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Getting a degree online is easy nowadays! Across the Internet, consumers can purchase anything from a pair of shoes from Ebay to a magazine subscription and now can even receive an online education with an authentic, valid degree. Anyone from your next-door neighbor to NBA star, Shaquille O Neal is joining the ranks of obtaining an online degree. For some, taking online classes fits much easier into a busy schedule. This is why this method of education has become increasingly popular across all boards. Although striving for an online degree seems easier at first, there are some differences when compared to entering a traditional learning environment. There are also a few cons to participating in an online degree program. Online Education vs. Traditional University Studies There are many obvious differences that exist between online and traditional university studies. For starters, online studying is completed in a home setting, while university studies involve classroom instruction where the student’s physical presence is required in front of a professor. Students often engage in a high level of human interaction through traditional studies, including in-office conferencing and establishing study groups for tests and quizzes. Online learning takes place across the Internet with the student receiving tests, quizzes and instruction while sitting in front of a computer. Where traditional university studies utilize textbooks and other physical forms of literature and study tools, online learning exchanges information across the Internet. Multimedia CDs and DVDs, websites, discussion and forum boards, interactive software, blogs, animation and, of course, email are utilized throughout the online learning process. A common trend making its mark on traditional universities includes the increased amount or initial establishment of online learning options. Many popular universities already offer an assortment of online -only education courses. When obtaining a combination of both classroom and online instruction, a student is allowed the benefits of education coming from the best of two worlds. Advantages of Online Learning Since online learning is rather convenient and flexible, more and more individuals are finding it easier to obtain a degree without the hassle of attending school on a university time schedule. Online learning makes the hours of education easier to work with. Some students learn better when they don’t have to follow the verbal instruction of a professor at 8 in the morning. Many online education tools are provided through various visual and audio approaches, meaning a lecture can be paused, rewound and viewed as many times as you wish. This is quite beneficial for the many different learning styles that individuals possess. A higher absorption of information can be achieved. Disadvantages of Online Learning Since face-to-face interaction with a teacher is eliminated with online learning, this lack of traditional instruction is sometimes looked down upon. In terms of how education is perceived, many do not view online learning as one of the purest forms of learning. While some audio and web conferencing teaching methods are utilized within the online classroom, human interaction is at a minimal or nonexistent. Many students also will not receive the benefits that come with the exchange of varying opinions, thoughts and views regarding the course subject. The art of questioning and accepting new ideals is eliminated, as online learning does not offer the heated transfer that occurs during classroom debate and discussion. Online learning also creates a certain level of isolation that many online student experience. Since online-only education involves instruction received over the Internet with the outcome of an academic degree or certificate of specific program completion, some critics even doubt the validity of an online degree since the attendance of the actual degree holder is not fully accounted for in most Internet settings. Also, in some circles, a degree earned from the Internet is often viewed as inferior to one received from traditional physical schooling. Conclusion Today, many different levels of online education and disciplines are offered from nursing to business management to accounting and continues to stay an increasingly popular mode of learning in today’s society. Therefore, an online degree is an essential for self-growth and further advancement in your organization. |
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