some factors that have contributed to the fast paced growth of online education:

* Flexible schedule

The biggest advantage of online education is that the students can do effective utilization of their time, which is the most precious resource. People participating in online education have the freedom of maintaining a flexible schedule, which helps them tremendously and it has come as a boon for the people who are working and want to continue their education.

* Student-Centered Learning

The students in online education have an advantage because they are in charge of their learning experience. The students can prioritize their schedule and complete the assignments as per their comfort levels and convenience. This is possible because the teachers in online mode of education are not teaching you all the time. As an online student, you have the liberty to select the mode of learning.

* Fair Playing Field

Online education is growing in popularity because it offers a level playing field to all the students. When you are learning online, your performance is the only criterion that affects the decision-making and your gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, and other considerations do not cloud the decision making process. This is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of online education.

All these advantages of online education may prompt you to join e learning. However, before you take the plunge and enroll in an online course, please make sure that you are familiar with the methodology of online education.

Some people harbored the misconception that the advantages of online education are restricted only for those students and learners who had an established record of past accomplishments. This also led to the belief that online education helps only those who have access to modern means of communication as computer and Internet. However, as the awareness about various modes of online education is increasing the misconceptions related to online education are giving way to more acceptability to online education and training.

Changing perception

It is a talk of the past when people considered online mode of education as a quick way of obtaining a degree or getting good grades. In the past, the reputed educational institutions were not offering online education. However, with the increasing popularity of online education, the majority of institutions offering online courses are well-established institutes and they have a rich experience to provide such education. It is worth mentioning, that a large number of world’s leading educational institutions are offering online education courses on a wide range of subjects.

Growth drivers

Today, most of the accredited online education courses have talented teachers and professors of repute in their respective specialization. This ensures qualitative learning. The students signing up with online education courses, can be assured of guaranteed results. Moreover, online education is more interesting and more competitive when compared to the traditional teaching methodologies.

Employers’ viewpoint

Undoubtedly, many employers were and some of them are still having doubts about the value of online education. However, with change in perception and emerging popularity, a large number of employers have realized their worth. Now the employers consider the online degrees from accredited and well-established online educational institutes of repute. Moreover, the increasing number of people who enroll for online education has changed the employers’ perception and now they readily consider the benefits of online education.

Some research reports point out that technology oriented industries such as, communication, computers, media and marketing have started to accept the candidates having online degree courses from accredited and reputed institutions.

There has been a significant rise in online schools and colleges across North America and the United States (US), which is indicative of the increasing popularity of online education and learning. However, flowing with the wave is dangerous, as educational requirements of the students vary distinctly depending on their intelligence levels and social and economic status. Therefore, parents and teachers must help the students to weigh the pros and cons of the online education mode and prompt them to decide accordingly. This article aims at educating the learners on some of the major advantages and disadvantages of the online mode of education.

Advantages of Online Education

Accessibility: Distance from the campus is no longer a barrier between the education and the students. Today’s generation has the advantage of utilizing time effectively, since there is distant online education for them. To access online learning, all they need to do is to install the contemporary communication equipment and enroll for the desired courses online. The online mode ensures that the learners put in all their energy to studies.

Flexible schedule: Online education’s best offering is effective utilization of time. As students of online education, you are allowed to maintain flexible schedule, which helps particularly when you are working simultaneously.

Student-Centered Learning: As students of online learning, you dictate your learning experience. Since your lecturer is not teaching you all the time, you are allowed to prioritize your schedule and complete the assignments accordingly. You are also allowed to select your own learning methodology such as audio, visual, or oral components.

Fair Playing Field: Online education is in the vogue also because it promises a level playing field for all the participants. Learning online restricts decision-making on the basis of the candidates’ gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, or race. Instead, the evaluation is only performance-oriented. Provision of such a fair-playing field has a significantly contributed to the popularity of online education.

Disadvantages

Employment: Only limited industries acknowledge online professional degrees.

Oral Communication: Since, most online learning modes encourage through e-mails and text chatting only, the learners may get deprived of scope to improve their oral communication skills.

Fraud: Many online courses are not accredited and hence aren’t valid.

Courses: Not all the courses available elsewhere are available online.

