Online education is simply an education where the lecturers or the teachers are not physically present in class and digital learning is embraced, whereas it is different from learning in traditional classroom settings that are mostly widely used in many learning institutions. “The world has tremendously changed since the introduction of internet technology in the education sector, at first during its introduction i.e. the internet was first conceived as a learning tool but nowadays the internet has gone beyond anyone’s expectations” (Bourne, p.34).
The use of the internet has really changed the way we learn entirely because it has given us a new method of delivery in education. Not only can we research materials that are found throughout the internet, but nowadays students can get a college degree without stepping into the classroom. Taking online learning at Grantham University has great advantages as you compare it to classroom setup in Virginia Tech University. The quality of learning in online education at Grantham University has greatly increased over a period of time, in fact those graduate from Grantham University have not shown any sign of possessing less information in the job Market than their counterparts in Virginia Tech University.Nowadays traditional school setting like those found in Virginia Tech University offer some kind of option between the online education or those with the class setting in their curriculum and this has been found to be more productive in term of teaching medium found in that university.
“A study was conducted by Sloan Consortium in the year 2006” (Bourne, p.34) , it was discovered that most of lecturer in the universities through online mode of teaching helped most students to learn better than their counterpart who are found in tradition way of learning as the one found in the Virginia Tech University. Almost all the employers in the United State has taken notice on the quality of online education programs which is found at Grantham University, Another survey was carried out in the year 2007 by Vault Inc, In that survey 89 per cent of employers believed online degrees were more reliable than 10 years ago, in addition 85 per cent of those employers surveyed said they would hire student with an online certificate like those found at Grantham University. “The number of employers who can hire an online degree holder is definitely improving as you compare it to the past years and is becoming a more accepted norm in the job market” (Saltsman, p.45).
The reason why student will prefer online education that is found Grantham University over the classroom learning which is found at Virginia Tech University is that the benefit of online learning increase access to your lecturers, while in traditional learning setting at Virginia Tech University, students are bound by the university hours and strictly they follow a time table set by the University and the only time student will be able to speak to their lecturers is during lecture time or at a specified time set by the lecture. Through the use of email and chat rooms in the online class environment which is found at Grantham University, students can speak to their lecturers through writing an email or by posting difficult questions or comments in the posting boards of the Grantham University at any time of the day and the response you will get within 24 hours.
For those students who have mild to acute test taking worry, online exams at Grantham University offer additional time and due to the nature of the classes, most of the exams are untimed and open-book. Most of the time as seen at the Virginia Tech University, where your final grade on a unit will depend upon the class projects which you have done throughout the semester, coverage on the course wok and sometimes class participation is mandatory, Instead at the Grantham University online education will reduce stress to the students and this in turn offer a comfortable learning environment to its students. “Just like the normal classroom environment, there is a due date to submit your assignments, project if any given and tests” (Saltsman, p.45).
The time you spend through online learning is proportional to the time you spend if you were taking classes in the physical environment. However, online education will add a component of self-motivation and students are more disciplined because they manage their time well. The accelerated pace of learning that is found in Virginia Tech University, whereas it is mandatory for a degree to take a period of 3- 5 years depending on which course you are taking and the availability of the class during the semester. At the Grantham University the online program allows a student to take not less than 14 credit hours per semester and the lecture assignments are turned in at a student time rate, classes can be completed faster in a manner of weeks versus months, where at the Virginia Tech University a normal semester will take a minimum of 45 hours. At Grantham University students are limited to options for when to take a certain class, sometimes you will find two or more classes clash during the semester and this will force a student to drop one of the classes to avoid not performing better in any of those units.
One of the best reasons why student will prefer online learning at Grantham University to that of normal learning environment found at Virginia Tech University is that with online learning students will not move from one place to another and at the same time a person can work at the same time learn because the lecture notes are sent via emails and Grantham university will accommodate the student class to be in tandem to her or his schedule. “If a student work 40 hours per week or she has children, the student will attend her or her classes in the evening as from 9 pm for two hours” (Baumgardner, p.34)
There are some additional saving costs which come up with student taking online degree at Grantham University; there is less cost of learning materials because the classes are internet oriented and the material are virtual i.e. are found online and the time you spend while traveling to attend classes at Virginia Tech University, you will save that time and a student will use that time to do something different like studying. The student attending online education from Grantham University is hassle free for the cost he or she will incur when paying for room in the university or around the university. “It is known that the cost of learning in Virginia University is high as compared to that of Grantham University because of the cost of the student accommodation” (Baumgardner, p.34).
Works Cited
- Baumgardner, Gerald. Strategies for Effective Online Education. Virginia: Forbes Publisher, 2008.Print.
- Bourne,Jon.Elements of quality online education: learning effectiveness, cost effectiveness, access, faculty satisfaction, student satisfaction. New York: Olin College – Sloan-C Publisher, 2008.Print
- Saltsman, George. An administrator’s guide to online education. New York::IAP Publisher, 2009.Print.