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How Are Online Colleges Different From Traditional Colleges?

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How Are Online Colleges Different From Traditional Colleges?

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Traditional education and online education have the same goal; getting students degrees. However There are significant differences. Such as, instead of face-to-face contact it is all over e-mail or video chat. However in traditional education, it is all face-to-face.

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Online colleges and traditional ones have the same goals in mind: to provide students with an education and award degrees. Although their purposes are the same, they have significant differences. A key distinction between online and traditional colleges is the Internet-based curriculum. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an online class is defined as "a formal education process in which the students and instructor are not in the same place." This means that all exams, lectures and much of the reading in online classes are done on the Web. This is the biggest change when transitioning from traditional classroom learning. Many students have overcome the challenge of online instruction and have adapted well to the system.

As in traditional courses, online ones are taught by instructors and include multiple classmates. However, your correspondence with these individuals will most likely be via email, telephone or live chat. Unless you are in a certain course or program that requires on-campus visits or clinical work-such as nursing or occupational therapy-you will never meet your instructors or classmates face to face. Traditional college classes require your physical presence as you listen and take notes during professors' lectures. Many traditional college classes make attendance mandatory and your grade suffers if you miss class.

Exchanging information with your professors is very different in online classes from how it's done in traditional ones. In order to ensure that material has been presented clearly, instructors in a virtual environment have to provide more detailed feedback than do their colleagues at bricks and mortar campuses. According to the Sloan Consortium, there are additional types of feedback that are important to online classes, such as interaction in discussions that goes beyond posting words such as "good job," instead highlighting key ideas and creating follow-up questions. Feedback can also come in the form of audio clips and voice-supported chats. The best online instructors work hard to provide valuable assistance and interaction with their students.

Online classes provide more flexibility than do traditional ones, making them more convenient for many students. Online classes allow you to attend school but also work, so you can fulfill all your important obligations. This has been the answer to many people's quest to further their education while still meeting their family and work responsibilities.

In most cases, you can attend class when it's a good time for you and learn at your own pace. Not many traditional college students can say that about their schedules.

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Before You Enroll: Is Online College Hard?

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Is online college hard compared to traditional colleges? Although their purposes are the same, they have significant differences. Whether an online class is hard will depend on your learning preferences. Find out more about what your online experience will be like.

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The Best of Both Worlds: A Hybrid Statistics Course.

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The Best of Both Worlds: A Hybrid Statistics Course.

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This study shows there is no significant difference in the 2 educations except extracredt scores. Traditional students did more of their extra credit work while online students just did the course requirments.

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Journal of Statistics Education, v12n3: Barbara Ward

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In many private and public universities, direct contact with students is an important part of teaching. Hybrid courses offer students the convenience of online technology and the comfort of personal contact with the professor. But, do performance and attitude differ for hybrid and traditional courses? Utts et al.

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Is Digital Learning Effective in the Workplace?

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Is Digital Learning Effective in the Workplace?

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Studies show that the expierinece of online education is different than traditional. Depending on the person depends on the teaching expirience. Online education is more self taught than traditional and traditional you can get more help face-to-face.

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Introduction

One should probably expect the title of this paper to be a statement instead of a question. However, the question is one that arises with ever increasing frequency in both corporations and academic instituitions throughout the world. Hence, it is a question that deserves more attention than a recounting of the plethora of anecdotal accounts and projections from technology and business analysts.

As a start toward providing reasoned answers to the question, this paper reviews existing research literature concerning digital learning effectiveness in academic contexts when compared to traditional classroom events. Additional objectives are to:

Point to strategies that enhance the effectiveness of digital learning in the workplace.

Suggest recommendations for incorporating digital learning in corporate training strategies.

Background

An Internet search for "digital learning" or "e-learning" produces an abundance of opinions, statistics, forecasts and experiences, most of which suggest that digital learning offers considerable advantage to corporations from a return-on-investment (ROI) perspective. The numbers touted by IBM are more than impressive, they are near unbelievable. As a more modest example, Campbell (2000) states that United Airlines reduced its training time for e-ticketing training from 40 hours to 18 by converting from classroom events to a digital learning format. Moreover, the best scores among those who attended the classroom events were lower than the worst scores among those who took the digital version.

Similar accounts produce similar conclusions-ROI is positive and grades are at least equivalent. But, equivalent test scores only partially answer the question posed here: Just how effective is digital learning when compared against an equivalent classroom event? Did the United Airlines experience also produce greater student satisfaction? How about retention of what was learned? What was the effect on productivity once the students were back on the job? Was there a difference in post-course supervision/mentoring that was required for those who had classroom training versus digital training? Was the learning experience even relevant to the real tasks on the job?

The answers are not easily found, in part, because such questions are not usually asked. Academic research generally suggests that digital learning produces outcomes that are similar to traditional classroom settings ( Beare, 1989; McCleary & Egan, 1989; Sonner, 1999); however, these studies focus on grades and ignore questions such as what factors account for success and to what degree is competency actually demonstrated. In short, there is a paucity of credible research by which to support a claim that digital learning is at least as effective as traditional classroom training in areas such as retention, relevance, satisfaction and performance. There is also a shortage of consistently positive reports from corporations that were early adopters of digital learning. Some have decried the inititiave as a failed experiment while others are only able to report on ROI as the basis for their approval.

The growing number of accounts of high drop-out rates (failure to complete), lack of user satisfaction and no differences in performance suggest that digital learning might not be the panacea often implied by proponents of digital learning products and services. While we cannot yet establish all reasons for the complaints, there are obvious contributing consequences of a rush to "go-digital": (a) poor quality content regardless of format, (b) poor instructional design, (c) technology and infrastructure problems, (d) inappropriate software decisions, and (e) inappropriate content for the business and learning objectives.

