Posts
Online education is no new
phenomenon—there have been online college courses and general online education
program available since the beginning of the web. But online education’s long
history has done little to improve its reputation in the eyes of some
educators, students, and parents who have avoided online education because of
various negative stereotypes. Stories about degree mills, shady for-profit
online education communities, and lower quality of learning have done great
deal of harm to the public perception about online education. Isolated
incidents have essentially made some people think of online education as a
lesser alternative to traditional higher education.
Recently, however, traditional universities
have begun to understand online college programs for their merits and
advantages, and their efforts have done great things for online education’s
image. More universities offer online classes every year, keeping pace with the
increasing demand from students to take them. These online offerings aren’t
relegated to any single academic area or discipline, either: colleges around
the country provide online courses in quite a few subjects.
Now a recent opinion column
from The New York Times indicates
that many “elite” colleges (mostly Ivy League universities) have embraced
online education as the way of the future. It’s an interesting move from the
top colleges in the country considering the fact that most online education was
stigmatized just a few years ago. So what changed?
The
merger of technology and education
The move to include online courses into
the college curriculum makes sense because the last few years have been shaped
by new technologies. Smartphones, tablets, great wireless technologies, and
more savvy usage of the web has opened the door to limitless opportunities for
developers and educators to create a new and intellectually stimulating world.
Educational apps, eBooks, interactive studying materials are just some of the
technologies that have all taken the overall learning experience to a new
level. In the long line of technological advances in education, online learning
seems like the next step in a natural progression.
There’s a certain inevitability about
online education. We spend so much time online communicating, learning, and
sharing information on our own that it makes sense to receive some formal
education in the same space. There are so many advantages to online education
that aren’t available in traditional colleges: students have greater mobility,
they can learn course materials on their own time, and they develop critical
web correspondence skills (emailing, social media usage, general computer
savvy) in the process.
Ivy
League schools setting a (belated) example
The piece from The New York Times hints at quite an interesting point: that online
classes are clearly part of a growing trend towards online and distance
learning, and Ivy League schools are a little late to recognize their appeal.
Online education has always been a viable option for students and professionals
looking to hone their education, but as I said earlier it’s been difficult for
many online colleges to overcome toxic stereotypes. But as the article states,
over four million college students took online classes in some capacity in
2007, meaning that it’s no longer a form of teaching to be ignored. Some Ivy
League schools have been quicker to offer online options to their students:
both Yale and MIT have offered free online open course materials for quite some
time now. Hopefully the greater quantity of online Ivy League classes will give
more prominence and prestige to online learning.
What do you think about Ivy League
involvement in online education?
This guest contribution was submitted
by Samantha Gray, who specializes
in writing about online bachelor degree.
Questions and comments can be sent to her email.
Many thanks to Samantha.
Enjoy your reading!
