Online education has become famous as an education tool in the recent past. This has been facilitated by the increased ease of access to the internet at affordable prices. Online education is mostly used in higher education where students receive study material from institutions of higher learning through e-email. Higher education is a crucial part of any economy since it helps to train relevant professionals. Online education has enabled people who cannot attend universities physically to have access to such professional training.
Online education has also become popular because it is cheaper than physically attending a university in terms of travel and bordering expenses. It has enabled many people to obtain professional training in various fields and to advance their education qualifications and hence advance in their careers. However, it has faced several challenges especially in terms of its efficiency in terms of how well the students understands or even receives the relevant information.
The major debate has been on whether online education offers a more efficient process of acquiring a degree as compared to the traditional attendance of classes. Some argue that it only provides a shortcut for those who use this kind of education system. This, they say, has led to sale of degrees by the companies that coordinate such degree programs. This has led to an increase in poorly trained and under skilled professionals who have attractive degrees. It has not been well established whether the degrees offered are honest.
Furthermore, the credibility of evaluations given under such programs is yet to be established. If the efficacy of such evaluations can be determined with certainty, then these online education programs will be more reliable. Despite its unique merits, online education has not managed to provide high quality education to the level that is offered at the campus level for those students who attend classes physically.
Definitions
Noble (156) expressly defines online education as a type of distant learning that is used as a substitute to physical education due to the use of the internet as the major media transmission and reception of learning materials. Online education has received reception even among traditional universities. However, it is especially used in private universities that offer online degrees as options to those who are part of the distant learning program.
Online classes are especially convenient to distant learners since they can take their classes from the comfort of their abodes. Campus based education, on the other hand, is mandatory to be taken on the physical premises of the university (Volery & Lord, 219). This means in campus based education learning assignments, classes and exams are carried out physically. The distinguishing feature is that students obtain their education through physically meeting the tutors and lecturers in designated lectures rooms.
Pros and Cons of Campus-Based Education and Online
As mentioned earlier, online education has unique advantages and is a useful education tool in certain circumstances. Online education has been ground to increase the enrollment rate in different classes. This leads to a higher number of students and hence providing a ground for increasing the size of the class (Volery & Lord, 220). One of the main advantages of online education is the reduced pressure while learning. This is through the lack of strict schedules and timetables that are usually used in a campus based education. This offers a relaxed environment for studying to be done at one’s pace. This may stimulate faster comprehension and even retention rate of the material read. The studying is further enhanced due to the availability of necessary resource materials and reference materials. However, this mode of education may not inspire motivation to study which may come from fellow classmates in case of campus based education. Additionally, learning may be delayed in case of breakdown in communication or scheduling of such communication. Delays in communication may also occur due to poor internet connections due to technical faults.
Campus based education offers a one-on-one interaction between the lecturer and the student. This sets a platform for immediate assessment of the student’s comprehension of the lecture. This may help the lecturer to innovate efficient teaching methodologies that are advantageous to the students (Garrison, Theoretical, 245). Students may even inspire or motivate one another through competition or even the team effort that comes with any given group working towards a common goal. However, campus based education is more costly than online education.
Furthermore, it usually results in wastage of more time due to the fact that the scheduling of lectures to suit many students. The strict schedules do not allow for students with strict schedules to partake in such classes since the classes are inflexible and predetermined. This locks out those wishing to take part time classes due to other obligations such as work. The high cost of campus based education also discourages and discriminates against many people willing to take professional courses (Carr-Chellmen & Duchastel, 229).
Quality of Campus-Based Education vs. Online
In order to determine the quality of education offered in each case, on must consider the contribution of student performance and participation as measurable variants. Comparisons were done of student performance, between online and campus based students. There were only slight variations in the performances with online students showing better attitudes towards the units or coursers undertaken (Steinweg et al., 412). This was especially in subjects such as statistics.
Furthermore, research found that the interactions between lecturers and students were stronger and more effective for the online students than campus based students. This was unexpected since one would expect physical meeting to result in better interactions. However, campus based students are very inactive in class. Most campus based students only attend classes to satisfy the mandatory requirement to qualify for sitting exams and eventually graduating. However, online students are more motivated and genuinely interested in their studies and hence have stronger interactions with their lectures. This is partly why they do not underperform when compared to the campus based students (Cavanaugh, 2).