Another part of the challenge in determining what is either right or wrong with digital learning is that we have few instances where we can make reliable comparisons. Received assumptions, such as the viability of traditional classroom instruction, obscure both reasoning and research. It is probably safe to claim that all readers are most experienced in classroom education and training. It is likely that readers will also acknowledge that not all classroom experiences are satisfactory, conducive to learning or promote increased performance. So, how shall we draw conclusions about the effectiveness of one approach versus the other?

The first step is to refine the question. Perhaps a more appropriate question is: When and where is digital learning as or more effective than traditional classroom training using equivalent learning content? While we must still define the terms "effective" and "digital learning," it is more likely that a comparison can be made when the content is controlled.

Of the required definitions, "digital learning" is probably easiest to articulate. Most often the term is considered to mean a formal course along with measurement, both being delivered by electronic means. However, such a definition is far too limiting in the sense that it is assumed to be a course. It is also limiting in that it prescribes measurement. For reasons that should later become apparent, digital learning is defined here in somewhat broader terms. It is the electronic delivery of material and/or interaction with the expectation of changing attitude, belief, thinking, and/or the behavior of the learner. This leaves the term "effectiveness."

How Do We Know if Any Learning Experience is Effective?

The question of effectiveness has plagued the learning community for decades, if not centuries. Just what is an effective learning experience? How do we determine what is a result of an essential learning skill as opposed to the contribution of the learning experience? Feuerstein (1980) asserts that a highly stimulating learning experience is not sufficient to guarantee that the person actually learns from it. Particular learning skills are also required ( Howe, 1987): utilizing information in memory, remembering the past and imagining the future, understanding and looking for relationships between perceived objects, organizing and seeing patterns, regularities and other relationships. Hence, a person with very high learning skills might "learn" more readily than one without, even if the experience is highly ineffective.

The subject of learning skills demands far more exploration than is possible or necessarily useful here. The role of variables such as maturity and motivation in the development of learning skills also deserves considerable attention; and, as suggested by the research reviewed here, could be major determinants of the outcomes. Likewise, learning styles and models are important subjects; and they too deserve more attention than is possible in this paper. Hence, the focus here will be limited to understanding learning-event effectiveness in terms of expectations for outcome. How do we understand the effectiveness considering the expectations we have for the event?

To answer this question, it is useful to consider expectations in terms of the change facilitated by the experience. It is axiomatic that if learning occurs, there is change. Change might occur in attitude, thinking, beliefs and/or behavior. Something will have changed or else learning simply did not occur. Perhaps the material is captured and retained in memory but remains merely mental dust that can be recalled upon appropriate neural stimulation; but efficient recall is not learning. In the absence of change, we must question the viability of the learning event. Perhaps the material is better left in a library or digital repository until it is useful to the person or the enterprise.

Therefore, to understand effectiveness we need to understand the degree to which change is likely or has measurably occurred. To do this, it is useful to separate those learning experiences that might produce predictable results from those that produce measurable results. For purposes of this paper, learning events are described as being "survey" experiences or "competency" opportunities.

In both cases, it is often useful to measure the results of the learning experience. The traditional approach has been to provide some sort of examination. However, an exam might or might not be a useful or informative measure.

If the objective is to affect a change in attitude, thinking, or belief, we need only test for comprehension and use the results of an exam as a predictor of the possibility of change. Most learning opportunities available to students in the U.S. are treated as exercises in comprehension and measured accordingly.

If we want to verify competence, we must go farther than just testing for comprehension. We must actually observe that a change in behavior has occurred.

Therefore, tests might or might not point to the effectiveness of a learning experience. It all depends on the expectations: do we want to inform and do we expect comprehension (e.g., Cultural Diversity in the Workplace) or do we want to develop and validate competence (e.g., How to Lead a Culturally Diverse Team).

Survey Learning Experiences

When the expectation of a learning experience is to increase understanding, the solution can be classed as a survey experience. There are few expectations that can be articulated beyond increased understanding of concepts, principles, processes or practices, though there are potentially many outcomes that are neither well understood nor measurable, such as increased motivation and better self-perception. It should also be noted that an opportunity for increased understanding for one person, might be a requisite behavior change for another. For example, a course on introduction to abnormal psychology might be an informational course for a student focused on chemistry and an analytical competency course required of the student studying to be a clinical psychologist. In the first case, a test for comprehension is adequate. In the second case, validation of a behavior change is required, whether as part of the class or subsequent observation.

For the survey experience, measuring effectiveness is as simple as testing for comprehension. Here we need to know that the student has comprehended (or memorized) some percentage of the questions posed on the exam. We need only hope that a change in thinking, beliefs or attitude has occurred. We need only be able to predict that such a change is possible.

Competency Learning Opportunities

When the expectation is of a measurable change in some behavior, we have a learning opportunity that is competency based. While we might predict the opportunity for a behavior change through an exam, there is no validation in the absence of direct observation, before and after the learning opportunity.

Historically, this has occurred as part of internships, apprenticeships, peer review and supervisory review. However accomplished, someone must actually attest to the achieved competency. Some courses include this observation and others anticipate that it will occur subsequent to the learning experience. For example, training call-center staff is not considered complete without some period of supervision, observation and assessment. This is true of both traditional and online learning opportunities.

Another example might be a course dealing with Respiratory Protection for Hazardous Waste Remediation Workers. In this case, even successful completion of simulation exercises does not guarantee that a person can use any one of the many safety devices in the presence of innumerable hazardous materials. Some supervision, observation and/or possibly guidance are still necessary. On the other hand, a course in Hazardous Waste Awareness for Plant Managers need not necessarily require a period of observation and guidance.

