Today, I’ll try to debunk some of the seriously held misbeliefs about online education that some people are too reluctant to shed. Chances are that most of these wild assertions won’t disappear, since their basis lie on irrationality – stereotypes that become a part of your belief before you know it. A perception about a particular phenomenon that cannot be measured or geometrically proven will always have its share of critics. You can’t help it. And I have no intention to help it, because I have other more profitable jobs to do. But what sets one off is a constant drool of ideas and arguments that fuel such myths and feign to be on the track of truth. As someone pursuing an online degree with utmost ambitions, such cavil guesses don’t only make me sad, I believe they play a subtle role in jeopardizing my future and rob some of the opportunities of my success, to say the least. All these assertions are based on wild guesses, to this day I am still unable to find a valid reason that can independently stand firmly against this medium of acquiring education. Some of the most cherished one-liners darted by skeptics on the slightest discussion on the subject are:
· Distance learning schools aren’t as good as traditional schools
· Employers won’t accept degrees from distance learning universities
· Distance learning credits don’t transfer to other colleges
· Accredited schools always offer a good education
They won’t spare a chance, they won’t let you argue let alone give your arguments a serious thought. Firstly, the once clearly distinct line between traditional or brick and mortar schools and online schools is becoming hazier with time, today almost all major ‘traditional’ colleges and universities offer some kind of online courses just to utilize the outreach that the internet so economically provides. Therefore to say that online schools don’t provide us with quality education is to argue that traditional universities and colleges have compromised on their quality or else they would have never opted for the facility that the online medium provides. Secondly, the idea that employers don’t accept degrees acquired online is a fallacious and too childish a perception, since it is not mentioned in our transcripts that we studied for the program online or on-site. It’s the subject, coursework of the online degree program what matters.
Thirdly, this is also a laughable argument that the credit transfers gained in one online program is not transferable to another. As long as an online college or university is accredited it is almost bound by law to accept genuine documents that show the student has spent a certain amount of time studying thus they can enroll, provided that they have the essential papers, so this argument also doesn’t hold any water. Yes, the fourth point does have a point, in the realm of online education the greatest and the most embarrassing issue that crops up every time is of degree mills. It is true that accreditation is one of the first and the most important things to be watchful about. But then there is a question of the accrediting agency: is the accreditation of the accrediting agency valid or authentic? The fourth and last point is surely a crucible factor that determines your success and also your failure in going for online education.
Therefore, to say the least, these skeptics are suffering from a disease that can only be cured by the popularity and wider acceptance of online education world over, and I am glad that they will recover soon, since this is no more a dream but a distant reality.
Youngsters these days are usually found falling in love in their teenage years, a time in life when education should be their first priority. But with the onset of love in their life, education is forgotten and we hear wedding bells in the air. This might not sound as big an issue, but it affects the lives of numerous teenagers across the world in the long run as they keep education aside and focus more on building their family lives.
The major problem which arises here is that these teenagers are not capable enough to take on the responsibilities of a husband and wife and later on as parents. Why? Simply because they are not adequately educated, which brings about unemployment, or not being able to acquire good positions even if they are employed. Financial dilemmas arise for them as there are rarely any well-paying jobs for undergraduates these days.
But, thanks to the rise of online education, there is hope for all such young couples! Teenage couples can now go back to school via online learning and make up for lost time and acquire education, which they ignored at the time they should have concentrated on their studies.
Advantages of Online Learning for Undergraduate Couples
Though there are numerous skeptics of eLearning, there are several benefits of acquiring online degrees, specifically for people who wish to balance family, work and education at the same time. Some of those advantages, particularly for undergraduate couples are:
In-expensive Tuition Fees
The basic feature of online learning is that it is affordable. This is because everything is done over the Internet and every piece of information is acquired online. There is no need to buy extra books and assignments are completed over the Internet, which also makes the learning experience convenient.
No Need to Ever Attend an On-Campus Class
Online education is gaining much popularity and is becoming the most famous medium of education in the present day world. For married undergraduates who live in remote areas, studying through distance education is perhaps the best option. So instead of commuting to a particular campus everyday at a particular time, they can simply study online at timings that best suit their lifestyle and acquire accredited online degrees that are as worthy as campus-based degrees.