Most studies and research in this area found that there are no distinct deficiencies in carrying out online education. This is especially as concerns academic performance when compared to campus based education (Allen et al. 402). The exemplary performance of online education students over what is expected is attestable to the increased flexibility in the learning schedule. This results in lack of boredom.
The students’ genuine interest in the course content and their interaction with lecturers creates positive attitudes that result in increased performance. Online and long distance students also use critical thinking and adequate time studying the course content since they know their work load is large (Garrison et al., 154). However, campus based students are complacent since the lecturer provides most of the material in class. They hardly study, and only do so just before a serious test or exam.
Online education has become more popular as an education option in pursuing career advancements. This has been facilitated by the vast information that is availed by the internet. The internet also allows for lecturers and their online students to have video chats or online lessons hence promoting interaction. This saves on resources that would otherwise have been spent on travel expenses for either of the parties. The only deterrent to improvements in the efficacy of online education has been the selfish interests of some private firms that offer such course at cheap prices to maximize on revenues or increased enrollment of online students.
This has undermined the quality of this type of education especially in the public eye. Some courses, however, cannot be offered through online education. This is because such courses require practical laboratories to be done under the guidance of a lecturer or lab technician. This is especially so in the faculty of engineering and in medical courses. Campus based education remains the most reliable mode of education for such courses.
Campus based education also helps provide a holistic approach to education. It instills values of teamwork. This is especially whereby lecturers require students to carry out projects or assignment s in groups. This prepares such students for the job market where they may have to work with other people in teams to achieve set objectives. This has been one of the major areas of concern for online students. The fact that they lack holistic professional experiences may result in professionals that are well versed with the theory work, but are unable to deliver practical work due to lack of skill required to work in a team (Cavanaugh and Shepherd. 461).
Furthermore, the authenticity of work submitted by online students cannot be known with certainty. This is to mean that such students can easily outsource all their work to third parties without the knowledge of the lecturer. However, campus based students are well supervised in their evaluations, and lecturers usually require sit-in examinations to ensure they obtain the true performance of their students.
However, even campus based students have had to appreciate the role of the internet in education. This means that online education is now being integrated into the teaching methodologies of campus based education. This is through the communication between the lecturer and students via e-mail and the internet. This has helped to increase the speed of teaching while improving the students’ independence. Most campus based students are complacent because they feel they have too much time to do too little. Giving them more work to do within the preset time will prompt them to work harder and hence improve their performance (Mehlenbacher et.al, 423).
Nevertheless, the role of online education cannot be understated. It has revolutionized the world of education and opened up millions of opportunities for people to increase their education and professional skills. An increase in quality controls used by institutions of higher learning in the provision of online education will help to significantly improve the credibility of online education. However, just like all the recent innovations, online education may be just a step away from turning the education system from what we know today. Scholars should definitely look into the best ways to benefit from online education.
Works Cited
Allen, M., Mabry, E., Mattrey, M., Bourhis, J., Titsworth, S., & Burrell, N. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Distance Learning: a Comparison Using Meta-analysis." Journal of Communication 20: 402-422. 2004.
Cavanaugh, J. "Teaching Online - a Time Comparison." Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 8(1):1-11. 2005.
Gagne, M. & Shepherd, M. "A Comparison Between a Distance and Traditional Graduate Accounting Class." T.H.E. Journal. April 2001.
Garrison, D.R. Anderson, T., & Archer, W. "Critical Thinking, Cognitive Presence, and Computer Conferencing in Distance Education." Community of Inquiry. 2004.
Garrison, R. "Theoretical Challenges for Distance Education in the 21st Century: A Shift from Structural to Transactional Issues." International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 1(1). 2000.
Mehlenbacher, B., Miller, C.R., Covington, D., & Larsen, J.S. "Active and Interactive Learning Online: A Comparison of Web-based and Conventional Writing Classes." IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43(2): 166-184. 2000.
Noble, D.F. "Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education." First Monday 3(1). Retrieved from http://outreach.lib.uic.edu/www/issues/issue3_1/noble/. 1998.
Steinweg, S.B., Davis, M.L., & Thomson, W.S. "A Comparison of Traditional and Online Instruction in an Introduction to Special Education Courses." Teacher Education and Special Education 28(1): 62-73. 2005.
Volery, T. "Critical Success Factors in Online Education." International Journal of Educational Management. 14(5): 216-223. 2000.
