Difference Between Online Education Vs. Traditional Education

These days, the internet has grown into a veritable wealth of information for college seekers. Everything from applying for financial aid to taking a course can be accomplished online. Now, a student can even obtain online degrees from one of many schools offering online education as a viable alternative to a traditional classroom education. How different are these two methods of teaching, and do either prove better for the student? There’s an abundance of information regarding online education, and distance education is becoming increasingly popular for students everywhere.

First and foremost, there are some obvious benefits in obtaining online degrees. For example, juggling a job, school and a home can be very difficult as far as commuting to the classroom every day. With online education, you eliminate the need to attend classes, and instead access your coursework from an internet website. This presents an obvious benefit to the overworked college student because his commute is basically slashed in half. What’s more, many distance education programs allow students to complete the coursework any time during the day, while still adhering to overall deadlines. This allows for flexibility that a traditional classroom setting can ordinarily not provide.

However, is an online education truly comparable to the type of education a student would receive in an actual classroom? Many professionals in the field say yes, and certainly students seeking online degrees can confirm this response. Not only does online learning provide a stimulating environment for students, but it promotes even interaction among every student because everyone has a say in classroom discussions. What’s more, online education programs allow each student to learn with the methods that work best for them. Plus, many employers respect online degrees as much as a traditional college degree, so there’s really no difference in the amount of education or respect a student will receive when attending an online college.

While traditional colleges will never be eliminated, there’s definitely been an increase in the amount of students attending online colleges in recent years. Many people choose to follow the online education route for the diversity of material they can find, or because the teachers are more approachable via the internet than they would be in a classroom setting. Students definitely need discipline and self-motivation to succeed in obtaining online degrees, but there’s still the same level of help and support from teachers and students online that there would be in a classroom. What’s more, internet college students are learning skills that will be beneficial to them in the workforce and beyond because of the way technology is evolving today.

Online degrees are becoming an increasingly popular way to obtain a college education and many students are turning to online education because of the quality of material, convenience and the level of flexibility inherent in distance education programs. Because there’s no distinct differences between an online education and a traditional education, students are assured they are receiving the same kind of education that they would in a brick and mortar setting. There are definite benefits to online degree programs, and students with discipline and motivation can and will succeed greatly in online education programs.

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Get A College Education At An Online University

Are you a working professional who would like to pursue a degree but don’t have enough time to devote to attending classes? Are you a person who would like to pursue higher education but you do not have the funds required for the courses? Then an online degree from a recognized university is the right choice for you. There are many universities all around the world who offer online degrees to individuals in various fields such as management, architectural courses, hospitality, health, medicine, transcription etc. These colleges provide the courses to students in addition to the classroom courses that they offer. However there are many universities that carry on business solely through online courses or distance education courses.

The major advantage of pursuing an online university course is that it proves to be a cheaper option in comparison to courses that are offered in the classroom. Moreover the student can pursue the course of a university that is situated at the other side of the globe. The student can complete the course and appear for exams from the comforts of his home. The course is completed by the student in the form of online tutorials, online lectures, performance support systems and much more. Also, in many cases video conferencing is possible where professors give lectures online in a classroom. Topics can be discussed with the professors in real time and queries solved.

Online degree courses prove to be beneficial to the students as they provide more knowledge to the students and also give the students a degree to add to their resume. Online degree courses from reputable institutions are said to increase the career and job prospects of the students pursuing the courses. Also study material can be sent to the student’s home in the form of interactive CDRoms and ebooks. Online degree courses can also be conducted in a Wide Area Network today known as WAN. Students in a city are required to attend the lectures conducted thorough video conferencing using collaborative and classroom management software. Thus, e-learning proves to be effective for the student as the student can carry all his material around wherever he wants on his PDA or his laptop.

Despite all the pros that I have discussed above for getting an online degree, it certainly has its cons. People argue that the presence of a physical classroom where the teacher and the students interact with each other is removed. Also online degree courses assume less importance in comparison to full time university degrees. Student’s queries are not solved in a short time as the presence of the teacher is missing. However, as mentioned before, online lectures are made possible through video conferencing where the students can indeed interact with their professors. The advanced use of technology has made online degrees possible.