Limitations of the Research

To answer the question of digital course effectiveness, we need to examine credible research from the standpoint of the expectations for the learning opportunities. Unfortunately, there are limitations to what we can hope to conclude.

First, it should be said that no human research is perfect. There will always be some methodological deficiency, some question about the participants or some question about the motivations of the researcher. The research examined here is not an exception.

The research was conducted in an academic environment where students are supposedly already motivated to learn. Unfortunately, the research does not include examples from commercial initiatives. This is largely because there are so few legitimate research projects conducted in a commercial setting where we have an opportunity to compare digital modalities against classroom experiences.

With one exception, the participants are generally self-selected - they volunteered for the experience and their motivation is unknown. o There is a paucity of research by which to compare the results. o There is a lack of broad-based subject matter and environments by which to compare the conditions.

Moreover, it is impossible to prove a statement that digital learning opportunities are always as effective as their instructor-led counterparts are. At best, we can only show that: (a) the preponderance of evidence suggests that they are as effective, or (b) the evidence clearly discounts digital learning as being an effective alternative. Such is the nature of science and research, regardless of the question

Review of the Literature

As mentioned before, the research literature offers as much theory and opinion as it does reliable research on the subject of effectiveness. Still, there is an abundance of well-considered positions on the value of and concerns about digital learning:

Digital learning can foster a greater degree of communication and closeness among students and instructors/mentors (Knight, Ridley, & Davies, 1998; Waschull, 1997).

Digital learning can be more rigorous in terms of time and thought required (Ridley, 1998).

Digital learning promotes and succeeds in motivating learning beyond the course, plus learners tend to be more likely to change their work practices (Rutenberg & Ruttenberg, 2000).

Digital learning is too dependent upon student initiative (Kerka, 1996; Waschull, 1997).

Digital learning can increase the risk of social isolation and increase the potential for academic dishonesty (Kerka, 1996; Waschull, 1997).

It is important to note that each of these positions, whether supporting or questioning digital learning is as much a function of dynamics between the individual's learning style and the learning environment as the method of delivery. For example, when interaction is made part of the process, isolation is not likely to occur. When observation is inherent in the process, such as is required for demonstrating competency, dishonesty is no greater than in classroom events.

The research selected for this review attempts to account for learning environments that are similar to what one might experience in a classroom setting and with similar expectations for time requirements and outcomes. Using the categories described above, four independent research projects are examined, all from academia. While it is possible to question the groupings - survey vs. competency, the projects are examined considering the usual expectations for such courses.

Survey Cases

Two projects are included here. Both projects were sponsored by professors who supposedly have a genuine interest in answering the question of effectiveness. In each case, any student focused on study that required competency in the material could consider the course a competency course. For the majority of students, it is expected that the courses were electives and not part of requisite training.

Introductory Psychology for Undergraduates

If digital learning opportunities do indeed produce similar results to classroom events in terms of grades, Stephanie Waschull (2001) was interested in understanding and comparing student attrition, performance and satisfaction in comparable sections of online versus classroom introductory psychology. Of particular importance, Waschull attempted to control for the effects of self-selection in digital courses.

To achieve these ends, Waschull (2001) conducted two studies:

Study 1 - Students in one section of introductory psychology received online digital courseware, and another section received the same material in the classroom. The online participants were self-selected.

Study 2 - Students in one section received online digital courseware, and another section received the same material in the classroom. Students were not informed of the delivery method at course registration.

In both studies, the classroom course met five times weekly for 50 minutes. Course meetings consisted of lectures supplemented by discussions. Students completed five written assignments and read assigned chapters from a textbook.

Online students visited the course Web site to read four to five lectures a week, visited 10 relevant Web sites a week, submitted five written assignments and read assigned chapters from a textbook. Aside from the differences in format, live discussion versus Web site review, the content was identical. All groups were given four identical tests and a final exam.
Results
In Study 1 (self-selection), there was no significant difference in outcomes in terms of student satisfaction or attrition. While the online student's test performance was similar to the classroom students, there was a difference. The proportion of students passing the course was significantly lower in the online version.

In Study 2 the proportion of students passing the course was not significantly different in the online section and the classroom version. Likewise, attrition rates, regardless of race, age or sex, were not significantly different. Though the difference in satisfaction did not reach significance, the Study 2 students, those who did not know about the course being digital, gave somewhat lower satisfaction evaluations than the classroom students.
Conclusions
In summary, Waschullm (2001), concludes that when self-selection was controlled, attrition, performance and satisfaction were similar in online and classroom sections. Since there was no attempt to actually assess competency, nor a need to do so, we can only say that Waschull's research points to the effectiveness of survey-based digital learning in terms of performance, attrition and learner satisfaction.
Limitations of the Research
This study has its limitations and therefore the results are only suggestive. For example, there is a lack of understanding of Waschull's (2001) interest in digital learning and her biases. Hence, it is not possible to know what influence she had on the results simply by virtue of the organization and content of the digital course and the classroom version.

In addition, the results cannot be generalized to a large population because of the small sample of students. In study one, there were only 14 students in the online section. In study two, there were nineteen.

Finally, there is the issue of the population-undergraduate students. These are students who are supposedly prepared to study and to focus on learning. However, age and maturity were not considered in the study and might or might not have been factors. Hence, they might or might not be representative of students in the commercial sector.
Unexpected Results
Even as this research, considering both studies, concludes that there was no significant difference in test performance in classroom versus online groups, there was a higher failure rate in the self-selected online group (Study 1). Waschull (2001) was not able to establish a reason for this outcome and the small sampling might have contributed to the difference. It is also possible that those who chose the digital form might have had different and unrealistic expectations-such as, it will be easier.

