Is online education effective ? (Essay)
In the current world, technology has changed the ways in which people learn. The main question does not lie upon whether a person should get classroom learning or be offered with classes online, by what matters is the manner in which it is implemented. Online learning is not different from the classroom classes because they both offer the same things such as diplomas and certificates. The only difference is the mode in which each of the ways of learning is acquired. According to a report that was released by the US Department of Education, online learning is more advantageous compared to classroom learning based on new meta-analysis. The Education Department conducted an investigation regarding the types of instruction that were valid for both secondary and elementary education when it is conducted online. They found that there were several positive results that were consistent for various types and levels of graduate, higher education and undergraduate across different disciplines. Meta-analysis helps people to understand the already existing studies while looking at the patterns and conclusions draw from all the evidences that have been accumulated over different period of time.
Some of the effectiveness of online studies that have been identified is the fact that students tend to perform better averagely compared to those are taking classroom lessons. They do their best because of the close relationship that they have with the tutors. On the other hand, there are majority of students who go for classroom lessons but because of their number, they cannot get a chance to interact directly with the teachers unless there is need. Online studies also allow the students to have a chance to look for more information regarding to the topic, which is different from classroom studies. It is easy to acquire information online compared to the books or manual method making online learning more effective than face-to-face learning. The Education Secretary of State Arne Duncan had released a statement regarding the findings on online education. He found that there was a need for every teacher to incorporate digital learning contents in their classes. Duncan main argument was the fact that online course are not only effective in terms of improving performance but are also cost effective thus should be implemented in every school or college. He noted that despite the fact that these two modes of learning offered similar courses, online studies are more effective.
Based on my experience as a student who is doing his degree online, it is more convenient because of the way in which I continuously interact with my professor. Communication is easy and can be done at any time including nighttime because all it takes is a machine and internet. This has made it easy for me to follow through the syllabus in an effective way. The teaching techniques are also different from the classroom teaching because we mainly use videos plus online quizzes to enhance our thoughts regarding the topic. The way in which interactions is controlled between us and the professor in online studies has positively affected our performance. Online studies require more of self-monitoring which triggers self-discipline making us students more responsible and accountable to our studies. It is the reason that we pass more regularly compared to the classroom students. On the other hand, the time that I spend studying differs from that of the classroom learning. We always spend most of our time conducting the studies given by the professor.
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