Image Courtesy: bit.ly/1EGcyRA You have just graduated from high school and are in dire need of a job as well as higher education. You might be raising your new-born at home, working part-time and paying the bills while worrying about the future. So how will you do everything? How will you take care of all of your responsibilities and learn at the same time? You might be wondering whether online education is beneficial or not.
Online Courses Have Democratized Education
It is a given fact that online courses have made education, especially higher education available to all those who are interested in learning. These courses are specifically designed so that at the end of the course the candidates can get a job.
The online courses are available as blended modes of classroom instruction. The students receive most of the information from lectures that are delivered online in the form of a video.
Online courses are cost-effective alternatives and they have become popular since the same instruction is provided at home at a reduced cost. It is reasonable for households that are struggling to pay for rent, transportation, baby-sitting or anything else.
Problems That Have Been Discovered in online education
Faulty Textual Information
Certain universities and colleges have lodged a complaint about the incorrect information that is being provided in the textbooks. Teachers are using technology to provide correct and valid information.
Ms. Gathman writes approvingly of resources like the Tumblr blog andshe adds: “In my own university courses on social inequality, I’ve started using Tumblr to provide supplementary materials to interested students. The students who excitedly reported sharing class readings with parents and roommates are thrilled to have a steady feed of additional content in a format that is easy to push to their own social networks.”
The Masses’ Limited Access to the Internet
Ms. Gathman also stated that while online resources can help her teach about inequality, social-media sites can act to reinforce that inequality, too. Not everyone has Internet access, and those who do remain vulnerable “to the same forms of oppression that permeate our face-to-face lives, with the virtual veil of pseudonymity that so often results in abuse.”
She mentioned that, “Tech is often posited as the solution to everything in digital spaces, and in this environment it provides demonstrable resources, but it is clearly only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing the shortfalls in U.S. textbook standards.”
Matt Saccaro pointed out that “Post-secondary education in the United States depends on MOOCs succeeding, as the country can’t bear another generation of debt-ridden dolts. There’s nothing you can learn for $30,000 on a college campus that you can’t get on the Internet for free.” He also concluded that “MOOCs have failed to make education accessible to the masses.”
Absence of Well-Informed Teachers
There are also complaints of not being instructed by well informed teachers online. Mrs. Gathman stated, “While MOOCs are a great equalizer when it comes to students around the world, they are a great unequalizer when it comes to teachers.”
Online Courses Still the Future of Education
Even though these pitfalls are evident, nevertheless, online education has been widely accepted since after the completion of these courses, the students found themselves equipped with the practical knowledge that is required when one is seeking employment.
These courses are free and can be completed by anyone anywhere around the world. They are as effective as classes that are conducted in a classroom. If one is already educated and has graduated from a high school, it proves to be beneficial for them too. The quality of the education is very impressive and it is very affordable for those who are employed in a low-paying job or if they have part-time jobs.
It has also been observed that entire countries have begun adopting edX’s open source platform, called Open edX, which allows anyone to use edX’s infrastructure to launch their own MOOCs. It is available to women, disabled people and people in remote villages. These are the reasons why despite having shortcomings, they are still being accepted globally and their popularity is increasing with every passing day.
Do you have any point to add? Leave your opinion below.
Online Courses Have Democratized Education
It is a given fact that online courses have made education, especially higher education available to all those who are interested in learning. These courses are specifically designed so that at the end of the course the candidates can get a job.
The online courses are available as blended modes of classroom instruction. The students receive most of the information from lectures that are delivered online in the form of a video.
Online courses are cost-effective alternatives and they have become popular since the same instruction is provided at home at a reduced cost. It is reasonable for households that are struggling to pay for rent, transportation, baby-sitting or anything else.
Problems That Have Been Discovered in online education
Faulty Textual Information
Certain universities and colleges have lodged a complaint about the incorrect information that is being provided in the textbooks. Teachers are using technology to provide correct and valid information.
Ms. Gathman writes approvingly of resources like the Tumblr blog andshe adds: “In my own university courses on social inequality, I’ve started using Tumblr to provide supplementary materials to interested students. The students who excitedly reported sharing class readings with parents and roommates are thrilled to have a steady feed of additional content in a format that is easy to push to their own social networks.”
The Masses’ Limited Access to the Internet
Ms. Gathman also stated that while online resources can help her teach about inequality, social-media sites can act to reinforce that inequality, too. Not everyone has Internet access, and those who do remain vulnerable “to the same forms of oppression that permeate our face-to-face lives, with the virtual veil of pseudonymity that so often results in abuse.”
She mentioned that, “Tech is often posited as the solution to everything in digital spaces, and in this environment it provides demonstrable resources, but it is clearly only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing the shortfalls in U.S. textbook standards.”
Matt Saccaro pointed out that “Post-secondary education in the United States depends on MOOCs succeeding, as the country can’t bear another generation of debt-ridden dolts. There’s nothing you can learn for $30,000 on a college campus that you can’t get on the Internet for free.” He also concluded that “MOOCs have failed to make education accessible to the masses.”
Absence of Well-Informed Teachers
There are also complaints of not being instructed by well informed teachers online. Mrs. Gathman stated, “While MOOCs are a great equalizer when it comes to students around the world, they are a great unequalizer when it comes to teachers.”
Online Courses Still the Future of Education
Even though these pitfalls are evident, nevertheless, online education has been widely accepted since after the completion of these courses, the students found themselves equipped with the practical knowledge that is required when one is seeking employment.
These courses are free and can be completed by anyone anywhere around the world. They are as effective as classes that are conducted in a classroom. If one is already educated and has graduated from a high school, it proves to be beneficial for them too. The quality of the education is very impressive and it is very affordable for those who are employed in a low-paying job or if they have part-time jobs.
It has also been observed that entire countries have begun adopting edX’s open source platform, called Open edX, which allows anyone to use edX’s infrastructure to launch their own MOOCs. It is available to women, disabled people and people in remote villages. These are the reasons why despite having shortcomings, they are still being accepted globally and their popularity is increasing with every passing day.
Do you have any point to add? Leave your opinion below.
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