Regulations and Policy in the Telecommunications Industry

Fallah and Ubell (2000) undertook to compare the effectiveness of digital learning with that of conventional in-class events using a "blind" test method. In a blind test, there is no opportunity for instructor influence on the exam outcome. In most research, the instructor is the researcher and is involved to some degree in the conduct of the digital course, particularly in the construction, administration and evaluation of the exams. Blind tests use others to score the exams and exercises, without knowing about the student or the delivery method.

The researchers accomplished this by creating a digital (Web) based version of the same content used for classroom instruction. The content, textbook, reading assignments and homework assignments were identical. The only difference was the lack of an instructor in the digital version. Exams were administered offline to both groups and proctored by teaching assistants. Test results were assigned a number versus a student name so that the proctor had no idea as to whether the course was taken online or in-class.
Results and Conclusions
Though the test results from the two forms of instruction were not significantly different, the average score for the online class was five points (five percent) higher than for the on campus class. Hence, Fallah and Ubell (2000) conclude that even by removing instructor influence and bias, digital learning can be as effective as traditional classroom instruction.
Limitations of the Research
As with the Waschull (2001) study, this research is limited by the number and type of participant.

Only seven students participated in the online version of the course and they were all self-selected. Only 12 students attended the on campus class. Hence, the small sampling only points to the possibility that digital learning is effective.

By having a purely self-selected group for the digital learning exercise, we cannot know the expectations or motivations of the participants, though the researchers draw some interesting conclusions based on student profiles.

Unexpected Results
Unlike the Waschull (2001) study, Fallah and Ubell (2000) report that the test scores of the online group were generally higher than the on campus group though not by a significant margin. The on-campus group showed a mean exam score that was similar to the online group but, unlike the online students, the on-campus student scores followed a bimodal distribution - some scoring high and some low. From this, the authors made some interesting observations when student profiles and retention were considered:

Retention-The number of dropouts in the online class was higher than the on campus group. The authors suspect that the rigor of an online class forced out those who were unprepared or marginal learners, leaving a homogeneous group and a tighter distribution of grades.

Population-The course participants were self-selected and were working professionals. Those who registered for the on-campus class were full-time students. The researchers suspect that the digital course population, particularly those who completed the course, were more mature personally and possibly professionally (some held management positions) and this strongly influenced the grades.

Since the researchers did not specifically control for these variables, we have only the observations to work with. Still, it is interesting to note the differences in experience of this study and the Waschull (2001) study. The primary difference seems to be that the student population that performed best with a digital learning course can be characterized as older, more mature and possibly more motivated than Waschull's group of self-selected undergraduate students.

Competency cases

Two cases of competency course research are reviewed here. The single most important reason these courses are considered examples of competency training is the intent of the researcher. In all cases, the researcher approached the course as requiring demonstrated competency before a passing grade could be issued.

Undergraduate Business Communications

Shelia Tucker (2001) conducted a study to compare traditional classroom training to digital learning in an attempt to understand if digital learning is better, worse, or as good as traditional education. Tucker went further than much of the digital learning research. She was interested in understanding differences in preferred learning styles, age, homework grades, research paper grades, case-based final exam, final grades and subject matter knowledge as measured by both pre-test and post-test. It is noteworthy that the combination of all factors and grading elements shows competency, not just comprehension.

Tucker (2001) drew from 47 participants in an undergraduate "business communications" class with 23 being assigned to the traditional classroom experience (mean age of 23) and 24 electing to take the digital course (mean age of 38). Tucker, as instructor and researcher, provided the same content, course materials, assignments and the same period for completing the course to both groups. All were given the same pre and post-test, homework, research project and exams. Additionally, both groups were required to participate in discussions and problem-solving exercises to both develop skills and demonstrate mastery. The primary differences in delivery were that:

Online students used technology for discussion groups.

Online students had contact with the instructor only though e-mail, discussion group facilities, telephone, and FAX.

Online students had access to lectures only through audio links.

Results
Statistical analysis of the measures of learning style, pre and post-test scores, homework grades, research paper grades, case-based final exam and final grades pointed to significant differences in post-test scores, final exams and age. No significant differences were found in the other variables. The following table summarizes the results:

The learning-styles assessment pointed to some interesting and possibly predictive results. Both groups expressed a preference for well-organized courses and an expectation of a moderately high final grade. Both desired meaningful assignments and a logical sequence of activities.

The digital learning group particularly preferred having direct contact with the materials, topics and situations. They least preferred authority and listening. They tended not to like classroom discipline or maintenance of order, nor did they like listening to lectures, tapes and speeches.
Conclusions
The statistics alone point to digital learning as being as effective as traditional classroom events. While those who took the digital learning course did better in particular areas than those in the classroom, we cannot conclude that competency is necessarily better established or more aggressively pursued among digital learners than classroom attendees. All we can suggest is that the digital learners scored higher in three categories than classroom learners.

It is interesting to note that age was a significant factor. Older students not only preferred the digital version of the course, they performed better than those in the classroom did. As with the other research, this suggests that perhaps maturity plays a role in preference and in success. To some degree, this is supported by the learning-styles assessment. With maturity and age, one would expect there to be less interest in the authority and discipline implied by classroom learning experiences and greater preference for independent activities.
Limitations
As with the other research, this study suffers from two limitations: (a) the researcher is also the instructor and we have no information about biases that might have influenced the outcome, (b) though the studied population is somewhat higher than the other studies, it is still small.
Unexpected Results
The research did not specifically focus on those activities that would most effectively assess competency. However, it is interesting to note that the final exam was a series of case studies in which the students were asked to propose and discuss solutions. This meant that comprehension was far less a factor in the grade than critical thinking and the ability to respond to situations with different behavior.