Self-paced Study
Unlike traditional schools, where students are expected to follow the teachers trail and study at fixed timings, online education gives distance learners the freedom to study at their own pace. This means, that teachers assign projects with deadlines, but it is up to the student as to when and how he/she works on it to finish and submit it by the deadline.
Assignments Can be Completed Through Research on the Internet
Whenever the faculty assigns online students a project or an assignment on English, History, Physics or whatever their subject is, it can be completed by simply browsing over the internet. Undergraduate students no more need to leave their spouse and/or their child at home and visit the city or the school’s library to acquire information related to your assignment. Online colleges and universities usually provide access to their online libraries for academic resources to distance learners.
Online education is perhaps the perfect option for young couples, who during heir teenage years ignored their studies and focused more on attaining the love of their lives, thereby remaining undergraduates. eLearning helps teenage couples acquire education so as to get over their financial issues which they face because of unemployment or low-paid jobs due to inadequate qualification.
In most online settings, the sharp edge of the razor always roams around the student’s neck. It is usually believed that the student is naturally responsible for straightening out any glitch that occurs in the process of learning. From technical shortcomings to maintaining good contacts with advisors and ‘behaving’ properly in the class, the online learner is expected to do much more than taking part in an online class.
In a subtle way, the very culture of eLearning pours all the responsibilities of managing the process of online learning on the shoulders of the student, sometimes making him liable for issues that dwell beyond his maneuvering capacity. A case in point is the inability of teachers to manage, conduct or instruct an online class. For a debutant distance learner it is natural to feel inept despite insistent struggle to prove his competence, if the teacher is not well-trained.
Majority of the accredited online colleges and universities are generally well-prepared from their end. Their experience, achievements and persistent good performance lend credence to the level of aptitude and ability they so often boost as online education providers. But it’s not unusual that sometimes, despite their hundred percent efforts some online institutions fail to assess the competency of the teacher at the outset and confer him a place he doesn’t deserve to occupy.
Here are some of the simple features by which the student can assess the online teacher’s ability as an educator, no matter if you are a new student, completely clueless about the online learning process, these traits are universal and come naturally to a trained online teacher. If you find your online educator missing a couple of these attributes, then be certain that apart from you, there is also someone else who deserves to be blamed for your underperformance in the class.
Patience – It takes time to learn the ropes of online learning, some students take time to settle down, and a seasoned online teacher knows it very well. The teacher should not take the student (no matter how experienced) for granted. He should start from scratch, acquainting the student with the process of learning online and his personal teaching style.
Typing Speed – It may sound trifle, but the typing speed of the teacher actually tells us a lot about his interaction with the world of web. The teacher may be an expert in face-to-face teaching, but if he is not a good communicator from distance, there is no point in attending his class since slow typing speed runs the risk of turning the whole experience of learning boring and uninteresting.
Eagerness to Help – A student sitting thousands of miles away can easily guess the temperament of his teacher. It’s simple. If the teacher has a serene and calm way of instructing the student, who may sometimes ask the wackiest of question, an experienced teacher never gets agitated. Calmness and serenity is an unflinching feature of an experienced teacher’s personality.
Going the Extra Mile – A good teacher is one who loves teaching. An experienced online educator will never hesitate to help any of his students out of the way; teachers are species who love to wait for unasked questions. If your online teacher shies away from answering your queries even in informal meetings, it is possible he may be experienced but you can be convinced that teaching is not his first love.
Vitality – Though it’s a quality that is unfortunately not easy to find but the masters of online teaching surely know how to make you interested in the class. The true masters of online learning make you feel like a date – the most important person in the world, or in other words, the most brilliant student in the class. They give you countless chances to shed your inhibitions and participate in the class unhesitatingly as those confident top-graders used to ooze with confident at your school!
These features are not carved in stone, but undoubtedly these are few of the essential attributes of a seasoned teacher. If you think your teacher lacks these qualities then, as said above, your underperformance in the class is not your personal folly.
