Thursday, September 20, 2012

Online Education

 

Online Education
Vivika Demel

Higher education has changed greatly over the years and will continue to transform as new trends and technological innovations develop.  With the growth of computers and electronic communication, there is a surge in the creation of online programs by institutions of higher education.  In recent years, this trend has gained momentum as more students take classes or complete degrees online.  Online education is present in a variety of forms.  For example, some students choose to complete their whole degree program online, while others take some classes online and some in a traditional classroom.  It is important to note that an online education refers to a program where “all real business process of learning, teaching and organization has been migrated into the digital environment” (Leypold, Nölting, Röser, Tavangarian, & Voigt, 2004, p. 274). The increasing popularity of online education has begun to change the structure of the educational institution.

With the creation of online education, what defines a college has drastically changed.  In the past, a university consisted of classrooms for students, a campus, at least one library, faculty offices, etc.  Today, not all universitites have these feartures.  For example, institutions like “Western Governors University, Michigan Virtual University,…and Kennedy-Western University are virtual institutions of higher education lacking almost all of the features shared by most other universities” (Maeroff, 2003, p. 231).  These types of universities are becoming increasingly popular for students who want to live at home and not commute long distances to attend school. As a result, though these universities do not fit the traditional model, they will continue to develop as they appeal to more diverse populations.  However, it is important to keep in mind the advantages and disadvantages of an online education.  

 One advantage is that adults who work all day and have family commitments do not have time to go to a university and sit in a classroom.  For these students, the online degree might be the only opportunity to advance their education.  However, a disadvantage is that other students might value interaction with faculty members, as they are better able to understand the material, discuss subjects in depth, and even participate in pertinent research.  This difference exemplifies the idea that one way of teaching and learning does not fit all students (Puzziferro & Shelton, 2009, p. 12).  Some students are more visual, while others need to discuss a specific subject to better comprehend it.  As a result, online learning may be beneficial for certain types of students, specifically those who do not need to interact as much with faculty, but a hindrance for others.

As online education continues to develop and grow, I look forward to seeing the new innovations attached to this method of learning and how they affect higher education.

References
Leypold, M. E., Nölting, K., Röser, M., Tavangarian, D., & Voigt, D. (2004). Is 
       e-learning the solution for individual learning? Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 2, 
       273-280.      
Maeroff, G. I. (2003).  A classroom of one.  New York: Palgrave Macmillan.  
Puzziferro, M. & Shelton, K. (2009). Challenging our assumptions about online 
       learning: A vision for the next generation of online higher education.  Distance 
       Learning, 6, 9-21.  

6 comments:

  1. While I think that online education is an excellent option for those who are unable to attend standard class times, I do worry that students may be missing out on some of the important aspects of college by attending a virtual university.

    We have been told countless times that the student development that occurs in college generally occurs outside of the classroom. Things like internships and interactions can be the more beneficial parts of attending a university. I work at a campus transfer center, and I was surprised to see nursing programs and dental assistant programs online, and I find that to be a bit discerning. I'm not sure how people are expected to get the same educational experiences online for these hands-on majors. I personally would feel uncomfortable knowing that my nurse or dental assistant had studied primarily online to be working on me.

    For some majors that are a little less hands-on, I think virtual colleges could be an excellent source for education, but for others, the idea of a virtual education makes me a bit uncomfortable. It may just be that I am a bit ignorant on how the students actually get the experience in a virtual environment.

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  2. To follow-up on the disadvantages of online programs, I believe one of the most prevalent disadvantages of online programs is the negative stigma surrounding such programs. However, with an increase in online education demand we are seeing more traditional ‘brick and mortar’ institutions develop online programs. Due to this increase, traditional institutions may help in improving the negative image surrounding online programs.

    I agree with this blog in that not all online programs provide interaction with faculty members, group discussion or participation in research as well as on-campus programs. However, with the increase in technology online programs are able to allow online students to participate in on-campus classes. Students can participate in class discussions and ask questions during the on-campus class section. In addition, online students can meet with faculty and teaching assistants via video chat platforms as easy as it would be for an on-campus student to attend on-campus office hours. I agree with Christa in that you cannot obtain the same level of student development with online programs. However, I believe that this impacts students participating in undergraduate online programs more than students participating in graduate programs.

    On-campus students may also find benefit in participating in a program which is also offered through their institution online. For example, if all lectures are videotaped and course documents are turned into electronic copies, these resources can be found in an archived format online for both on-campus and online students to use for studying. In addition, having the technology in place to offer a course online in addition to on-campus may allow for the expansion to a more global classroom with institutions from around the world taking a class at the same time.

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  3. Online Education is kind of a double edged sword. It is convenient to the schedules of those working full-time, but it also carries less prestige. Online programs from brick and mortar institutions carry a little more weight because of an older reputation, but entirely online programs don't have the history. Employers may be wary to hire someone from an online program. Not to mention the issues that are raised when the institution is also a for profit organization.

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  4. Thank you for your blog post Vivika. I think Vincent raises a good point and leaves me to wonder... Are statistics of employers who hire people who have obtained a degree from an online program readily available? How do employers view online education if a degree is simply a prerequisite for many positions?

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  5. Online education is no doubt a game changer and something that, at this point, forever be a part of education. However, I echo the sentiments of other on this board and have very mixed feelings about the value of online courses. No doubt there are some students, most likely non traditional students, that can benefit from online class for obvious reasons, but there is so much more to the college experience than simply a transfer of knowledge from professor to student. It's about the social experience, the face to face interactions, extra curricular activities...these things in conjunction with the classroom experience is what makes the degree so valuable. All of these elements combined is what contributes to personal development which is really what college is all about.

    - Scott

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  6. This post and the comments are very insightful. The fact is that online education is growing at an exponential rate and it will be with us for a long time. Regardless of our opinion of online education, we need to prepare ourselves for this rapidly changing format of education. Student affairs practitioners need to start thinking outside the box while trying to figure out how to replicate the brick and mortar student services to a virtual format.

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