While we cannot make reliable assertions, we can point to the significantly higher performance of the digital learners on this aspect of the course compared to the classroom learners to offer anecdotal evidence that some digital learners might actually demonstrate higher competence than classroom learners given a suitable learning opportunity. Unfortunately, we cannot yet predict reasons for such results. Learner age, maturity, life experience and/or motivation could be the key factors and digital learning might not be a factor at all. We can only watch for trends in other research.

Instructional Design for HR Professionals Johnson, Aragon and Palma-Rivas (2000) conducted research to test the effectiveness of digital learning against an equivalent course taught in a face-to-face format. In particular, the design attempted to determine if properly designed environments that differ on many characteristics (media etc.) can be equivalent in terms of learning and satisfaction. The research was interested in overall performance plus factors that have not been well studied:

Student ratings of the instructor

Course quality

Course interaction, structure and support

Competency as assessed through objective measures and student self-assessment of their ability to perform various instructional design tasks.

The researchers designed the experiment and conducted the experiment. Both the online course and the classroom event were taught by the same instructor using the same content, activities and projects. Nineteen students enrolled in the online version. All were pursuing a graduate degree in Human Resource Development (HRD) through a digital learning program at the university. Another nineteen students enrolled in the classroom course. These students were attending the same graduate program only through the traditional face-to-face program at the same university.

Of particular importance in this study, the groups were largely equivalent before the start of the research. Prior experiences with instructional design and/or ISD learning opportunities were statistically equivalent. There were only slight and insignificant differences in age as compared to the other research discussed in this paper. The years of work experience and undergraduate GPAs were also equivalent.

The researchers used two primary forms of data for their conclusions:

Observed competency in ISD-exams and a project provided a measure of competency. Each student was required to complete a training package that represented six to eight hours of instruction, including all training materials, instructional materials and student materials. The package had to be sufficiently complete so that another instructor could deliver the course with minimal preparation. Grading was accomplished by a blind review process where three doctoral students independently evaluated each project without knowing the source.

Self-assessment-students were asked to rate their level of comfort at performing various ISD tasks.

Results
The following table summarizes the results of the research for course outcomes:

The following shows the students' reported levels of comfort at performing the tasks associated with instructional design. Only five of the 29 items on the self-assessment were significantly different.
Conclusions
The results of this study show that student satisfaction with their learning experience tends to be slightly more positive for students in the traditional classroom setting than those taking the digital course, though there is no significant difference in the quality of learning that takes place. The blind review process for the projects showed no differences in the quality of the projects. The same claim can be made for the exams. Hence, the researchers conclude that there is no significant difference in outcome of one format versus the other though students taking the digital version of the course are likely to be less satisfied with their experience.
Unexpected Results
The authors included the self-assessment by students to determine their level of comfort with the courses, but they dismissed a potentially important result. The study shows that in only five of the 29 self-assessment questions there is a significant difference in levels of comfort. In four of those five, the digital learning group felt less comfortable with their competence. While statistically this is not a significant difference, the nature of the four is potentially revealing. Here the students seem to be saying that in particularly critical areas of instructional design, they feel less prepared to execute even though they have demonstrated a degree of competence at least equal to that of the classroom students.

We have no information by which to understand this result and the researchers tend to dismiss it. Still, one might speculate that if the demonstrated competence is equal and the perception is not, the students might have had less reinforcement by and acknowledgement from the instructor and/or peers. Again, the data does not directly support this speculation. Rather, there is the application of a received understanding that instructors can have considerably more affect than just communication of knowledge. They can also influence the learner's perception of competence. In this study, the digital learners had no face-to-face interaction with the instructor.

Conclusions

Taking the studies together and ignoring the limitations of the research, it is possible to form some tentative conclusions:
Survey Courses
The following conclusions are offered from the digital survey courses.

Digital learning is at least as effective as classroom courses.

The motivation and expectations of the learner are critical to retention and successful completion of a digital course. Age and maturity are likely to be significant factors in the successful completion of a digital course.

Competency Courses
The following are conclusions drawn from the studies of digital competency courses:

Digital learning is at least as effective as classroom events.

The motivation, age, maturity and life experience of the student can be significant determinants to the degree of success. When motivation, maturity and/or life experience are high, digital learners can sometimes show greater competency than classroom learners.

Though the evidence is weak, at best, there is a suspicion that the quality of instructor/mentor reinforcement and support for the digital student can affect the student's perception of their competence, even when competence is well demonstrated.

Returning to the question of when and where digital learning is as or more effective than traditional classroom training using equivalent learning content, these studies point to digital learning as being an effective alternative to traditional classroom learning for both survey and competency courses when:

Students are motivated and prepared to learn, even in cases where there is minimal human interaction.

Preferences for authority, lectures, speeches and/or listening are unimportant or minimally important.

As each of the researchers state in their conclusions, clearly more research is needed to understand when, where and for whom digital learning is most appropriate. This is particularly true for populations of learners in the commercial world. In the meantime, it is safe to suggest that the judicious and well-considered use of digital learning can offer significant advantage to organizations and to those learners prepared to exercise the same discipline and desire to learn that are requisites of all true learning opportunities.

Recommendations

While the research examined here represents a small portion of the growing body of evidence in support of digital learning, using received wisdom and the conclusions stated above, there are particular recommendations that can be made to those organizations contemplating digital learning as an alternative to classroom events or reviewing their digital learning programs to make them more successful.

Determine the Expected Outcome and Design Accordingly

If the expectation is of a change in attitude, beliefs or thinking, design the course to be a survey course. For such courses, limited human interaction, such as normally occurs with self-paced digital designs, is acceptable, as is perhaps the use of the ubiquitous multiple-choice exam. The conditional regarding the use of an exam follows from the question-why bother to test at all.

