write an essay impact of online classes present and future prospects
Answers
Introduction
Online learning is one of the new innovative study methods that have been introduced in the pedagogy field. In the last few years, there has been a great shift in the training methods. students can now learn remotely using the internet and computers.
Online learning comes in many forms and has been developing with the introduction of new technologies. Most of the universities, high schools and other institutions in the world have all instituted this form of learning and the student population in the online class is increasing fast. There has been a lot of research on the impacts of online education as compared to the ordinary classroom education.
There are considerable differences between the online learning environment and classroom environment. In the online environment, teachers and pupils don’t meet physically as opposed to the classroom environment where teachers and pupils interact physically. In this study, the impact of the online learning on the students, teachers and institutions involved was examined.
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement for this study is: “online learning has positive impact on the learners, teachers and the institution offering these courses”
Background study
Online learning or E learning is a term used to describe various learning environments that are conducted and supported by the use of computers and the internet. There are a number of definitions and terminologies that are used to describe online learning.
These include: E learning, distance learning, computer learning among others (Anon, 2001). Distant learning is one of the terminologies used in E learning and encompasses all learning methods that are used to train students that are geographically away from the training school. Online learning on the other hand is used to describe all the learning methods that are supported by the internet (Moore et al., 2011).
Another terminology that is used is E learning which has been described by most authors as a learning method that is supported by the use of computers, web enabled communication and the use of new technological tools that enhance communication (Spector, 2008). Other terminologies that are used to describe this form of online learning are virtual learning, collaborative learning, web based learning and computer supported collaborative learning (Conrad, 2006).
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Impacts of online education
Various studies and articles documents the merits, demerits and challenges of online studies. These studies show that online study is far beneficial to the students, teachers and the institution in general and that the current challenges can be overcome through technological advancement and increasing efficiency of the learning process.
One of the key advantages of online learning is the ability of students to study at their own comfort. For a long time students had to leave their comfort areas and attend lecturers. This change in environment causes lack of concentration to students. In contrast, E-learning enables the students to choose the best environment for study and this promotes their ability to understand. As a result, students enjoy the learning process as compared to the conventional classroom learning.
Another benefit is time and cost saving. Online students are able to study at home and this saves them the travel and accommodation costs. This is in contrast with the classroom environment where learners have to pay for transport and accommodation costs as well as any other costs associated with the learning process.
Online study has been found to reduce the workload on the tutors. Most of the online notes and books are availed to the students and this reduces the teacher’s workload. Due to the availability of teaching materials online, tutors are not required to search for materials. Teachers usually prepare lessons and this reduces the task of training students over and over again.
Conclusion
In culmination, a comparative study between classroom study and online study was carried out. The study was done by examining the findings recorded in books and journals on the applicability online learning to students. The study revealed that, online learning has many benefits as compared to the conventional learning in the classroom environment.
Though online learning has several challenges such as lack of feedback from students and lack of the proper technology to effectively conduct online learning, these limitations can be overcome by upgrading the E-Leaning systems and the use of online discussion forums and new web based software’s.
In conclusion, online learning is beneficial to the students, tutors and the institution offering these courses. I would therefore recommend that online learning be implemented on all learning institutions and research on how to improve this learning process should be carried out.
Answer:
Online courses call for a greater amount motivation and self-discipline than a classroom-based course. A classroom has one or more instructors and peers, who can hold a student accountable for their course-work. In contrast, online courses involve setting our own goals, tracking progress and meeting deadlines.
Students still prefer classroom classes over online classes due to many problems they face when taking online classes, such as lack of motivation, understanding of the material, decrease in communication levels between the students and their instructors and their feeling of isolation caused by online classes.
Online education enables the teacher and the student to set their own learning pace, and there's the added flexibility of setting a schedule that fits everyone's agenda. As a result, using an online educational platform allows for a better balance of work and studies, so there's no need to give anything up.
Explanation:
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