Moreover, online learning needs complete dedication and patience from the students to bless them with superb results. It is advisable that the students first patiently and persistently familiarize themselves with the online technology. Additionally, they need to always be on their toes to keep themselves updated with the online requirements, since there is no instructor to guide you in this respect.

Accessibility: Many of us have spent considerable amount of time in our life traveling to our schools and colleges. While commuting for such long distances, we have hoped if there were home-based alternatives for education. Ours hopes have become a reality now. The younger generation has access to online education, which ensures that they put in all their energy in the studies instead of traveling long distances for attendance.

Convenience and Flexibility: Online education offers the students a flexibility of accessing educational classes online conveniently, irrespective of where they are put up. The concept of online education has overcome the barrier of time thereby allowing the students to access lectures pertaining to various subjects from anywhere and at anytime. This gives the students an opportunity to prioritize their schedule and execute tasks accordingly.

Most students prefer online education because it eliminates the necessity of them going away from their parents to pursue their goal. With online education, all you need to succeed in your courses is installation of contemporary communications equipment and motivation to succeed.

Interaction: Online education provides the student an opportunity for meaningful interaction at a higher level with their instructors and the fellow students. The online courses are designed in such a way that every individual has an opportunity to contribute to the discussions related to a subject and comment on others’ thoughts. This helps in the creation of an environment marked by freely flowing dialogue delivery that virtually becomes a major element of learning.

Individualized Instruction: Online education gives the students an opportunity of working independently so that they can focus on specific topics of their personal interest, which accelerates the process of assignment submission. Moreover, the course materials for online studies are available in various forms to accommodate your unique way of learning. Online education thus gives you the scope of learning at your pace without any intervention.

Readily Available vast Resources: Online education is technological in nature and hence gives access to vast valuable recourses for studies readily and in a very cost-effective way. There are various ways that can stimulate your learning process – you can visit internet links that land you in different related websites to get as much information on a particular subject; you can also visit internet databases, libraries, listservs, agencies, museums, associations, archives, and much more to garner your skills.

Not all online education options have a similar methodology and approach. There are various modes of online education available and it would be better if you have an understanding of different methodologies in use by online education providers so that you can select the course with the methodology that suits you the best. Here we are discussing the learning methodologies for online education:

Online Education Methodologies- Different Options

Live: This methodology is also known as synchronous mode of learning. In this mode of online education, there is instant communication between the students and teachers and at times even among different students. Herein all the participants get access to information simultaneously. Virtual classroom using the facility of video or audio conferencing and real-time chat are some examples of this mode of online education.

This learning methodology has its advantages and disadvantages. This mode is more akin to the conventional education except for the fact that the students don’t have to travel to the classrooms. The biggest advantage of synchronous method of online education is that it allows instant feedback for the student’s performance and allows active interaction among the students and teachers. Thus the students can get the training and education that is tailored suit their needs. Moreover, live education also facilitates the setting up of learning communities and groups for a better interaction among the learners.

This method has the disadvantage that the students cannot plan their schedule and they are bound by the pre-set schedule.

Asynchronous: Asynchronous mode of online education is popularly termed as store and forward education. In this method, the communication between the student and teacher is not instant. Self-paced courses are the examples of asynchronous online education where the students communicate with the teachers and amongst themselves by exchanging emails and posting messages on online bulletin boards and discussing groups. This is the more popular mode of online education because it offers more convenience and flexibility to the students and they can decide the pace and schedule for their education and training.

Despite of the advantages, this mode of online education has its disadvantages too. The students in this mode of learning, lack discipline and motivation and generally tend to develop a lackluster attitude towards education.

The mixed mode of learning in online education combines the advantages of both the modes and it is a combination of personal lectures or face-to-face interaction learning through online activities.

Now that you have a better understanding of different methodologies of online education, you can pick up the right one for you and enhance your skills.

There has been a significant rise in online schools and colleges in the United States (US), which is indicative of the increasing popularity on e learning. Online education is very popular in the business segment, where it entails cost-effective learning for the employees.

A number of physical universities and only-online colleges have started offering particular set of academic degrees as well as certificate programs through the internet at various levels and disciplines. To cater to the students’ necessities, these institutes also offer online registration, e-counseling, and enable online textbook purchase. They also provide students governments and student newspapers online.

