DEFINING ONLINE EDUCATION

Defining Online Education

Defining Online Education

Online education, also known as distance learning or e-learning, differs from traditional education because students are not required to visit an actual classroom and listen to an instructor face-to-face. Online education is "a classroom without walls," says Dr. Stella Thompson, an online Assistant Professor of English at Prairie View A&M University. It's "engaging in assisted, self-directed learning." Online students are taught by the same qualified instructors, receive the same beneficial skills and training, and have access to the same services offered to traditional, on-campus students. However, online students have access to the most innovative learning programs in the world, including streaming video, real-time virtual classrooms, Web casts, MP3 lecture downloads, and networking tools that keep them in touch with top industry professionals. (Belanger, 2000, 101-115) Even the libraries are now online and accessible 24/7. Click on the top online schools below to learn more about what they have to offer.

Programs begin throughout the year, even as often as every few weeks. Students can earn professional certification, associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees without every setting foot in the classroom, and career-based courses are designed using the most up-to-date technology and information, preparing students for the latest career opportunities. Below is a list of the most popular programs to meet all your academic and professional goals. More than 300 independent studies have shown that online programs are unrivaled in academic quality and performance, and that people with online degrees are in high demand by top companies around the world. Online education caters to busy working adults and ambitious young professionals by offering them the education they deserve. ClassesAndCareers.com has all the latest information when it comes to online education. With hundreds of online degrees and thousands of campuses to choose from, you'll be sure to find what you are looking for. (Belanger, 2000, 101-115)

One of the fastest growing uses of technology is for online education. Student enrollment in online university degree programs has increased in recent years, but more interesting is the increase in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) students who are foregoing recess and pep rallies to study in virtual classrooms.

K12 is the largest provider of accredited online learning for grades K-12. It offers tuition-free and private supplemental learning, blended online/offline programs, and full-time online programs in the United States and internationally. K12 allows students to learn at their own level and has a strong social community with regularly sponsored events. Great as all this sounds, the trend towards online learning raises the question of just how effective online education is compared to traditional education. According to a recent study conducted by SRI International for the US Department of Education, online learners perform slightly better than students in traditional face-to-face classrooms. (Belanger, 2000, 101-115)The study analyzed research that compared online and conventional learning at institutions of higher education and in K-12 settings between 1996 and 2008. A key finding of the report is that students doing partial or all course work online rank, on average, ...