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Online Learning:A 21st Century Approach to Education; The Pros and Cons

Introduction
The term of online was not very appealing in 1970s and 1080s just like an airplane in
the beginning of the 20th century. Internet was in development stage in early 1990s
compared to now and the conventional wisdom about the online courses was different in
1990s than today. We are in the 21st century where everything is possible and acceptable.
For example, students are studying at home/work place utilizing computer which is called
online schooling/learning.

There are several factors contributing the growth of online enrollment including the
following:

Younger people are choosing non-traditional education to start and advancing in their
careers while completing and furthering their education.
Severe recession of 2008 has created poor economic situations where people are
upgrading/changing their career through online educational/training programs.
Online method of education can be a highly effective alternative method of education for
the students who are matured, self-disciplined and motivated, well organized and having
high degree of time management skills, but it is an inappropriate learning environment for
more dependent learners and has difficulty assuming responsibilities required by the
online courses.

The Boston-based consulting firm Eduventures, Inc.(2006) found that about half of
institutions and more than 60 percent of employers generally accept the high quality of
online learning, but students’ perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective
online students said that they perceive the quality of online education to be “as good as or
better than” face-to-face education. At the same time, 36 percent of prospective students
surveyed cited concern about employers’ acceptance of online education as a reason for
their reluctance to enroll in online courses.

Varieties of online educational methods have been developed, but the potential students
should consider some identifiable factors common to all types before enrolling in any
course/program. Generally all these factors are not applicable to every online learning
situation, but they do apply to most. You as a student should more closely examine the
online programs that most interest you and be sure that the program fits your life, career
needs and job.

It is critical to consider both the pros and cons of online learning so you can be better
prepared to face the challenge of working in this new environment and embrace the new
opportunities that it has to offer, and that is its Strengths and Weaknesses. The following is
a good listing of these pros and cons of online education:

Online Education Pros: Can be divided into four groups.

Convenience
Less Expensive
Technology
Additional Benefits
Convenience: This convenience is in relation to study location, time, course duration, etc.

No commuting/traveling time to a campus


No geographic location constraint in selecting the learning option(s)
No learning pace constraint, you can learn at your pace and study at your convenience
No verbally expressing constraint, you can express yourself in writing rather than verbally
You can have virtual discussion rather instructor-led lecture
Course work and instructions can highly be customized to your field and subject area
High quality dialog: Learner is able to carefully reflect his/her quality thinking on each
comment from others before responding or moving on to the next topic.
Student centered: Students are expected to read all of their classmates’ contributions, but
they may actively engaged only in those parts of the contribution most relevant to their
needs.
Access to resources: It is easy to include guest experts or students from other institutions
as well as access to resources and information around the world.
Less Expensive: Generally these courses cost less than regular classroom academic or trade
school course.

No travel and housing costs to classroom


Class attendee can continue to work at his/her job while taking classes
Technology: You can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access.
Online courses provide an opportunity to learn new technologies and practicing the use of
office software, Internet, etc.

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