Online Education

Online education is a form of distance learning that emphasizes the use of a personal computer. Students take courses via the internet and utilize a variety of audio. and video technologies to enhance their electronic communication with instructors.

Popular online education formats includes:

• Adult Online Education:Online adult education is a way for adults to easily take classes about subjects they are interested in. Adult online education is geared toward teaching basic math, science, reading, and problem solving skills.They often focus on fighting illiteracy and teaching language skills. Thousands of classes covering a wide a array of subjects are available on the Internet. From cooking to finance to foreign languages classes,online education is a convenient way for adults to learn new thing or improve their basic knowledge of a variety of topics. Online education can also serve as a pathway for adults who are interested in improving their job performance or changing career 

• Hybrid education:Hybrid education classes,also referred to as blended education classes, combine online class sessions with on-campus, face-to-face class time. For example in a traditional class an instructor and his students might meet three times a week on campus.But in a hybrid class the majority of the lectures and coursework would be completed online and the class would only physically meet a week or once every two weeks. In this way, hybrid education attempts to offer students the best of both worlds.

•  Online Continuing Education:This type of online education offers an array of different classes for students who already have a degree but need to take one or two specific classes in order to advance their skills in a certain area. Continuing education courses do not lead to a degree upon completion.

•  Online distance education:With online distance education, a student who is pursuing a degree at a traditional school may take some courses online rather than taking all face-to-face classes. By offering some courses through distance education programs, schools give their students a little more flexibility when establishing their course schedules.

• Online Higher Education:This Type of online education is for students who want to attend college but for whatever reason cannot attend a traditional universities/college. Online higher education programs result in associate's. master's and doctoral degrees,just like their traditional counterparts. 

Online programmes are offered at different levels ranging from Certificate program, Diploma program, Associate degree, Bachelor degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master degree to Doctorate degree. Subject areas include business, psychology, nursing,education,sociology, information technology and so on. Here are the top ten online universities in the world that offer various online programmes:

• The University of London(UoL)
• The University of South Africa
• The University of Phoenix
• The University of Texas
• University of South Australia(UniSA)
• University of South Queensland(USQ)
• The University of Maryland University College
• Ellis College of NYIT
• Golden gate University
• Stanford University

Online education in india is still not very popular and it is largely limited to corporate training programmes, IITs, IIMs and some private and open universities. Here are some universities that offer online education in india.

• Nalanda Open University
• All india Institute of Medical University
• Indira Gandhi National Open University
• Guru Jambheshwar University
• Maharshi Dayanand University
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education university Of Mumbai
• Birla Institute Technology & Science
• University Of Lucknow

There are a variety of benefits both students and educators receive from participating in online courses and programs.

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 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 includes 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 people who have full-time jobs, or other responsibilities that prevent them from taking 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 schools   

Accessibility:The use of the Internet for educational purpose has greatly increased the potential for reaching new learners. Online academic courses are available to students who either choose not to or cannot attend school in traditional settings. Online education provides the possibility of working with more learners, teachers, and subject matter experts outside a student's limited geographic area. Collaborating with people from different cultures and levels of experience is a potential benefit that can enhance the learning environment and provide learners with a wider network of contacts. Online classes may offer special benefits to learners who are shy, have difficulty keeping pace with other students during face-to-face class, or need time to express themselves effectively.

Enhanced Technology:Online courses offer educational resources in multiple media formats. They support the use of both asynchronous communication and real time communication 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.

However, online education has the following disadvantages:

One of the major disadvantages of online education is the self discipline it requires. While being able to set your own schedule can be and advantage, It can also be a disadvantage. Students who have difficulty with time management and procrastination usually are not very successful with online education. These students perform better with the structure of traditional learning.

 
Another disadvantage of online education is the technology involved.Some people do not have ready access to a computer and Internet connection. And many those who do have the required equipment are too intimidated by it use it for online education

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.

Another major disadvantage of online education is the lack of interaction. Even though students ineract with their tutor through online learning systems, however one still can't hear questions and discussion of other students at the time of lecture delivery.

Students of online institution may also face limited course offering. Not all courses of study are easily available online. If you are interest in a more unusual field, you may have difficulty finding a source for online education.

Inconsistent policies across different countries may prevent a online institution from earning accreditation, which is very important for the institution and its students. Accreditation is traditionally granted a on a regional basis, but regional variations can present problem for online istitutions. Thus, you must first ensure the validity of the degree in your region.
decreased quality of course offering and instruction is another major concern of online education. The overall quality of online education is often called into question.Often, the course content in online education is not as rigorous as the content taught in traditional face-to-face courses, online students interact less frequently with their educators and peers. What is more, their limited social contact is generally lower in quality. Experienced educators observe that some interactions which take place in the traditional classroom cannot be replicated online.

 

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