Online Education, Same as Traditional Learning?
My Dad used to say the more things change the more they really stay the same, and that’s certainly true of online education when you get right down to it.
People tend to think that online education and traditional learning are completely different from one another, but that is simply not true. Both modes of learning have quite a bit in common actually.
What every student is accustomed to is a textbook, instructor, class discussion, written assignments, and exams. Both online and traditional learning grant you that. But lets break this down a bit further and examine how they walk that line.
- A book is a book, however, sometimes the book for online education students is available right online at a discounted rate and is also supplemented with additional readings taken from relevant websites throughout the semester.
- Your online instructor usually has either set times they are available to field questions (just like in a traditional classroom setting) or you may simply post your questions in the virtual online classroom for both the instructor and your fellow students to help answer.
- The online class discussions are posted right on the bulletin board. It’s especially great for those passive students who would otherwise not ask any questions.
- Written assignments are basically the same. Those are usually just sent by email (Word document) to the professor or posted right online for only the professor to see.
- Taking an exam is far and away the biggest difference. You usually have timed exams, just as you would in a traditional classroom, however, you are taking the exam online and receive your grade immediately following.
So it’s really not the tools that are all that different, it’s the setting. It’s like building a house in December in the cold or July when it’s hot. You still use the same tools, you just need to adjust to the different environment. Millions of students have already made that adjustment. Are you next?
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online classes allow an individual to learn at their pace. So often a classroom setting will simply move through material in a manual that individuals will have to undoubtedly revisit once they are back home. Online classes may be lacking in courses of an abstract nature, such as philosophy, where group discussions and/or arguments are invaluable to the learning experience. An online class that can also offer that kind of interaction would be interesting to see.
Great posting found at your blog looking for more informative posts.
1st and foremost – college must be accredited. Also some online colleges are only online while others are regular colleges/universities that have online courses and you can take your pick.
Just remember to keep up with the course. It’s all up to you!
I have taken online courses. Was wonderful for all but one of my subjects. Meteorology and I hated it. Probably because I just did not care where and what caused the weather. lol.
Otherwise I really enjoy online courses.
When I receive my Bachelor degree in Education I will be taking Masters courses online & look forward to it.
You just have to know that it is up to you to keep up with the course(s) – no goofing off – and don’t expect to get notes from another student cause you may not know any other student.
nice article
This information was very enlightening.
Yes, I believe the online has became almost the same as traditional classes because you can get the same resources for your courses online as you would have in a class room.
This is very good information, but I don’t think that online classes work for everyone. I need the direct contact of other people.