November 30th, 2009
I learned to type when I was younger than 5, proving the point that my generation has had technology at their fingertips since infanthood. It is therefore no wonder that this generation which is so obsessed with Twitter, Facebook, and Google has managed to earn every type of degree using the internet. Recent studies by the Department of Education has further indicated that students in online universities perform better than students in the classroom setting.
While this is still only a small margin and an ongoing study, this is indicative of the shift our country has undergone from one-room schools only a century ago, to connecting with a class from your laptop computer anywhere you go. This offers students the most convenient form of education imaginable: you can basically earn a degree from any part of the world….as long as there is a working internet connection. Furthermore, many of these studies have indicated that online education allows students to focus more than they otherwise would be able to because they do not have the normal distractions of students in a classroom. Think about it: how much more would you have received out of classes throughout your education if you were able to focus simply on the assignment, rather than everyone else in the classroom?
While this approach is heavily criticized and is compared to homeschooled children, the fact remains that online universities have increased in number and attract a large population of students around the country. This number is only speculated to increase as technology advances throughout the years and web-conferencing allows professors to monitor their students in ways that have not even been thought of yet. Many of these correspondence courses additionally allow students to “learn by doing” and do work more independently rather than relying on a classmate or the professor to help them through the assignment.
This type of education is not for everyone and means giving up a large social part of education; however, many online universities offer the option for students to take only the most basic introductory courses through the school and continue onto the more traditional classroom setting once they have a grasp of college material. This option is set to become a widely used alternative for many high school graduates, as education costs continue to rise around the country and online universities offer a cost-efficient alternative to the introductory classes, saving parents and students several thousand dollars.
While classrooms are not on their way out the door yet, these studies signify that online universities have drawn a large population of students who prefer this type of educational community and excel in this setting.
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