If the expectation is only increased understanding, why do we need to test? If Saljo (1987) is correct, the most significant predictor of success in a survey course is the fact that the student read the text. The exam is merely a confirmation that the student read that text. Still, if an exam is intended to actually measure and to record one's comprehension, it should be included as part of a formal course. If there is no particular need for such an assessment, forget the exam and rely on learner motivation (whether a function of a requirement or self-interest) and the learner's "need-to-know."

Taking the question one step farther, if we do not need to test, why even bother to place the content in a digital course format? If the content is only based on an organizational need to inform the learner, organizations can save considerable money, and learners can equally benefit from simply making the material available through a digital library of documents such that it is available when the learner determines it is useful. If the student is motivated, learning (a.k.a. change) will occur. If not motivated, memorization and consequent mental dust will prevail.

Another way to answer questions of "test or not" and "format as a course or not" is to take the least costly path by using commercial course libraries to deliver the learning opportunity. Ignore issues such as look-and-feel, exam results, branding and user interface. If the survey course meets the informational requirements of the organization, contract for the course and avoid the cost of development.

On the other hand, if the course is a competency course, it should be custom developed. Here the expectation is that the learner will change behavior in some way that benefits the organization and the learner (new skills, new capability, enhanced performance, etc.).

By earlier definition, competency is measured by observation, not just by exam. Hence, organization subject matter experts or trained instructors must be involved in the design, development, delivery and assessment processes. Competency might be partially achieved through a digital library or a commercial catalog. It might be enhanced by independent research through the Internet. In the end, competency courses require human intervention and a program specifically designed to confirm that the student can perform to the required level of competency.

Rather than attempt to measure the competency of a person, the organization might want to consider measuring the competency of an entire group of people. If a group has achieved a satisfactory level of competence after having taken a course or program, some change in business performance should be observable by the leadership, even if that change is measured by subjective means.

Make it a Requirement

If the organizational expectation is genuinely to effect change, whether through a survey or competency course, make it a requirement for continued employment. Motivation is a factor, perhaps even a significant one, in determining whether a course is ever completed. Making a course a requirement of employment is one of the ways by which to increase that motivation.

Encourage, If Not Demand Interaction

Although less important for survey courses than competency courses, interaction with instructors/mentors and peers can be important to learner satisfaction and confidence. Instructor or mentor interaction can provide the reinforcement and support the learner needs to feel competent. Keep humans involved in the learning process.

Interaction might be achieved using electronic facilities such as synchronous, interactive software, chat rooms or even bulletin board facilities. E-mail is another alternative. For decades, colleges and universities that offered distance-learning programs used telephones. Perhaps one of the most innovative of strategies was conducted on a reservation in Arizona where classes were broadcast over a low-power radio station using a talk-show format. Students called in to interact with the instructor and to debate or ask questions. All of the above are examples of blended-learning using electronic strategies.

Provide Opportunities for Practice

Competency is not achieved by just reading material and viewing pages on a computer display. Provide many opportunities for human interaction through peer-to-peer exercises, discussion groups, practice sessions and similar activities. In many cases the human interaction is possible by electronic means, whether in real-time or asynchronously. In any case, design is important. The activities must be relevant to the course objectives. In some cases, the practice must be physical.

Make the Content Relevant and Timely

It was recently asserted (Bob Allen, EDS, 2002, personal communication) that the best way to teach is to make the needed material an obstacle to getting one's work done. When the material is necessary, relevant and/or important, place it in front of the learner rather than invite the learner to take a course. In short, consider the need for the learning opportunity and push the content to the learner when appropriate. For example, if there is a need to implement a supervisory user log-on to an internal system and post the following message: "New OSHA regulations go into effect today and they alter the way you do business...click here to learn how."

Summary

Much has been said about the conclusions we can extract from the studies and about consequent recommendations. More need not be said here. Rather, three important points need to be emphasized to conclude this review.

Digital learning is as effective as any other learning method when:

The organization's expectations are clearly identified.

The learner's needs and readiness are properly considered.

Business objectives merge with reason and sound pedagogical thought to guide the course design and decision-making processes.

In short, for any learning opportunity to be effective, regardless of delivery means and methods, it must consider these points.

References

Beare, P.L. (1989). The comparative effectiveness of videotape, audiotape and telecture. The American Journal of Distance Education 3, 57-66.

Campbell, K. (2000, March). E-Learning: Fact or Fiction? Dynamic Business Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.smc.org/.

Fallah, M & Ubell, R. (2000, December). Blind scores in a graduate test: Conventional compared with web-based outcomes. ALN Magazine, 4(2), 1-5.

Feuerstein, R. (1980). Instrumental Enrichment: An Intervention Program for Cognitive Modifiability. Baltimore: University Park Press.

Fitzpatrick, R. (2001). "Is distance education better than the traditional classroom?"

Howe, J. (1987). Using cognitive psychology to help students learn how to learn. In J. Richardson, M. Eysenck and D. Piper (Eds), Student learning: Research in Education and Cognitive Psychology (pp. 135-146). Philadelphia: The Society for Research into Higher Education. Open University Press.

Johnson, S., Aragon, N. & Palma-Rivas, N. (2000). Comparative analysis of learner satisfaction and learning outcomes in online and face-to-face learning environments. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 11, 29-49.

Kerka, S. (1996). Distance learning, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document reproduction Service No. ED 395 214)

Knight, J., Ridley, D.R., & Davies, E.S. (1998, May). "Assessment of student academic achievement in an on-line program." Paper presented at the Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Minneapolis, MN.

Lawson, T. (2000). Teaching a social psychology course on the web. Teaching Psychology, 27, 285-288.

McCleary, I. & Egan, M. (1989). Program design and evaluation: Two-way interactive television. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3, 50-60.

Ridley, D.R. (1998, June). "The 1998 assessment report on CNU on-line." Paper presented to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, Newport News, VA.