Types Of Online Education

Online education is in the vogue in the learning circuit as it offers flexible distance learning. Perhaps, another concept making rounds these days is blended learning, meaning e learning with face-to-face learning. Such kind of a concept is useful, particularly for students pursuing higher education. The beauty of blended learning is that it is instrumental in creating a Virtual Learning System (VLS), wherein all aspects of modules are handled using a consistent user interface that remains standard throughout an institution.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Undoubtedly, the perception about online education has changed from an alternative to serious study to an efficient and cost-effective instructor. A majority of the online educational institutions are well established and are experienced in providing students with in-depth learning in their respective modules. So much so that, some of the most reputed educational institutes in Europe and North America are offering courses to their students online.

However, before taking a plunge into the online pool, weigh its advantages and disadvantages well.

Flexibility of scheduling and convenience of learning are among the major advantages that online education offers. It however needs dedication and patience from the students to bless them with superb results. It is advisable that the students first patiently and persistently familiarize themselves with the online technology. You will have to be always on your toes to keep yourself updated with the online requirements, since there is no instructor to guide you in this respect. Be prepared to dedicate yourself completely to online education to be able to complete it on time.

There are many colleges and universities offering accredited master’s of education degrees programs online. A master’s of education degrees certification has many advantages for the teachers’ for their careers, particularly because many states necessitate K-12 teachers to enroll in masters’ of education degrees within a specified timeframe. Obtaining such a certification means higher salaries for the candidates and guarantee well-paying jobs to the fresh candidates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, teachers averaged $46,597 per annum in 2003-04. The continued strong demand of well-qualified teachers globally, indicates that this is the right time for those teachers, who are aiming at the sky to enroll themselves for the master’s of education program.

Following is the list of universities that offer varied master’s of education program to teachers from various disciplines:

The U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has given a $10 million grant to the WGU’s Teachers College to develop competence-based online degrees and various teacher certification programs for trainers and aspiring teachers. Some of the programs are listed below:

* Master of Education / Management and Innovation
* Master of Education / Measurement and Evaluation
* Master’s Degree in Science Education (5-9 or 5-12)
* Master of Education / Learning and Technology
* Master’s Degree in English Language Learning (preK-12)
* Master’s Degree in Teaching, Mathematics (5-12)
* Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education (K-6, 5-9, or 5-12)
* Master’s Degree in Teaching, Science (5-12)

Grand Canyon University Online

Grand Canyon University (GCU), targets at preparing its candidates as thinkers, responsible leaders, and effective communicators. GCU, with its value-based and academically-challenging curriculum offers several regionally accredited degree programs to its candidates. Some of master degree courses offered by GCU are:

* M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction: Reading
* M.Ed. Elementary Education (Credential)
* M.Ed. Secondary Education (Credential)
* M.Ed. TESOL
* M.Ed. Elementary Education (Non-Credential)
* M.Ed. Secondary Education (Non-Credential)
* M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction: Technology

Besides, University of Phoenix Online provides the most up-to-date curriculum to the teachers. Complete dedication to the courses fetches the candidates a master’s degree in three years.

Research reports indicate that media, communication, and marketing industries, which are technology-driven, have whole-heartedly accepted the candidates who have secured professional degrees from accredited universities offering online education. These industries have shown their openness to understand various advantages of learning virtually.

Prepare Yourself for an Interview

Given below are some tips that you may work upon, if you are an online degree holder, to prepare yourself for an interview with your prospective employer, in case he fails to understand the credibility of your online degree:

* Insist on giving a test to give your employer a scope of evaluating your talent in the particular field and to show that you have garnered significant knowledge of the industry.

* Communicate in such a manner that the employer gets a glimpse of your time management, self-disciple, and self-motivation skills that you acquired through your online education.

* Highlight the importance of networking. Show him through your speech and assignments about how you benefited from regular online interactions with your mentors and fellow-candidates, and virtual learning.

* Illustrate your debating skills to the employer, to eliminate the doubt that online degree holders lack oral communication skills.

* Show your prospective employer samples of your assignments so that he understands the importance of an online degree program.

* You must produce transcripts as well as letter of recommendation that you obtained from your instructors, who obviously will be reputable, in case they are teaching at an accredited and established online institute.

