Debate over Online Learning Is Mere Noise with No Logic

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Online education is not just a phrase to linger without significance, it is here to stay and rule. So, do many students and working professionals believe it to be so. But what can possibly cease the ongoing debate between online education and traditional learning? Possibly, it is a never-ending controversy that clouds the minds, but is there a conclusion to be derived? Let’s have a look. 

Traditional v/s Online Learning 

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If you are asked to sit in a classroom, jot down notes from the blackboard at hours stretch and wrap off school assignments within strict deadlines, would you still believe that you are receiving quality education? In a short while, you are bound to get bored and lose interest. Traditional brick and motor institutions prefer to use these strategies for enlightening students and so it is one of the reasons why a deluge of new age learners are more inclined towards online learning. Survey reveals that about 72% of students from across the world prefer to study through administering blogging sites and social networking sites. Besides, a lot of educational blogs get published on a daily basis with the intention to keep career professionals and students updated on an array of subjects. (Source)

To enhance your knowledge more on online learning, we list down a few advantages why you should opt for this particular mode of learning and how it will benefit you.

·        You can study from anywhere. No matter, which part of the world you belong from, you can pursue a course from start till end at your own flexibility without attending classrooms. You enjoy the advantage of learning right from home.

·        You bring significant potential to your career by studying a validated course, the skills and expertise of which you can implement in various fields.

·        You enjoy flexibility of pursuing courses that can be adjusted between family life and work as you feel.

·        Besides, you can interact with other students on the same online radar through social networking sites.

Thus, you gain accredited qualification from a State University, which is globally recognised and is validated. You save time and energy for other commitments, apart from enhancing academic credence. Hence, so far you have been informed about how online education is effectively impacting students and working professionals at large, then why there is so much controversy over online education. Let’s have a look. 

Debate over Online Education- Is it worth it?

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The debate goes on, is online education worth it? There are apprehensions about online education since it is a virtual learning mode where students cannot have face to face interactions with teachers or will not have to attend on-campus training. But online supports features like enabling students have access to online tutorials and have interactions with other students through networking sites and have access to course materials. Read on to know how validated reports show inclination of students towards traditional learning, which is already and is yet to redirect towards online learning in the nearest future. So, the time has set in where online learning is emerging with prominence. 

The University of Nottingham held the Open Education Resource conference on the 26th of March revealing how students are defending the need of traditional learning. Students will only delve deep into world of online education only if they are instructed so by teachers. “Students are actually quite conservative in their use of open education resources (OERs). The students in our samples were clear while many made use of them in their own learning, they were much more likely to do so when it was part of their course and it has been suggested to them by their lecturer.” 

Nonetheless, there was a recent finding as unveiled by the Institute of Public Policy Research report, which stated in ‘An Avalanche is Coming: higher education and the revolution ahead’ that established Universities might counter menace if it fails to react to the progress of online education. (Source)

Thus, the same report as above states how students are still inclined towards traditional learning but they cannot deny the importance of online education. 

1.      It is believed that UK Universities will cease to run in the coming 10 years, unless they adapt initiatives driven by technology, globalisation, and competition for funding and rising students’ expectations. There needs to be urgent and radical transformation in higher education and so institutions have to adapt to those changes. Universities are supposedly to face an avalanche of risks from more specialised institutions, privately funded research centres and online learning providers. (Source)

Thus, the above is clearly evident of the fact that traditional Universities need to adapt new techniques of learning and new modules that could keep pace with this technically advanced world. Traditional learning is effective, but it time consuming and non flexible. Hence students are reluctant to sit in classes for hours and block two to three years of their lives into a course. Have a look at this videoto know how education is being redirected from conventional to online mode.       

So, in this regard it can be said that online providers collaborated with State Universities are working towards a bright future for professionals and students. Today, the trend is to access long distance study from UK, since UK Universities have major associations with many distance providers. They are focused towards catering online tutorial support to help you achieve goals. Besides, most of these providers offer 60% less of course fees than what is directly offered by UK Universities. 

Therefore, it is concluded that the debate over online education is not worth it. It is just a noise created with no logic. Though, there are reports (as mentioned above) where students are still inclined to traditional learning that have vented debate over online learning, this mode of education can never fade. In fact, it will loom large to prominence where a time will come when all educational institutions will use online education as a strong force for enlightening the globe.