Essay Outline
Introduction: Over a period of time online education has gained significant popularity due to various advantages offered by online education over physical classroom.
Thesis Statement: experts claim that online education is ineffective in providing efficient learning and healthy learning environment, however, there are strong evidences that confirm online education provides efficient learning and various other benefits.
Discussion:
Opponents claim that online education is low in quality
Online education is flexible and accommodate various leaning styles that help in delivering effective learning.
Online education provides opportunity to explore and encourage extra rehearsal time that ensure efficient learning.
Online courses require higher number of assignments and reading hours as compare to traditional classroom.
Opponents claim that online education involves little or no face-to-face interaction
In online education instructors and teachers are more accessible as compare to traditional classroom education and students can learn anytime.
In online education a large number of students can discuss their doubts and questions anytime, from anywhere.
Opponents say that traditional classroom delivers effective and customize learning to large parentage of students
Variety of online courses allow students to select courses that are suitable to their learning requirements, existing schedule and easy on their pockets.
Continuous interaction between teachers and students, regular tests, strict deadlines, individual instruction, and various other measures ensure effective customize learning.
Conclusion
Thesis Restatement: Despite of claims made by experts, there are strong evidences that confirm that online education provides efficient learning and various other benefits over traditional classroom.
Concluding Thoughts: Online education is essential in contemporary world, when people have hectic schedules and traditional classroom education is very costly. Online education is cost effective way to learn additional skills anytime, from anywhere and at any age.
Online Education
Online education has become very popular way to obtain degrees and achieve higher education without disturbing existing schedules. Different sections of people claim that online education is affordable, accessible and at par with traditional classroom in terms of quality and learning. Despite of low face to face interaction, online education delivers excellent customize learnings to all students. On other hand, opponents say that that online education is ineffective in providing efficient learning and healthy learning environment; however, there are strong evidences online education provides efficient learning and various other benefits.
Opponents claim that online education offer low quality learning as compare to traditional classrooms, whereas experts claim that online education deliver quality education. In online education, teacher presents learning materials in different formats such as audio, video, word document and power point presentation. Different learning formats ensure that students understand and learn all the materials. It is observed that some students grasp things quickly when they are visually presented, whereas some students learn quickly from audio. Visual display and audio of materials facilitate learning of both types of students who are good in learning from video and from audio. Online education provides students comfort that they do not miss anything, which generally happens in classroom when students focus on visuals and miss audio or focus on audio and miss video (Li, & Irby, 2008, p 450-51).
Online education allows students to explore additional materials apart from their text books. Techers provide different links to the students that are very informative. Teachers provide different references of web sites, scholarly articles and books and suggest how these sources can be utilized in course. Teachers suggest how sources and learning can be used in real life situations. Online education encourage extra rehearsal time that ensure efficient learning. Online education involves students in online discussions that facilitate “learning by doing”. Online discussions provide additional information to the students that can be utilized in their assignments. Rehearsal of information benefits students (Park and Wings of Success, p 26-27).
Online courses require higher number of assignments and reading hours as compare to traditional classroom. Experts says that institutes offering online education develop schedule of all test, discussions, and assignments in advance. Every week students are required to submit some discussions and assignments in order to display their level of learning and understanding of course material. Unlike general belief, online courses require students to spend significant amount of time in reading and doing assignment. Different online courses require students to spend around 10 hours to 20 hours every week depending upon type of course and number of subjects (Volery & Lord, 2000, p 218).
Opponents claim that online education does not involve face-to-face interaction, hence teacher can not understand students and their learning requirement. However, in online education students have freedom to contact their instructors and teachers any time 24x7. In online education, teacher are more accessible as compare to traditional classroom education and students can learn from comfort of their home and time. In online education students can communicate through e-mails, chat, over the phone and various other online mediums including face-to-face interaction (Harasim, 1996, p 211-12).
Online education has eliminated all boundaries, and students now can obtain degrees in desired courses from their preferred Universities and without leaving their native places. In online education, large number of students can discuss their doubts and questions anytime, from anywhere not with the teachers but also with other students. Online institutes formed online communities of students, where students can discuss different topics, doubts, queries and other issues. Colleges and universities are making online courses very engaging by going beyond simple reading and writing assignments & video lectures. Jeannette E. Riley, best online instructor for 2008, Sloan Consortium says “I love online teaching because no one can hide. Every voice is heard” (Clark, 2009).
Opponents say that in traditional classroom teachers work face-to-face and more closely with students and deliver effective and customize learning to large parentage of students. However, evidence suggest that wide range of online courses allow students to choose courses that are suitable according to their learning requirements, existing work-time schedule and cost. Linda, a 51 year old women wanted to enhance her resume by adding some courses; however, attending physical classroom with her busy schedule as corporate trainer was not possible. Thanks to online education large number of people like Linda now can add new skills in their resume at minimum cost and without leaving their existing jobs (Clark, 2009).
In competitive environment, colleges are offering quality online education at best price. College hire experience and skilled faculty members, develop efficient class schedule and conduct regular tests to check the effectiveness of their course. Advance technologies implemented by the colleges promotes continuous interaction between teachers and students, which positively impacts learning process. Regular tests, strict deadlines of assignments, customized instructions, and various other measures ensure effective customize learning.
After analyzing views of both for online education and against online education, it is good to say that despite experts claim there are strong evidences that confirm that online education provides efficient learning and various other benefits over traditional classroom. Online education is need of contemporary world. Online education offers various advantages over physical classroom learning. Online education is easily accessible and people can learn anytime and from anywhere. Online education is cost effective way to learn additional skills at any age without distributing current work schedule.
References
Clark, K. (2009, April 2). Online Education Offers Access and Affordability. Retrieved from U.S. News: http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2009/04/02/online-education-offers-access-and-affordability?page=3
Harasim, L. (1996). Online Education. In T. M. Harrison, Computer networking and scholarly communication in the twenty-first-century university (pp. 203-214). New York: SUNY Press.
Li, C. S., & Irby, B. . (2008). An overview of online education: Attractiveness, benefits, challenges, concerns and recommendations. College Student Journal, 42(2), 449.
Park, G., and Wings of Success. (n.d.). Online Education Made Easy. USA: SmarteBookShop.
Volery, T., & Lord, D. . (2000). Critical success factors in online education. International Journal of Educational Management, 14(5), 216-223.
