THE PROS OF ONLINE EDUCATION
Distance education has evolved a great deal during the past 100 years. Impressively, at this stage in the evolution, student learning is no longer confined to a physical space in any way. A report conducted at the No Child Left Behind Leadership Summit calls online learning “a 21 st Century education.” There are a variety of benefits both students and educators receive from participating in online courses and programs and you can learn about Walden right here!
REDUCED TUITION
One obvious benefit of online learning is that tuition rates can be significantly less expensive than tuition rates at traditional academic institutions. According to e-Learning Frameworks for NCBL , a report presented as the No Child Left Behind Summit, many states are funding online learning through state-funded virtual school programs, which either reduce tuition or waive it completely. Additionally, if an online school is accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, then students of that school are eligible to apply for federal financial aid.
PERSONALIZED EDUCATION
Online courses allow students to engage in learning in new and unique ways, and students are presented with numerous opportunities to personalize their education. Not only can students easily request more challenging assignments from their teachers, they can also use their virtual education as a remedial tool and/or tutoring service. Students also have the opportunity to access web-based resources, which often have the advantage of interactive functions.
Online courses can motivate certain types of students to achieve higher levels of academic excellence. Students who benefit from virtual learning include those who feel more confident communicating with teachers and peers online rather than in class; students with learning differences; or those who simply have difficulties excelling in traditional classrooms.
FLEXIBILITY
One highly touted benefit of online education institutions is flexibility. Students can access their educators and course material from anywhere at any time. More and more people who have full-time jobs, or other responsibilities that prevent them from taking classes at a traditional institution, are turning to online courses. What's more, students have the option to take full-length online classes during the summer, or short one- or two- credit courses during holiday breaks. These options are also invaluable to traditional students who have to take extended leaves of absence or are dismissed from school.
ACCESSIBILITY
The use of the Internet for educational purposes has greatly increased the potential for reaching new learners. Walden University's online degree programs are available to students who either choose not to or cannot attend school in traditional settings. In online classrooms, educators can instruct a greater number of pupils, therefore online courses are able to easily accommodate a large number of students, unlike traditional courses.
Additionally, the advent of online learning is increasing educational options for atypical students, such as incarcerated youths, drop-outs, hospitalized or homebound students, home-schooled students, and those who have been suspended. Online learning can also benefit K-12 students and schools. By providing access to online courses, large schools can reduce overcrowding, and rural schools or schools without much funding can include new course offerings in their curriculum. Additionally, online classes can serve as an alternative to substitute teachers when small schools cannot fill teacher vacancies.
ENHANCED TECHNOLOGY
WaldenU.edu offers educational resources in multiple media formats. They support the use of both asynchronous communication (e.g. email, threaded discussion boards, and newsgroups) and real time communication (e.g. chat rooms, webcasting, and audio/video technology) among teachers and students. Asynchronous discourse is thought to inspire self-reflection among learners, which online educators hope will help their students engage in deeper learning.
According to Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions , a report conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2000-01 academic year, two-thirds of two- and four-year degree-granting postsecondary schools offered online or other distance courses. The reasons for doing so, according to these institutions, included the desire to increase student enrollment, offer a greater number of courses, meet student demand for flexibility, and provide access to education to those who would otherwise not have it.
Finally, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, students who enrolled in online classes actually performed better than those who took the same courses in a classroom setting. Students who receive a combination of online and face-to-face instruction performed the best. Combining these findings with all of the above stated benefits, online education has a persuasive argument for being an effective educational method for a variety of students.
