By Katheryn Rivas

Online education has increased by more than 20 percent in the past two years, indicating that students have embraced this unconventional mode of education.  Outside factors have contributed to this rise, including the recession (and the subsequent need for students to save money), the rising costs of college, and even the H1N1 scare.  Additionally, the increase in the number of traditional colleges that have begun to offer online courses has contributed to the rise in the number of online universities as this has become a popular way to earn an education.

The economy has led to a higher demand for educated workers and the amount of college students within all types of universities has risen in the past year.  While much of this increase is due to the rise in online universities, it is also indicative of an economy that is shifting toward a better educated public.  Online education has simply become the best fit for students who need a further education to attain a job and cannot compete with the rising costs of traditional colleges.  Online universities have in a sense saved these students and offered them a cheaper alternative to attending college.

While online universities initially did not have the best reputation, the passing of the federal bill a few years ago helped boost the credibility of online schools and helped work towards a higher number of accredited online universities.  Since this growth of online universities has resulted in 1 in 4 students taking online courses, traditional schools have tried to compete with online universities, offering full degree programs through distance learning.  With so many options to choose from, the possibilities nearly seem endless for students of online education, possibilities which were not an option only five years ago.   

The growth in online learning is only the first step in a shift in education.  The next few years are bound to indicate a further rise in the availability of online courses, as online education spreads throughout the world.  The sour mood of the economy has led to a surprising beneficial rise in this sector of education, something which economists could not have predicted.  Students are now able to work and attend classes at their leisure, a feat which was very difficult to do in traditional schools.  The easy availability of online universities has now allowed students to pick a school that caters to their schedule and their budget, as they are able to take classes from the comfort of their own home and create their own schedule. 
 

Many of us have not taken an English class since high school and are lost when it comes time to write a big proposal for work or a letter to a client.  Not to fear! The flexibility in online education has created a niche for online writing classes that offer free lectures to interested parties.  These lectures include ones that are delivered from current authors, from university programs, and lectures about famous authors. 

Determining what type of lecture will best improve your writing is important to picking a lecture.  Many lectures that are offered help individuals improve their writing through every type of outlet, whether they are focused more on rhetoric, on creative writing, or even science writing.  These lectures get their audience to move away from the standardized junior high style of writing which so many individuals still rely on, and instead move them closer to a more professional style of writing. 

One lecture which every person should take when looking to improve their writing is one which caters exclusively to essay writing.  This is a style of writing that is easily adaptable to any type of career and can be manipulated to any subject matter.  After listening to this type of initial lecture, you should move on to a lecture that is better suited for the writing you will be doing at work.  There are now lectures that are available for nature writing, science writing, social media writing, film, and many more.  Each style of writing is similar in its underlying structure, although each lecture can teach you how to attract the reader and draw them into the message you wish to send out.

Social media has become one of the top ways to communicate to a large audience through short articles, and lectures can help you hone in on your writing skills and adapt them to a different medium.  Social media in particular involves a drastically different style of writing than ordinary essays; online articles need to be able to jump out and grab the reader, while other essays in journals or papers cater to a different type of audience.  Determining who your audience will be is the best way to determine what type of writing style is the best one for you, and after this initial step, you will be able to expand your knowledge of English and the written word.

Lectures are only the first step to improving your writing; after this point, you need to immerse yourself with the type of writing style you wish to learn and write as much as possible.  The easy accessibility of online lectures is only one way the internet has changed the way many of us learn new subjects.  Many top level schools offer these free lectures and may in fact encourage you to try out a further online class after this first step. 

Online university students are a new part of the education industry that involves a heightened understanding of the course and the ability to work independently with course material without leaning too much on other students or the professor.  This is vastly different from the traditional education methods of college students who work together in groups and meet with their professors regularly to discuss a topic.

Many educators are still unsure as to whether online university students truly understand the point of the course through distance learning.  While many studies have indicated that students perform better through distance learning when compared to classroom settings, educators are still unconvinced that this is a comparable teaching method.  However, many times these educators are undermining the potential of online university students as they have flourished in the “learning from home” setting.  This allows them the freedom to attend classes when they have time too and do their work in a more concise manner, rather than the typical college student.