In spite of the cons, online degrees are being pursued by thousands of students all over the world due to lower costs and flexibility in the timings of the lectures and examinations. Online discussion boards are also set up for students and professors where the students can get their queries solved and also discuss a variety of topics relevant to the degree.

In summary, we see that an online degree reduces a distance of 1000 miles or more between a student and the university to just 5 minutes with the help of advanced technology and the internet. It saves costs by potentially thousands of dollars. It saves on your time of traveling to a university and attending classes and also provides you flexible timings to pursue your studies. It provides a workable schedule to further your education which normally would be impossible. Obviously the increasing popularity of online degree courses admissions all around the world are enough proof that the pros far outweigh the cons. Are you missing out?

Author: Jim Grayson

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Online University Education

With hectic working lives and the increasing cost of higher education, more and more people are opting for an online university education. You need a computer, a phone connection, and an Internet Service Provider before you register for an online course. Despite those initial requirements however, you can be located anywhere in the world and in any time zone.

The University of Phoenix Online is one option that you might consider. The University offers online education in various disciplines and at undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels. After you have completed the online registration process, you can download lectures, questions, and assignments at your own convenience and review them offline. An easy-to-use Internet access software facilitates quick and smooth access to instruction material. All instruction materials are in text format, ensuring that you have access to all resources.

Online programs offer online libraries and services to help the students to access study material. The virtual classes are designed to facilitate interaction with colleagues and professionals in the field by sharing ideas, debating issues, and learning from their experience. Instructors guide the students through the course for easier understanding. Students can enrich their assignments by collating information from discussions and research. These assignments can then be discussed with instructors in an academic environment.

An online program offers almost unlimited flexibility, although it requires time-management capabilities and dedication towards the subject. Courses are offered in a sequence, and students can complete each course in about five to six weeks. Breaks can be incorporated in between the courses as well. The learning process is entirely based on email communication. Unlike a classroom situation, students do not have to curtail their normal commitments to make it to the class. Instead, they can download the instruction material anytime and from anywhere and complete it at their own pace.

Author: Mal MacIver
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ONLINE UNIVERSITY: A TREND IN DISTANCE LEARNING

Online learning is fast gaining popularity and acceptance as a very effective and convenient means of receiving educational instructions and lectures towards acquisition of university or college degrees.

When we were growing up late 70s and 80s in Enugu, South East Nigeria, there were fewer opportunities for university education than there are today. To begin with, universities were not many relative to the number of candidates seeking admission. So, it was more of survival of the fittest. The type the economists would describe as “demand outstripping supply” or “much money chasing fewer goods.” Those who could afford to, sent their children to Europe and America to get university education.

Akin to this is the problem of families of low income status who scarcely were able to pay the school fees of their children and wards beyond primary or secondary schools. University education was then an elitist affair that even the very bright students found it difficult to pursue their higher education. Thus, a good number of brilliant students were compelled to cut short their higher educational ambitions to pick up employment as clerks in the public service, corporations, companies and banks.

Distance learning programs were few and unpopular then. Many, however, trojanned on, made some savings in their paid jobs, and with a little back-up from their parents and relations, left for the UK or the United States in pursuit of the golden flees. Others got admissions in local universities, resigned their appointments and proceeded for further studies. Some of those employed in the civil service took time off to study in universities under study leave without pay. Few lucky ones either got scholarships or study leave with pay, while a greater number settled for a long career in the civil service or the banks with their secondary school certificates because they were constrained, through no fault of theirs, to go to the university. There are now more universities in the country, but the problem appears even more acute as hundreds of thousands of high school or secondary school leavers who seek university admission every year, increasingly have their hopes shattered, all because there are still not sufficient institutions and facilities to absorb all that seek university education.

Now, with the advent of globalization, fostered by the internet, a student can indeed study for his/her bachelors, masters or even doctorate degrees online with the best universities in the world right from home. Never again would the ambition of any educationally conscious person be stalled on account of non-availability or inadequacy of educational institutions. Neither would distance or job be a barrier because online learning programs are designed to suit the student’s schedule so that whatever a person’s work or business schedule is, he/she can still have online education, reading at his/her own pace.

Next edition, I shall present the views of other publishers on this subject.