Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Julia Remsik
2/19/18
ENG120
Online courses in college are beneficial to both students and teachers who prefer to
perform tasks at their own pace. Universities have assessed education the same way for
centuries, and only in the last twenty years or so has a new medium been introduced that has
allowed for a revolution in education. Online courses are not just a more convenient way for
students to complete their credit hours, they’re for individuals who learn by digesting the
curriculum in a way that works best for them. It is no secret that every student is somewhat
different, and due to that many ‘learning styles’ have been defined to accommodate that.
Benjamin Bloom, a distinguished educational psychologist once stated, “It makes no sense to
expect all students to take the same amount of time to achieve the same objectives” (TEDx
Talks, 2017). Many students may be perfectly fine learning in a traditional environment, while
others may struggle with the consistent class times and the strictly scheduled curriculum. That is
why students must have an online option to better suit their needs.
The luxury of choice is a benefit that comes with online education, that may not be
available otherwise. Students can choose from an array of different courses from around the
country while they complete their education from anywhere in the world (Littlefield, 2017).
Anywhere with internet access can be transformed into a learning hub where students can pursue
interests or careers while simultaneously earning their desired degree. Students don’t have to
commute to a campus where many will be lost in a sea of people and expected to all perform at
the same pace. The flexibility allowed in an online course can allow for students to learn the
information during a time that is convenient for them. Student’s may find themselves tired
during a lecture because of lack of sleep the previous night, with online education students can
work on earning that knowledge at a time where their brain is more likely to take in the
information (Neilson, 2011). Opponents of online courses would say that because students will
not have the benefit of face-to-face instruction they will not be able to learn information as well.
However, if a student is not fully focused during traditional instruction, then what is the point of
students in online courses outperformed their peers in traditional class rooms (Littlefield, 2017).
This is significant because it says that students were better prepared to participate and ask
It is all too common in traditional education for lecture courses to exceed three-hundred
students, which is obviously too many for professors to give a customized education to. This
allows for some students to fall behind and struggle in a course they might succeed in if done
with another medium. According to studies done, test scores and grades were overall consistent
across the different types of learning (Jaggars). These results were backed up further in a study
done that concluded there was no clear difference between online and traditional instruction
when comparing test scores at the end (Karr). This is significant because it indicates that students
are able to learn with a different medium, at that validates the online format. Many students have
a hard time maintaining concentration throughout an extended lecture and prefer to divvy up
their work into several sessions. This was addressed in by Richardson in which she explains that
students perceived learning was similar between online and traditional learning (2003).
Many critics of online education doubt the student’s accountability when completing and
online course (Karr, 2003). They do not believe the student can teach themselves anything of
consequence and will resort to finding answers without learning the material (TEDx Talks,
2017). Although this may be true in some cases, any accredited online courses are set up in a
way that allow students to master the material just as they would with face-to-face instruction. If
a student’s primary goal in education is to learn, then they will learn in any medium that works
best for them. Another reason people critique online learning is that it is somewhat new. There is
a stigma around earning your degree online, people devalue it because it wasn’t earned in the
way people are used to. Many other ways of doing things have been transitioned to being
primarily online, so why can’t it work with education? Shopping used to be something that could
only be done in person, when somebody wanted something they would have to go to the store
and pick it up. When a family wanted to watch a movie, they would have to go to the cinema,
now most everyone has the option to watch Netflix. The United States Government even allows
for citizens to complete most any official document online. Online education should be the same
way, people shouldn’t degrade it just because it doesn’t fit the typical mode. If it wasn’t
legitimate than 33% of students would be taking at least one online class (Online Colleges,
2017).
Many employers are just now starting to change their opinions about online degrees and
believing that it is just as legitimate as the traditional route (Online Colleges, 2017). In 2010,
according to one survey taken, 83% of CEOs believed online degrees to be as credible as
traditional ones. This is significant because it shows that employers are accepting the evolution
of education. As of 2014, 98% of universities in the United States offered online programs and
77% of educators claimed the learning outcomes to be the same or superior to those in face-to-
face instruction (Dumbauld, 2015). It appears as if the United States is on its’ way to becoming a
country where online instruction dominates education. If that is the case, that there must be a
reason so many people on board. It is because online education is just as or more effective and is
Engineering Math Course.” The Journal of Interactive Online Learning, vol. 1, no. 3,
Jaggars, Shanna Smith, and Thomas Bailey. “Effectiveness of Fully Online Courses for College
July 2010.
Richardson, Jennifer, and Karen Swan. “Examining Social Presence in Online Courses in
Relation to Students' Perceived Learning and Satisfaction.” 1 Feb. 2003, Vol. 7, no. 1, pp.
68-88.
Schulman, Allan H., and Randi L. Sims. “Learning in an Online Format versus an In-Class
Format: An Experimental Study.” T H E Journal, 1 June 1999, Vol. 26, No. 11.
"The Era of Online Learning | Niema Moshiri | TEDxUCSD" Youtube, uploaded by TEDxTalks,
Littlefield, Jamie. “10 Reasons to Choose an Online Education.” ThoughtCo, 26 Mar. 2017,
www.thoughtco.com/reasons-to-choose-online-education-1098006.
Nielsen, Lisa. “10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online.” The Huffington Post,
students-say-t_b_812785.html.
“Online College Students by the Numbers.” OnlineColleges.net, 4 Jan. 2017,
www.onlinecolleges.net/for-students/online-college-students-by-the-numbers/.
Dumbauld, Beth. “A Brief History of Online Learning [Infographic].” How to Save on Your
online-learning-infographic/.