Additionally, online university students are typically more mature than traditional college students since many of them are either working full time or raising a family full time (which is why online college is perfect for them).  As a result, many students have a small time frame to complete work and subsequently plan their schedule around this time so that they are well prepared for class and have completed all their assignments.  Traditional college students typically wait until the last minute to complete assignments rather than setting aside specific time each day to work on a project.  This is one of the major differences between the students, although it has little to do with the online education process and more to do with students’ lifestyle choices.

The online university setting has evolved in recent years along with technology so that students can feel more at home with their classes and can be in constant contact with their professors and other students.  While this is different from the face-to-face method of traditional schooling, it offers online students a way to communicate despite the boundary of the computer.  The statistics have revealed that online university students are growing at an exponential rate, indicating that many students enjoy this method of instruction and are not missing out on the traditional setting, which is causing a shift in our education system worldwide.   While we will not necessarily “give up” on traditional schooling, the modern era has determined that this does not have to be the only way to get an education. 

Typical university teaching jobs require a Masters or Ph.D in a specialized subject, paired with years of research and experience in teaching.  This has not changed with the switch to online education, but online universities have made the teaching process much easier than in recent years. 

The New York Times recently interviewed several professors of online classes, many of them who simply wake up and sit at their breakfast table to post online assignments for their students.  This seems like a dream job for many of us who have to report to work at 9 and get out at 5; the flexibility of working from home seems almost unreal and something many younger workers strive to earn.  However, working from home is not everything its cracked up to be, and many times distractions from home keep you from doing the work you are assigned.  However, for many online university teachers, the joys of working from home are much different and they are better trained to ignore any outside distractions.

Online university teaching jobs are attractive to many seasoned professors who have younger children.  This allows many of them to spend time with their children at home while still teaching class via online university degree programs.  The new stay at home mom no longer has to give up her career aspirations but can instead choose a different route to a new career goal.  Online university professors additionally have the flexibility of being more available to their students than traditional university professors.  Typically, students have to hunt down their professors for an answer to a simply question; however, online professors are seemingly connected to their internet life and are available at an email’s notice for a follow-up question.

While online university teaching jobs may seem unsubstantial for many traditional professors, their easy accessibility for any lifestyle has made it an attractive choice both for stay at home moms or older professors who do not want the commute to school anymore.  The teaching process is also difficult for many professors who are used to their face to face interactions with students, but this is easily overcome after a few months in the online education sector.  Studies have even indicated that the lack of interaction has led to a newfound independence in students, rather than relying on fellow students or the crutch of professors.  Whether or not this job is for you is a different matter, as many educators still enjoy the traditional teaching methods.  However, for an up and coming education process, the online community seems set to overtake the education industry in the coming years and online teachers are at the forefront of it all. 

Online education has opened up a brand new realm of education for students who could never before picture themselves earning a college degree.  This prospect has been especially beneficial during the recession, as more people have found themselves out of work or in danger of losing their job; as a result, many of these individuals have turned to online university courses to supplement their degree or make their resumes more appealing to potential employers.

Online university courses have presented job seekers with the precarious situation of attending classes to earn a second degree while still holding onto their current work situation.  This has presented many employees with an opportunity they never before considered: the chance to earn a degree worthy of a promotion without taking time off from work.  Certain online MBA degrees are specifically catered to those who have already been in the business industry for several years and are therefore easier to earn than typical MBA degrees from major universities. 

In an uncertain economy, earning a supplemental degree seems one of the better ways to arm yourself against the potential downgrading in your company.  As a result, the online university course enrollment has nearly doubled in the past year, as now more than ever, people are relying on their educational background to earn them a career.  With the ever-expanding selection of online university courses, this hope for future prosperity does not seem to be ill-placed and many students of online courses have found themselves with a degree that is even more helpful than their original degree.  Major online universities have continuously been adding degree programs to their selections in order to appeal to a wider range of students around the nation.

