Online_vs_Traditional_Education

Online vs. Traditional Education When making a decision to continue furthering your education, what are some factors you look for in a school' What has been stopping you from furthering your education' Does going back to school fit in your schedule' Well over the years the options for continuing education has improved, the options offer more flexibility to create balance, lesser financial expenses, alternative ways to learn and . Both methods have some similarities and some differences, but definitely have one thing in common and that’s that you are able to obtain a degree. Online classes are becoming a thing of the future, it helps many parents maintain balance in their lives while furthering their education. Traditional classes are still being offered, more students are just more comfortable been in a classroom setting no matter if there is balance in their lives or not. The economic downturn is driving rapid acceptance of online education, with total online enrollments growing by nearly one million students between 2008 and 2009, according to new research from the Sloan Consortium. “This represents the largest every year-to-year increase in the number of students studying online,” said Elaine Allen, co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group and professor of statistics and entrepreneurship at Babson College. “Nearly thirty percent of all college and university students now take at least one course online.” However, online classes aren’t for everyone, an individual is responsible for making time to study, getting assignments done and participating in discussions. Traditional classes don’t offer much flexibility because they have a set schedule you have to follow, so you have to balance your life around class. Some schools are also combining both methods of online and traditional education, a student can attend school once a week for class and have the rest of the week online for other classes. When deciding to further your education it is always one question that comes to mind, how much will it cost' Tuition is at an all time high, so it’s important to be able to cut financial expenses in any way possible. With attending online classes it’s generally much cheaper to attend classes online because the schools don’t have to pay for the upkeep of a classroom and books and materials can be downloaded. Traditional schools are trying to cut tuition for students as well by decreasing the time it takes to obtain a degree. Traditional public universities are less expensive than most online private universities. Public colleges that offer online courses generally have competitive and affordable prices. However, private institutions usually charge rates comparable to their traditional campuses. “While the sluggish economy continues to drive enrollment growth, large public institutions are feeling budget pressure and competition from the for-profit sector institutions,” said Babson. So, when it comes to furthering your education there is still other financial expenses that you have to worry about like, gas, clothes or bus fare to get back and forth to a traditional class, but with online classes you save on all expenses like gas or bus fare and money for snacks. One huge difference between online and traditional classes is how the student is able to learn. Online students learn using email, videos and chat forums to communicate, while traditional students have face to face interactions, body language and teacher’s facial interactions to help them learn. Online students are usually students that like to learn individually because they can interpret things better when there is no one to disturb the class. Some students develop short attention spans after sitting in a classroom for hours and usually don’t process the information as well as they should. Traditional students are usually very sociable and like to interact with others and learn best with the hands on learning approach. The traditional classes usually help develops a students verbal communication and online classes helps develop a students writing skills. However, online classes do help a student communicate just as well as a traditional student. A Mark Kretovics, PhD, an assistant professor in the Higher Education Administration Department at Kent State University, conducted a study comparing online and campus learners in an MBA program at Colorado State University, where he was then an assistant dean. The education statistics gathered through the survey revealed that online students learned as well as, or better than, the face-to-face students. Not taking anything away from traditional education it’s just that independent learning is proving to be more effective than group learning and allows students to learn at their own pace. So now that we have viewed most of the similarities and differences, we know that there are more ways that a person can obtain a degree. Times have changed to allow students, the ability to balance home life and school options to further their education. However, there is a big debate about whether online schools are beneficial or not. Some people say that some jobs don’t accept online degrees, they prefer a candidate that has a degree from a traditional school but if a school is accredited that’s all that should matter. More students are getting higher education degrees such as master’s and doctoral degrees online because it‘s more convenient and takes lesser time than traditional schooling. Traditional schools are changing up offering more online classes to keep their current students, they realize that online classes are in high demand and that they also need to change with the times. When trying to find the perfect fit for school in your life, you just have to figure out what factors matter the most to you. Do you have time to sit in an actual classroom, or would a virtual classroom be more convenient for you' How much longer do you have to finish your degree, could you finish online faster' What type of learner are you, do you learn better independently or better in a group setting' If you are a parent that is self motivated, working fulltime and want to continue on with your education, then going to school online would probably benefit you the most. Maybe you’re the type of person that just needs to have the face to face interaction then traditional schooling is for you. No matter what type of student you are there is a form of education out there to fit in your life. References: OnlineEducation.com, 2010 Sloan Consortium.org, “Class Differences”: Online Education in the United States, 2010 Elaine Allen, co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group and professor of statistics and entrepreneurship at Babson College Mark Kretovics, PhD, an assistant professor in the Higher Education Administration Department at Kent State University, 2006 Online-Education-Statistics/Education-Statistics.aspx, 2006