At the present time, there are hundreds and hundreds of people who prefer studying online, whether the study is learning a foreign language, getting a professional certificate, or just because they are increasing their professionalism through some diploma program or online courses.
- ONLINE EDUCATION CONCEPT:
It is also known as Distance Learning or E-Learning. Online Education, unlike traditional education, is defined like a classroom with no walls because it does not require the students visiting an actual and concrete classroom listening to an instructor face-to-face.
Any Online education (learning/teaching form) takes place via a computer network, either by a local bulletin board system by the World Wide Web (Internet).
In the past, the term Online Education was referred to some kind of online interaction, which has been called Computer Mediated Communication (CMC).
Due to our technological advances, there are many types of networks such as LAN, MAN, WAN, or intranet into a particular organization.
Currently, Distance Learning uses one of the most common functions: Email or Electronic Mail, allowing both students and teachers to send messages to each other. Plus, with our technological advances, most networks are capable of:
- Approximately takes 18 months of term time, almost two years.
- In the Northern Hemisphere starts last days of August and finishes in May of the second year, taking 3-4 months summer break.
- Students must have real-world work experience and take classes during weekdays.
- Commonly it has four semesters taken over two academic years having at the same time the students to take a 3-4 year internship.
- Core courses are taken during the first year, but in the second academic year, students are allowed to take elective courses according to their specialization and areas of interest.
- Students in this program do not work full time because the first priority is school.
However, not whole online courses use this famous method, some other more sophisticated programs rather to use set times. It means:
- All the students log in at the same time each day.
- The student must use microphones and headsets to communicate in real time.
- Both, students and teachers use a particular software program, which allows, more the teachers, to use a white board, text files, slides presentations, video, audio, etc.
- ONLINE EDUCATION BENEFITS:
Some years ago, either students or workers were not able of continuing career studies, getting higher degrees or earning more money because of time restraints, time limitations, overtime work, travel business, family, etc. But, today, most of them can forget all those factors with online education through a new and complete virtual learning experience.
Distance learning gives the students the opportunity to:
- Maintain their jobs at the same time they are attending college.
- Take some specific course with no need of taking time off from work.
- Have no need to hire a babysitter.
- Earn money to spend in more important things than taking a bus or gas for the car.
- Not being running from work to the nearest University or college miles away.
- Attend your classes from the comfort of your home not wasting time walking from class to class.
- Learn at a good pace which has being set by their own.
- Have one-on-one instructor’ advices and revisions.
- Get sooner their degrees than it would take in some traditional course.
- Increase their career prospects with not delaying either work or studies.
- Assist to the most important college or university of any state or country with no worries about travelling or boarding.
- Get an accredited degree worldwide recognizable.
- Be a good, maybe the best, option when having financial constraints.
- Increase their communication skills using writing abilities in order to put thoughts into words.
- Have the chance to think about their responses, where there is no need to respond immediately.
- Be treated on equal footing with no social dynamics of education.
- Access to the same information by everybody inside or outside the online course, being all of them able to post messages, to contribute ideas or comments, etc.
- Have a facilitator or moderator instead of an instructor, who will encourage the students to participate, to discuss and to be focus on.
- Minimize factors like discrimination and prejudice presented in face-to-face classrooms.
- Have no idea about gender, ethnic background, age, physical characteristics, etc. of yourself or your cyber-roommates; unless videoconferencing.
- Know more about different levels and styles of participation.
- Share and post your responses so that everyone can read them, and vice-versa; both in order to get more group activity interaction.
- Maximize their complementary skills by creating in common small groups.
- Demonstrate their learnt abilities providing feedback comments.
- Be highly motivated with a group of highly-motivated students inducing them to high quality learning.
- Perform more worthwhile and enjoyable online group activities.
- ONLINE EDUCATION DISADVANTAGES:
Indeed, there are also some inconvenient facts to be considered before starting an online program, such as:
- Longer in time than on-campus classes.
- More complexes assignments based only on text.
- No personal communication with instructor and other students.
- Probably typing is slower than speaking.
- Reading lecture materials are harder and take more time than listening to an instructor.
- Make easier to postpone assignments.
- There is nobody telling you to get to class on time, reminding you about your coursework or exams.
- Be a good time manager giving yourself the enough time your personal duties, your coursework, your work, etc.
- Capable of both making properly decisions and differing priorities.
- Acceptance of isolation having the computer as the only partner.
- Online courses allow you to be more independent.
- Achieve independency, that so wished dream of every student when entering to a community college.
- Take participation of the student requiring to be an active learner, which means being responsible and self-sufficient.
- Focus on assignments by their selves, not expecting the instructor to control or act like a parent.
- Excessive freedom, sometimes impossible to handle resulting dangerous.
- Focus on learning tracing an own path based on responsibility until reached their dreams.
|
|
|