Online university courses have saved the economy in a way, as they have helped more students sustain lasting jobs and have provided an outlet for new revenue within the nation.  It is additionally optimistic that this is only the beginning of what online education has to offer students of any industry and of any discipline.  While education has always been the building block of society, online education has now made this opportunity available to nearly any potential student around the world. 

The up and coming online education industry has indicated to many educators that online university degrees will become more prominent within a few years, as studies have shown that students take away more from online classes than they do in traditional classes.  Online university degrees have evolved during the past few years to a point where they are on par with traditional degrees, especially when students are earning their second degree.  The next decades seem set to expand on the many degree programs that are offered, evolving even further to reach more students than ever before.

Currently, online university degree programs cater to students whose lives are too busy to set foot into a classroom or take traditional classes after work.  This concept has slowly expanded so that most online universities now offer anything from associates degrees up to Ph.D programs.  In the next few years, even more online schools seem set to emerge and they will more than likely cater to many different classes of students.  Currently, the MBA programs for many online schools are divided into different categories: some are created exclusively for students who have been in the business world for a few years, while others are created for students fresh out of undergrad.  Regardless of the degree program, the next few years will probably demonstrate an evolution of this concept, as students will be able to choose a degree program that is exclusively created for students of their work background.

Additionally, the many degree programs will also be sorted according to any possible background schooling.  Students who are unsure of their academic background will be placed into separate online courses while others who have achieved superior academic standing in other courses will be placed into a separate class.  Drawing on high school honors classes for inspiration, future online courses will more than likely allow students to choose what level they are in, and therefore how long their degree will take to earn.  Online university degrees have reached a point in their creation where students are able to complete classes without disrupting their lives too much, and degree programs will be able to cater more exclusively to student schedules after this point. 

Online university degrees will continue to attract the more unconventional students, and will hopefully boost the country’s overall graduation rate as more and more students join the work force equipped with a degree.  Only a few years ago students were unable to boast of their degree because of their busy work schedule, but the heavy prominence of the internet in our lives has allowed these students an alternate approach to online degrees. 

Accredited online universities are a major part of universal educational programs for many countries that find themselves on the brink of modernity.  South Africa was one of the first third world nations to jump on the online university wagon in the beginning of the century, as internet cafes opened for business.  Since then, many other African nations have followed suit, allowing their students to gain an education without spending thousands of dollars to travel to Western nations. 

Accreditation was an initial problem upon the foundation of online universities, as more and more students around the world discovered that the courses they enrolled in were not worth a degree and only produced one which lacked accreditation.  As a result, these universities have been sought out by lawmakers across Western nations and tweaked so that it is clear now that you are enrolling in an accredited online university.  These universities have offered many students around the United States opportunities they could never have dreamed of, and this has additionally transferred to countries that are less fortunate than we are.

The global online education market has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, with for-profit education business on the rise.  Many companies have since forged alliances with universities and institutions to bridge the gap between the third and first world, and help dispel the awful images that are associated with the third world.  International corporations have since expanded their markets as a result of globalization and now cater to a whole different type of client and student.  Technology is now constantly evolving and even countries in poverty stricken areas can now offer their students a chance at education, as long as they pay a nominal fee.

The first free online global university opened for business earlier this year, only requiring students to pay an enrollment and exam fee, costing around $30 for those students from impoverished countries.  Educating the younger generation is vital if we are to attempt to enlist change within these troubled areas of the world, and the vision of one Israeli entrepreneur has contributed to the change that is currently taking place.  The University of the People is still in its trial phase, but is expected to attract thousands of students within the next year of its existence, despite criticisms of its lack of payment for professors (attempting to indicate substandard teaching methods).

However, despite the vast criticism that online schools have always faced, accredited online universities are on the rise, both in and out of Western nations.  The fact that students in India can now earn nearly any type of degree possible is going to be what lifts the country out of its drastic difference in wealth between the rich and the poor, toward a more substantial middle class.  This will be true for many other nations, as the world looks toward a more educated future.

