Do you ever get annoyed by flashy banner advertisements on popular Web sites such as Yahoo! or MSN? Recently I have noticed a lot of ads for distance learning programs or my favorite, how to earn a master’s degree in as little as one year. Currently as a graduate student at Kent State University, I’m always intrigued by these online ads. However, with the advent of new social media technologies and the increase in the popularity of social networking sites, distance learning programs don’t appear to be a bad idea.
Since the University of Phoenix is the largest player in the distance learning market, I thought I would see what I could find. I found this post by John Chaplin in which he discusses the direction of higher education. I agree with his statements that the Internet has helped shrink our planet. With Web 2.0 and other social media, we have been able to connect in so many different ways than ever thought possible. When you think of distance learning and what the Internet can do, you really aren’t that far away.
“To put it in its most simple form: distance learning means participation in academic activities (coursework) even when one is not located near the college campus. In fact, in distance learning the location of the school is irrelevant to the enrolled student. What matters is receiving the course content – whether one lives down the street or in another continent.”
For an adult who has a family and busy work load, distance learning is probably their best option. With today’s economy and the struggling job market there is a trend among adults looking for a new career path to go back to school. Most adults can’t just give up the job and go back to school fulltime like traditional students. Online programs are usually the best route to take. Everything is handled online in the comfort of the students’ homes. Students participate in online discussions or chats, but for the most part the assignments are done on their own time.
How affective are these programs? According to Chaplin distance learning programs put a premium on ‘learning by doing.’ Online programs place an emphasis on research and projects. There aren’t lectures and exams that traditional students have to endure. “These types of activities actually force the student to take what they have learned and put it to good use – completing their research and course projects.”
College and universities should not ignore this trend. There is a large demographic of adult students looking for a career change or to further their education. As mentioned earlier the technology is there. Whether there are opportunities to offer associates, bachelors or even master’s degrees, it would be wise to investigate further.
I agree with you that with the advances in internet technology, it is easier and smarter for certain people to take online classes and earn a degree. However, I cannot imagine that reading about biology and watching online videos would create the same learning outcome as taking a biology lab and experiencing things hands on. Yes, obtaining a degree online is much easier for people with children, but once online degrees start being promoted more and more, who’s to say it will just stop with college? I recently have seen that you can obtain your high school diploma online, so why not take elementary school classes? I believe, like you, that internet classes are a great way to take advantage of what technology has to offer, however, I definitely think it will have some negative outcomes.
Lindsey Morgan
By: linzee723 on April 24, 2008
at 10:09 am
Distance learning is definitely an intriguing new form of higher education. A representative from University of Phoenix actually came to my high school during my junior year to discuss obtaining an education from their programs with my class. I think, like anything, distance learning has its good points and its bad points. You get through college a lot more quickly, the learning focuses on doing as opposed to being lectured at, and I would imagine it’s a lot cheaper than physically going to college. However, you would never really get the college experience, which, as overrated as it may be at times, can be an important growing point in life. You also don’t have the opportunity to get to know professors and make contacts like you would at a “real” college. I think that sometimes as technology gets more and more advanced, the more we regress socially because we constantly have our faces or our ears glued to the electronic world. In a way, obtaining your education this way kind of shuts you off from the rest of the world. However, I can see why people would want to obtain an education this way, especially those who didn’t go straight from high school to college and now want to go back and get a degree quickly and cheap.
By: mikeashcraft on April 24, 2008
at 11:47 am