* You must carry certificates that prove that the institute, from where you obtained your degree, is authentic and accredited, and the courses that it offers are certified.

* If possible, carry research material that highlight the importance of online education, various benefits they yield, and show how education online is equivalent to courses studied conventionally. This will convince the employer that you took up the course very seriously after thoroughly measuring its advantages and disadvantages.

Armed with this information, you will be at par with your counterparts who have secured their degrees from conventional institutes.

Synchronous e-Learning/Live: In this type of learning, communication between the participating individuals occurs instantly and the participants can access the information at the same time. Some of the examples of synchronous e-learning include virtual classroom or video/audio conferencing and real-time chart. One of the major attributes of synchronous e-learning is that it offers instant feedback of the participant’s performance. This gives a scope for adjusting the training to suit the requirement of the candidate, depending on the kind of feedback he/she has got.

This type of learning also accelerates the formation of learning groups or communities for booting a higher level of interaction to enable better understanding of a particular subject. The best thing about synchronous e learning is that it enables greater involvement of the participants. This mode provides them an environment that encourages expression of synergism. Hence, participants can empower one another to construct knowledge.

The only disadvantage of this type of learning is the fact that it does not offer self-paced learning and logistics of scheduling. Moreover, it necessitates management of students’ availability at various time zones.

Asynchronous E-learning: This is also known as store and forward e learning, wherein the communication between the participants does not occur instantaneously. Some of the examples of asynchronous learning include – taking up a self-paced course, posting messages to various discussion groups, and exchanging e-mail messages with one or more mentors. Asynchronous e-learning offers convenience, accessibility, and the much desired self-paced learning.

However, one of the major disadvantages of asynchronous e learning is that a student may feel isolated or less motivated because in this process, there is no opportunity real time interaction with other participants. Additionally, unlike synchronous learning, asynchronous learning does not offer instant feedback on the student’s performance. Hence, any modification or adjustment to training, if needed, can be done only after the completion of the entire evaluation.

Blended Learning: This is often referred as mixed mode of learning, a blend of conventional face-to-face lectures, workshops, and tutorials with learning online through activities like emailing, discussing through discussion boards, tests, quizzes, and announcements.

In this type of learning, students receive their feedback from online quizzes and tests, which helps them to identify loopholes in their knowledge and ways to fill them. Almost all of the reputed online institutes offer blended learning for the overall benefits of the learning communities.

Here are some of the most important advantages and benefits that online education offers, which you may consider in case you are looking out for various options to pursue higher education at your own pace and without disturbing your schedule.

Accessibility: Thanks to online education, the distance from the campus is no longer a barrier that separates education and the students. Today’s generation of students has the advantage of utilizing their time effectively, since there is distant online education available to them. To access online learning, all that the students need to do is to install the contemporary communication equipment such as computer and Internet and enroll for the desired courses online.

Student-Centered Learning: The students dictate the learning experience in online education. Here because the teacher is not teaching you all the time, you have the liberty to prioritize your schedule and complete the assignments as per your convenience. In online mode of education, the students are at freedom to select their learning methodology. The choices available are audio, video, or oral components.

Fair Playing Field: Online education is growing in popularity also because it promises a level playing field for the people participating in it. Learning online does away the bias and colored decision-making based on ethnicity, physical appearance, race or gender of the student. Here, the sole criterion of evaluation is the performance of the student.

Convenience and Flexibility: Online mode of education offers the participants the flexibility of gaining access to the lessons online. This is very convenient and does not hamper the education process if the student is not staying at a convenient location. Moreover, online education and learning has overcome the barrier of time. This allows the students to attend lectures for various subjects as per their schedules. Therefore in online education the students have an opportunity to set the priority of their schedule and execute the tasks at hand accordingly.

Most students prefer online education because it eliminates the necessity of them going away from their parents to pursue their goal. With online education all you need to succeed in your courses is installation of contemporary communications equipment and motivation to succeed.

Interaction: Online mode of education offers an opportunity of purposeful interaction to the students at a higher level with their instructors as well as with their fellow students. The courses in online mode of education are designed in a way that each student gets an opportunity to offer their contribution to the discussions related to a subject and offer peer reviews.

Thus online education helps in creating an environment wherein the students get opportunity for free dialogue delivery and education becomes a positive experience.