Ruttenberg, A. & Ruttenberg, R. (2000). "Railway Workers Hazardous Materials Tarining Program: Evaluation of On-line Eight-Hour Awareness Training Pilot." Unpublished Paper: George Meany Center for Labor Studies-National Labor College. Bethesda, MD.

Saljo, R. (1987). The educational construction of learning. In J. Richardson, M. Eysenck and D. Piper (Eds), Student learning: Research in Education and Cognitive Psychology (pp. 101-108). Philadelphia: The Society for Research into Higher Education. Open University Press.

Sonner, B. (1999). Success in the capstone business course - assessing the effectiveness of distance learning. Journal of Education for Business, 7, 243-248.

Tucker, S. (2001). Distance education: Better, worse, or as good as traditional education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 4(4).

Waschull, S.B. (1997, September). "Teaching and learning over the WWW." Paper presented at the meeting of the National Alliance of Community and technical Colleges, Biloxi, MS.

Waschull, S.B. (2001). The online delivery of psychology courses: Attrition, performance, and evaluation. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 143-147.

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elearn Magazine: Is Digital Learning Effective in the Workplace?

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eLearn Magazine is a leading source of high-quality information on the uses of online learning and training strategies in a variety of contexts for K-12, higher education, and the corporate workforce.eLearn Magazine presents new technologies and approaches for creating, delivering, and supporting online instruction and workplace performance.

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Key Differences Between Online Learning and Traditional Campus-Based Classes

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Key Differences Between Online Learning and Traditional Campus-Based Classes

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Some of the key differenes between online learning and traditional classroom learning are interaction between teacher and student. Also, the financial and resource factor.

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Which Is Better: Online Classes or Classrooms?

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Which Is Better: Online Classes or Classrooms?

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Many students taking online classes do not get the face-to-face contact they need. They also dont get the study habits they need. However the tuition is alot cheaper than traditional schooling. Also the schedule is alot more flexible.

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Social interaction is a common advantage of classrooms.

Online and traditional classes each have pros and cons. Interest in Web-based courses has definitely grown dramatically in the early 21st century. An August 2011 Pew Research Center study revealed that 77 percent of colleges offered online education. When deciding which is better, each student must look at each option and consider his own personality and tendencies.

Interaction

A common knock against Internet classes is the lack of face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers. In classrooms, instructors listen to instructors, have the ability to ask direct questions, participate in team activities and conduct information social relationship building. Online, communication generally occurs through course discussion forums and e-mail with the instructor. English and religion professor Jane Rosecrans suggested in a July 2012 editorial to "The New York Times" that her students were more comfortable engaging in discussions online because of the lack of pressure posed by the traditional classroom.

Study Habits

Your study habits are a key factor in selecting the right class setting. A February 2013 article in "The New York Times" noted that high attrition rates in large online university classes are often attributed to struggling students who lack discipline. Web-based classes rely on the student to engage the materials, discussions and tests, as well as to approach the instructor, on his own initiative. You also need the discipline to schedule study time without regular teacher and peer accountability. Of course, poor study habits won't work well in a traditional class either. However, you at least have face-to-face interaction and more direct opportunities for feedback and direction from teachers.

Costs

A major driver of online classes is the cost savings for students. While traditional institutions often charge 10 to 15 percent more per credit for Web classes, online universities on the whole have lower tuition and fees for a degree earner. Plus, online classes don't require the student to travel to and from class. This leads to gas savings and prevents vehicle wear and tear. Plus, students have greater freedom to work as needed to pay for school.

Flexibility

One of the overriding strengths of the online class is the flexibility it affords. For a non-traditional student with a family and a day job, a three-day class that meets from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. may simply not work. With an online class, the student normally allocates his own class time to read, complete assignments and participate in required discussions. You do have deadlines, but you can do your work on nights and weekends. Plus, an online class allows a student to enroll from a distance to far to travel for a traditional class.

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Which Is Better: Online Classes or Classrooms? | Synonym

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Social interaction is a common advantage of classrooms. Online and traditional classes each have pros and cons. Interest in Web-based courses has definitely grown dramatically in the early 21st century. An August 2011 Pew Research Center study revealed that 77 percent of colleges offered online education.

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Study: Students prefer real classrooms over virtual

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Study: Students prefer real classrooms over virtual

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A study shows, of over 1,000 students, that 78% of them like traditional/ classroom education better than online education. However they believe online education will become more popular because of the increase of college tuition prices.

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Virtual classrooms and MOOCs (massive open online courses) are growing rapidly, but students still prefer face-to-face interaction.

Despite the rapid growth of online learning, many college students say they still prefer the traditional classroom setting.

According to results of a new national research study, 78% of more than 1,000 students surveyed still believe it is easier to learn in a classroom. But as the cost of a college education steadily rises, some experts say the data suggest virtual campuses are likely to grow - largely because they need to.

"Five years ago we would not even be having this conversation," says Dan Schawbel, founder of consulting firm Millennial Branding, which conducted the survey in partnership with Internships.com.

"Millennials today expect customization and convenience, and colleges are having to find ways to cater to different situations."

While students could traditionally expect decent job prospects upon graduation, the high cost of a degree has forced students to make choices. The bottom line, Schawbel says, is that students need options - and they are increasingly turning to online learning.

"With so many new technologies, it's getting easier for the individual online experience to match that of the classroom," he says.

University of Vermont senior Becky Hayes, 21, opted to take an online journalism course over her winter break to earn credits - without having to pay extra money. She liked the idea of it, but says the format could use some improvements.

"I would have liked to see more interaction somehow. Instead of just reading articles and posting discussions about it, I would have liked to learn from a video podcast of the professor," Hayes says.

