Diaz

Online Education         

                                                         By Nick Diaz            

Online Education

In recent years school districts around the country have turned to online classes. Attending an online class is easier than attending those on campus, however they still require hard work to be successful. With the hectic schedules that some people lead taking a course online is beneficial for people to have access to online courses to further their education. Online classes save money for schools, students, and teachers. Some may not agree that teaching online classes save teachers money but in the long run it does, it saves gas money and any extra money that they have to spend on class such as supplies or fees for certain things they need or do with the class. There are many different types of online education that is offered as well as the age group that the classes are offered to. You can be in an online class from different grade levels such as kindergarten all the way up to college level classes. The main benefits that online classes have are that they are very convenient for the user and flexible. When taking an online class you usually have a pretty busy schedule or you have some reason that is obligating you from taking a course on campus such as work or family, so the convenience of being able to take a class online, work at a pace that is convenient for you, and still earn a degree just like people taking actual classes is amazing.    

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Concerns

In a recent Forbes article George Anders (2012) concern of online education was cheating. “Online-teaching pioneers such as Coursera and Udacity are beaming top professors’ lessons into students’ homes worldwide, while slashing costs, getting rid of stuffy lecture halls and improving public access. But they’re having a harder time with one of teaching’s eternal headaches: stopping students’ cheating habits”. Also affordability of online classes is a huge concern to some people. Clayton Christensen (2009), a Harvard Business School professor who studies the impact of technology on education says. "What used to be expensive and inaccessible becomes convenient and accessible”. Having access where ever you are to an online class is crucial for people that cannot make it to actual classes. Professors have the challenge of keeping students honest and not allowing them to cheat or use other peoples work. With online classes it’s the same issues, professors can’t be there in person but they try their best to have their students be honest and do the right thing on all assignments.

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 Advantages

One of the standout advantages of online classes is the flexibility. Students can usually take the course any time during the day or week whenever it fits their schedule. While there are certain assignments to complete, the best time to take the class often depends on the student's schedule or want. People who work are able to take the class based on their schedules. Students often work on their courses after they form a routine so it is consistent each and every week. With hectic schedules that some students have with work and family obligations the best thing that they can do in order to still get a degree would be to take an online class. Another great advantage of online classes is that you can take pretty much any type of class online. Affordability is one of the main things that students look at when deciding if they should enroll or not. Trip Gabriel (2010) of the New York Times says that “Colleges and universities that have plunged into the online field, mostly public, cite their dual missions to serve as many students as possible while remaining affordable, as well as a desire to exploit the latest technologies”. 

Disadvantages

Some advantages of taking an online class include not being able to have access to the teacher on a daily basis like regular classes have. These classes also might be more expensive than regular classes. Another disadvantage that I have experience with is the lack of motivation to do the work and not procrastinate. Having the lack of motivation is something that occurs often when taking online classes because you do not have a teacher in the room each class session to make sure you are doing work. The last disadvantage that online classes have is that if a student is not familiar with online classes or has no access to computer and or internet they will have a very tough time in having success. 

Other standpoint

There are many different standpoints for the subject of online education. Some may think that online education is not education at all because you are not in a classroom setting and therefore you don’t really learn anything. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2009), "Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning." Taking an online class at a pace you are comfortable with is beneficial to you for success. If you do it or not it can hurt your grade tremendously. Online classes are all about being accountable and responsible because it is completely up to you to get the work done in a timely fashion. Some may also argue that online education is bad for you because you never really learn anything. You read the material and do the assignments where as in a classroom setting you have to sit in lectures and you actually benefit from them because you listen to what the professor is saying and you learn from that. There are many different views that people have about online education both good and bad. 

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The Future

With all the advancements in the world of technology as well as education it would be no surprise to see that in a couple of years education is more involved in technology. That means classes will not meet as often, assignments, notes, lectures, and paperwork would now be accessed online, and teachers would post videos of important things that they believe need to be addressed. The future is upon us now and there are more and more schools experimenting with online education to get ahead of the curve. Advancements all over the world in technology are making it much easier for this to be done. The future is going to consist of classes being solely online and schools will be much smaller in size. In due time I believe that online education will be a bigger necessity than actual classes on campus, yet we should look at this change with caution and see what type of educational opportunities online education will afford people in the future.

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References 

Anders, G. (2012). "Are They Learning or Are They Cheating? Online Teaching's Dilemma." Forbes.com. 3/13 online publication format. Accessed on 2 May 2014. Accessed at http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2012/08/16/are-they-learning-or-cheating-online-teachings-dilemma/ Links to an external site..  

Clark, K. (2009). "Online Education Offers Access and Affordability." USnews.com. 4/09 online publication format. Accessed on 2 May 2014. Accessed at http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2009/04/02/online-education-offers-access-and-affordability Links to an external site.. 

Gabriel, T. (2010). "Learning In Dorm, Because Class Is on the Web." NYtimes.com. 10/10 online publication format. Accessed on 3 May 2014. Accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/us/05college.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Links to an external site.. 

Jaschik, S. (2009). "The Evidence on Online Education." Insidehighered.com. 6/09 online publication format. Accessed on 3 May 2014. Accessed at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/online#sthash.eYGSwenA.KStHLtpV.dpbs Links to an external site..