When the educational process takes place in an environment other than a live classroom, it is known as distance education. The idea of distance education can be traced by to the advent of the printing press. From the very earliest days of printing, it became possible to develop a learning method whereby the student learned at his own pace and without the aid of an instructor. The self help manual is one of the earliest examples of distance learning.
As each new technological advance was made, the possibilities of its adaptation for distance learning were explored. When radios came into common use, the possibilities of giving instruction via this medium were investigated. Television was a major advance that was used in distance training. The development of closed circuit television networks made it possible for classrooms to be spread out over great distances with the instructor in one location, and the students in another. The drawback to this method was that it still required the student to be actually present at the time the class was being held. It did not free him of that restraint.
It was the introduction of computers, and the wide spread growth of the internet that brought us to the current golden age of distance learning. Online education actually began with the introduction of the “Computer Assisted Learning Center” (CALC) in 1982 in Rindge, New Hampshire. This was the first actual online school in the United States although a similar program was being tested in Norway at around the same time. In was not until 1994-1995 when the internet became more widespread and available to the public from small and local internet service providers that online education really began to explode.
The first stage was the introduction of individual classes online. They were intended to supplement on campus classes and not replace them. There was a bit of reluctance in the educational establishment to change the traditional methods, and this reluctance still exists to some extend. It is fast fading, however, as the advantages of online education became apparent. Before long, you could find a complete degree program online. This was followed by online degree colleges. At the present time, online education opportunities increase with each passing day, and the status of online degrees and how they are received by employers is improving constantly as the internet becomes more integrated into daily life.
By: Natalie Aranda
Posts Tagged ‘Drawback’
Online Education: A Brief History
March 11th, 2010Distance Learning Systems – Enriching Your Knowledge Through Online Education
December 4th, 2009
Distance learning systems refer to the arrangements that allow you to get online education with the help of Internet right from your home. This is yet another big achievement of modern technology in the direction of improving our lifestyle. Distance learning education lets you quench your thirst for knowing more about the various aspects of the world. Moreover, many people have successfully used distance learning online courses to move ahead in their respective careers.
Features Of Cyber World Colleges
Distance learning systems have eliminated the requirement of being present in a particular location to attain a specific skill. This is where the cyber world colleges are totally different from our brick and mortar colleges. This is especially helpful for you, if you wish to avoid peer pressure. With the help of distance learning systems, you can also get rid of popularity contests that has become a part of the college culture these days.
Flexible learning schedule is one more advantage of distance learning systems. Unlike traditional classrooms, you can attend virtual classes at a time when you are not engaged in any other type of responsibility. For example, a working person can attend his or her class after duty hours. Similarly, a housewife can take benefit of this facility when her kids have gone to school.
The only drawback of distance learning systems is that you yourself have to supervise your progress. The task of your online instructors is limited only up to providing you online lessons. They cannot monitor how well or badly you are doing regarding your studies. It simply means that your responsibility is much more than a traditional student.
By: Rishabh Sogani
Disadvantages Of Online Education
November 26th, 2009
Till now all I have done is talk about the benefits of online education; all that it gives us for less money. All we can acquire by just sitting at the ease of our houses. But as we all know nothing comes without a disadvantage. If something gives you benefits and comfort, it must somewhere have something that is not that beneficial and can be a little bit hurting. Everything has a cost to it. So does online education.
One major drawback in online education is the lack of technical skills required to pursue an online degree. Most people are still not that technologically advanced to cope up with the methods that are used to make online education better. I don’t mean that all students are not technologically equipped; however ever there still are a large number who lag behind. Even many of the lecturers and administration people themselves find difficulty in operating the programs to teach or monitor the students. The tutors, especially, have had acquired their degree through traditional means and are mostly not very well versed with the gadgets.
Secondly, the most important thing required to student online is a computer and internet connection. However people in regional and far flung areas still don’t have access to this commodity. It is quiet expensive for them to purchase a computer. In one place where online education helps students from different areas meet and study together, there on the same time it creates a difficulty where a student cannot consult or discuss a technical problem occurred to him as he may not find anyone from his area.
Online course designers can sometimes wrongly anticipate computer technology advances. This leads to courses being developed for implementation on computers which were expected to become available in the future, but which did not become available; (Alexander, S. (2001) Education and Training E-Learning developments and experiences Vol. 43, Iss. 4/5, pg.240.)
The cost of an online degree is not always very low as thought by students. Some degrees may cost much more than if they were taken traditionally due to the cost of the multimedia accessories and materials involved in the syllabus. These costs may even leave behind the costs of accommodation and travel in local education.
Online education sometimes becomes very difficult to maintain. One of the reasons why a student moves towards online education is lack of time. He finds it difficult to maintain a balance between job and college hours. But even whether studying online you need to devote time in order to get grades and pass courses. At college and school, students have pre arranged time tables. Whereas while studying online you have to set a time table yourself or all your efforts go wasted.
Another major disadvantage I’d count is the lack of interaction. Even though students interact with their tutors through online learning systems, however one still can’t hear questions and discussions of other students at the time of lecture delivery. However nothing is totally free from disadvantages. Online education also has some. It now depends on the student how he manages everything.
By: Keith Londrie
