Pros & Cons of Online College Classes, Essay Example

Online education is quite a new phenomenon as evident from the fact that our grandparents and parents studied in a traditional classroom setting. The traditional education system is still going strong but the growing role of technology in education is also an undeniable fact. Technology has progressed to such an extent that many Americans are obtaining college degree without ever leaving their homes or workplaces if the popularity of online degree providers such as Phoenix University is an indication. The merits of both traditional education system and online education system are debatable but one should not ignore the fact that online education system is quite infant and still evolving. No system is ever perfect and online education system has indeed some shortcomings. But these potential shortcomings are outweighed by potential benefits, thus, online education system should be embraced rather than resisted.

Online education system will help improve literacy rates in both developed and developing countries. One of the major shortcomings of traditional education system is major investment in physical capital such as buildings which increases costs of delivery education and, thus, price of education. On the other hands, online education doesn’t require these intensive investments in building and other facilities and, thus, education could be provided at low prices and sometimes even free out of social service. Not only the direct costs of online education are lower than traditional education system but savings only add up when other related costs are taken into account. First of all, students save on the cost of commute(Kokemuller). Second, online material including ebooks are cheaper than print material such as paper textbooks.

Online education system should also be embraced because it encourages more and more people to obtain education or advance their academic credentials due to lower if any geographical constraints. Unlike traditional education system in which the student has to be living in close geographical proximity of physical facilities where education takes place, online education doesn’t present such challenges as long as one has access to computer and internet. In addition to removing geographical limitations, it is also a great option for those who are short on time such as working adults because they can use the time saved in commuting towards work-related activities.

One of the concerns about online education system is that the quality of instruction and students’ learning is inferior to traditional education system. While these concerns may have had some truth to them in the beginning when online education system had just started but like any other system, online education system continues to evolve. Some studies indicate that the quality of online education and students’ performance has actually been better than traditional education system and in addition, more and more employers are embracing online degree holders. The Department of Education literature review from 1994 to 2006 found that learning by K-12 students taking online classes was comparable to those receiving face-to-face instruction.But despite comparable learning, K-12 students taking online classes performed slightly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction (The Huffington Post). Similarly, a study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 90 percent of employers had more favorable views of online degrees in 2010 as compared to five years ago (Kyle). The increasingly favorable attitude of employers towards online education may be due to a number of factors such as growing quality of online education as well as better understanding of online education by employers.

The opponents of online education complain that there is lack of social engagement in online classrooms that we usually witness in traditional classroom settings (Kokemuller). This may be true but the improvements in information technology will eventually help us increase social engagement in online classrooms. In fact, we have already seen improvements over the last few years as software programs like GoToMeeting (GoToMeeting) demonstrate. They usually say that money follows demand and as online education becomes more popular, we can expect revolutionary technologies like holograms(Vadala) to significantly improve online education social experience. We may already have seen holograms in works of science fiction but as prominent scientist and science education Dr. Michio Kakurecently reminded us, science fiction is quickly become science fact (Barton).

One of the impacts of globalization has been an increase in competition between companies. As a result, companies are investing more in their employees to gain edge over the competition. Continuous learning is becoming a fact of life now due to fast pace of change. But going to college involves high opportunity costs because the employee may have to take time off from job. Online education on the other hand offers flexibility to employees as many programs can be done around the employees’ schedule. This enables employees to update their skills without incurring the high opportunity costs that result from getting education in a traditional setting.

It is reasonable to assume that the demand for education will continue to increase, especially in developing countries. One of the benefits of online education is that it is easily scalable to accommodate increasing number of students as opposed to traditional education system in which investments has to be made in physical facilities; a process that is costly both in terms of time and financial resources. On the other hand, all it takes to expand the size of an online class is to purchase additional server capacity whose costs continue to decline with advancements in computing technologies.It is just as researchers Chi-Sing and Beverly Irby noted that the demand for education has been growing at a pace faster than the one at which traditional education services can be expanded. Thus, online education is seen as cheaper and effective solution to meeting the growing demand for education(Li and Irby).

When we think of excellence in education, some of the names that immediately come to mind include as prominent universities as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. The fact that even institutions like these have embraced online education(Brooks) indicates that online education is the future and it is futile to resist it because it is a better fit into the changing reality of the world we live in.

It is clear that online education is the future and should be embraced. It may have its shortcomings but it also offers several advantages that traditional education system doesn’t. Online education addresses issues related to geographical constraints and time constraints. It is also cheaper and can be designed around one’s schedule. It may also encourage more people to get education since there is minimal impact on their work life. Even the most prominent academic institutions like Harvard and MIT have embraced online education because they have realized it is the future.

Works Cited

Barton, Thomas J. Kaku: Science fiction quickly becoming science fact. 21 September 2014. 27 September 2014 <http://www.thonline.com/home/article_52ae04d4-41d1-11e4-90a3-001a4bcf6878.html>.

Brooks, David. The Campus Tsunami. 3 May 2012. 27 September 2014 <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/opinion/brooks-the-campus-tsunami.html>.

GoToMeeting. 27 September 2014 <http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/collaboration/enter>.

Kokemuller, Neil. Pros & Cons of Online College Classes. 27 September 2014 <http://education.seattlepi.com/pros-cons-online-college-classes-1472.html>.

Kyle, Chris. Pros and Cons of Online Education. 6 December 2011. 27 September 2014 <http://www.university.com/is_an_online_education_for_you/>.

Li, Chi-Sing and Beverly Irby. “An Overview of Online Education: Attractiveness, Benefits, Challenges, Concerns and Recommendations.” College Student Journal June 2008: 449-458.

The Huffington Post. Online Learning: The Pros And Cons Of K-12 Computer Courses. 13 April 2011. 27 September 2014 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/12/online-learning-pros-and-cons_n_848362.html>.

Vadala, Nick. 3 Ways We’ll Communicate in the Future. 12 April 2013. 27 September 2014 <http://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/04/12/future-communication-telepathy-holograms-new-internet/>.