We have all seen the commercials on TV for online universities: “wear pajamas to class!” and “relax from home!”; however, it is not clear if this is actually a selling point for most online colleges.  How many potential students are sitting around watching TV only to come across this commercial and think to themselves that online school is the thing for them?  It is a lower number than most commercials attract, and the problem stems from the way commercials reach out to potential students. 

While most students from online universities do tend to be younger, there are still many students who are middle-aged or older, looking for a supplemental degree.  These types of advertisements do not attract an older generation, which is what online universities need to work on.  Additionally, most commercials air on channels that younger generations are more prone to watch as compared to channels that appeal more to an older demographic.  Working on this type of shift in appeal will have mass repercussions throughout the online community as people begin to realize that online universities are not solely meant for the younger student.  Older students already feel self-conscious as it is and helping them feel like they fit in can help attract more students to continue their degrees.

Spicing up commercials is one method of attracting potential students to online universities, but it is not the only outlet to attract a different type of student.  Older students are more prone to be attracted to more traditional methods of reaching out to people, such as mail or brochures.  Advertising in the work place is an excellent way to attract students toward a supplemental degree; working together with businesses is a common way for schools to promote their degree programs, especially those that appeal more to a business professional (such as an MBA).  While many online programs may advertise to a vast spectrum of potential students, the majority of online schools advertise via commercials and billboards on the side of the road.  Appealing to a different type of student may raise the prominence of enrollment around the country.

Additionally, reaching students in high school is another major outlet for online universities since it presents many with a feasible alternative to both work and attend classes.  The economy has caused more high school students to become uncertain of their future, and online universities present the perfect alternative so that students can attend class at night (from home) and still maintain a daily work schedule.  This has been able to allow many students to receive degrees when they thought they were stuck with only a high school diploma.  Earning a college degree is vastly beneficial for your future, and getting this message out to a wide assortment of students can make a huge impact on both our economy and our social structure.  

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.   

Imagine earning an online university degree without the expense of tuition.  This is the brain-child of Reshef, an Israeli entrepreneur with decades of experience in international education.  His goal is to take the popularity of social networking and apply it to educational fields.  Thus far, Reshef is already the founder of many internet-based educational businesses and knows how to attract people across the globe.  Additionally, he has prepared an impressive resume to become the perfect founder for such an endeavor, working for years in online universities such as Kaplan and University of Liverpool.

His idea for this school is called the University of the People and combines the lure of the internet with the sudden boom in online education.  2007 alone demonstrated the high demand for online education in the United States, with over four million students enrolled in online courses.  Thus far, many other prestigious universities have offered free online classes to the public, such as MIT and Utah State, but never a whole university curriculum that ends with an Online University Degree.   

Reshef’s idea offers a competitive edge to schools such as University of Phoenix and Kaplan University, who are notably for-profit institutions, as compared to Reshef’s nonprofit plans.    Like other online universities, the University of the People would offer online study communities, homework assignments, and exams.  While there is no tuition requirement, the school will require a nominal fee for enrollment and exams, ranging from $10 to $100, depending on your economic situation and the situation of your country. 

While this program is attractive to education fields around the world, it is not without criticism.  Many directors of academia argue that there is no draw for educated faulty to want to participate in a program that does not require tuition money.  Other educators question the logistics of such a plan.  Testing students from various regions of the world will require a vast knowledge about their education systems, and while the program is directed toward English-speakers, what will the university do for students whose English is not at a college level?  Or students who are not in the predominantly English-speaking countries?

Reshef contends that his university will use both active and retired professors, some paid, some volunteers and other master-level professionals to develop and oversee curriculums.  His current goal is to limit the first class to only 300 students when the university opens, offering only bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer science, hopefully reaching a potential population of 10,000 within a few years.  As the school is wrapping up the end of its first semester, it appears to be on a forward track to make waves around the world, even earning the backing of the United Nations.  Reshef  stresses that in this world full of social networks with people helping people, a university of this nature will only bring globalization boundaries closer together.