With all of the technology that exists now, there are a lot more options available that allow people to get a higher education. Since there are advantages and disadvantages of most types of classes, which one a student chooses is based on their needs. Based on all of this technology, students are now trying to figure out a more convenient way to getting their college education. This means that a lot more people are getting their degrees online instead of attending a traditional college.
One of the main reasons that an online college is more popular than a traditional college is that it gives students’ more freedom to work a full time job while they are furthering their education. Therefore, they are take care of the responsibilities that they have in their life and still have the ability to attend college. This means that the amount of people that are enrolling in online classes have grown a lot over the last few years and will continue to grow for years to come.
With an online education, a student can attend an university from anywhere in the world. Therefore, even if that student lives in a rural area, they will have the ability to attend a creditable college and earn a degree from that college. When a full time employee is wanting to go further in their career or even start a whole new career, then a online college is probably going to be very attractive to that person. A online college is beneficial to the college and the students. The college can benefit because they can hire more teachers to work nationwide and the teachers have the benefit of checking on their class no matter where in the world they are. The students will benefit mostly because they will not have to commute to class on a daily basis.
There are two main options to consider when it comes to online classes. These options will be fully online or blended online classes. Of course, fully online means that you will be taking all of your classes online. The blended online classes is where most of the classes will be taught online but there will be some components that will have to be done in person. These components might be an introductory meeting or a final exam that you have to take in the classroom. Therefore, if you live a good distance away from the college, you do not want to take the blended online classes (Tyler, 2010).
One of the biggest benefits of attending an online college is that it is going to be a lot more affordable for the student. An online degree from the University of Phoenix is going to cost about $14,280 a year. Then a private four year college is going to cost $35,000 or more a year (Online, 2011). Cost is a big factor when a person is deciding whether or not they want to attend college so an online college makes this decision a lot easier on the person. The online college allows a person to receive a creditable degree at a much more reasonable price.
Technology has made resources available to students who choose to go to an online college just like a traditional college would. This means that a student will be able to access books, assignments, and even resources from the school library at their convenience from anyone in the world as long as they have access to the Internet (Signh, 2010). In order to make the online classes more like traditional classes, the teachers will use simulations and role playing techniques as teaching methods. These methods can make the students feel more involved in the classroom so that they can be an active part of the learning process.
A traditional classroom setting of a college or university is going to consist of the students meeting at a certain time and interacting directly with all of their teachers and classmates in order to get their assignments and projects done. This means that a student will have a structured learning experience if they are uncomfortable working by themselves. Now more and more of the universities are offering online degree programs that are high quality so they are accepted by a lot more professions. But some employers are very cautious of the online colleges, so it is a good idea to choose an degree program with a college or university that is well-respected.
The college colleges have changed a lot since they were first introduced into the world in the 1990’s. When they first came out, the technology was limited so the instructors had a hard time adjusting their teaching methods for online learning. Since there are so many online colleges out there that are not accredited, it is very important to do some research on the online colleges so that you can find one that is accredited. A student does not want to waste their time and money on earning a degree that is not going to help them in the long run. An accredited college is also going to allow a student to transfer their credits to another school if that student wants to continue their education at another college (Online, 2011).
Since there are social activities that a student can participate in at a college campus, it makes it more exciting for the student. If a person is wanting to go back to college for a promotion, then it might be easier for them to go to college online. The best way that a college professor is going to be able to accomplish all of the objectives in an online class is through classroom lectures, paper exams, and some face to face communication. The online college classes makes it possible for a person who might not be able to attend campus college to get a higher education. Most online programs use a course management system that connects the professors with the students and the resources needed to do the online courses (Esani, 2010).
Works Cited
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Tyler, K. (2010). The Online Universe of Human Resource Studies. HRMagazine, 55(5), 64