Last month, some colleges publically committed to using online classes to bring in more students in the form of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, while others criticized the approach.

In early May, faculty from San Jose State's philosophy department balked at the idea of using materials from Harvard professor Michael Sandel's online course to disseminate to students over an online platform, The New York Times reported.

"The move to MOOCs comes at great peril to our university," a letter of protest stated. "We regard such courses as a serious compromise to education."

Some critics went even further, calling the push toward online education a "dystopian nightmare" of monoculture, according to comments posted on an Inside Higher Ed article about a similar situation at Georgia Tech.

Despite the controversy, it appears more and more colleges are trying out MOOCs and other online learning platforms.

Out of hundreds of public and private universities surveyed, 43% are planning to offer MOOCs by 2016, a 30% jump from the number of institutions currently offering them, according to a May 30 study conducted by Enterasys Networks.

Kristina Chew, a classics professor at St. Peter's University, wrote an article for The Guardian last month praising the value of face-to-face interaction. In her view, it is critical for teachers to be accessible to their students, and that connection is often lost with a screen in the way.

"I try to respond to e-mails, I Facebook; I give out my cellphone number," Chew says. "This may bring up privacy issues, but my students know I'm accessible and they appreciate that."

Online learning can also mean more work for the professor.

"Putting a lesson plan online requires an incredible amount of writing and typing for professors, and it's usually not in their preferred medium," she says.

But unless lawmakers can reach an agreement, student loan debt interest rates will double on July 1, from 3.4% to 6.8% - meaning it may be the right time for online learning platforms.

The average cost of attending a four-year institution in the 2010-2011 school year ranged from $13,000 to $23,000 depending on whether it was public or private, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

By comparison, online learning platform Udacity offers a for-credit course program for about $150 per course, and Open Culture sources hundreds of thousands of online courses and education materials - for free.

Based on these latest survey results, students are not yet sold on the idea that online learning is better than the current classroom model. Yet Schawbel says he believes additional results from the survey point to a slightly different conclusion.

"We also found that 53% of students think online degrees are just as reputable," he says. "The college model is starting to make changes in the way that the business model has been shifting for years. For any brand, which every institution is, to make changes like this is huge."

And then there are success stories beyond the college model.

Non-profit organization Khan Academy saw huge growth in only three years. It is part of a growing educational strategy called blended learning, says Chief Operating Officer Shantanu Sinha, and it tends to work well with supplementing lessons in the classroom.

While Khan Academy does not offer any degrees or certificates, its thousands of micro-lectures serve 6 million students a month, Sinha says. Using interactive graphics and videos, the result is a "quirky and humorous, yet deep" system of learning that finds potential within the limitations of virtual space.

"We're working with the system rather than copying or replacing it," Sinha says. "We personalize the experience by giving reports and feedback in real time. And when you do that, it's a very different paradigm."
Devin Karambelas is a summer 2013 Collegiate Correspondent.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/14v1g0A

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Study: Students prefer real classrooms over virtual

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Virtual classrooms and MOOCs (massive open online courses) are growing rapidly, but students still prefer face-to-face interaction. Despite the rapid growth of online learning, many college students say they still prefer the traditional classroom setting. According to results of a new national research study, 78% of more than 1,000 students surveyed still believe it is easier to learn in a classroom.

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Why Traditional Classroom Learning is Better than Online Courses

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Why Traditional Classroom Learning is Better than Online Courses

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With online education there is no face-to-face contact. It is all over the computer so you do not develop the people skills other people have the advantage of getting. Many people also argue that on quizes and test a professor cannot catch them cheating so they do not have to memorize like in a normal classroom.

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Online courses are becoming more and more popular. The ability to relax at home and use our own personal computers to obtain college credit is taking more and more students out of classrooms and putting them online.

Technological evolution has obviously made our lives easier and more efficient. With that said, it only seems fit that we should utilize online learning in our colleges and universities. Or should we? While it may seem fit that we adapt our learning style to keep up with the technology available to us, there are reasons to believe that online courses are not nearly as beneficial to us as traditional style classroom learning.

Lack of Interpersonal Skill Development

Online courses usually require no face to face interaction with classmates or teachers. Information on assignments is posted online and may be completed at leisure without having to attend class meetings. While the leisure of this concept is nice, it takes away from the interpersonal skills that students need to acquire along with their education.

When in a classroom, students may be required to speak their mind. They may be required to give presentations or speeches. They will have to work in groups with all kinds of people with many differing viewpoints. Online courses require none of that. Businesses often tell university faculty that they wish graduating students had more interpersonal skills. They say it is crucial to success in their careers. Traditional style learning teaches these things. Now obviously if businesses are telling universities they wish these skills were more evident, there is room for improvement. Still, online courses are not the answer. If anything, online courses will only hurt a students ability to speak and interact with others in a way that will help them in their life and career.

When students are required to interact with classmates and professors, they gain confidence in their ability to speak and interact with others. It grants them the opportunity to learn how to carry themselves in a professional manner. Because online learning can't do this, it's value to a student is significantly lower.

Lack of Memory and Learning Development

Why do many students sign up for online courses? Well, one reason is of course the fact that they do not have to attend an actual class and can learn at home. A more serious, unspoken reason however may be the fact that online learning does not require the student to study or memorize material in the way that traditional learning does.

Students taking a test or quiz online do not have to worry about a professor catching them cheating. Students have the ability to use a book and quickly look up answers online. Even while many tests are timed and many professors don't mind the use of a book on certain things, is this really the way a student should learn? When someone does not have to study and memorize material, it does not embed in his or her long term memory the way it does when they do study it. This is a serious flaw with online courses. It does not promote memory development. Students may not realize it while enrolled in a difficult course, but they will better appreciate the education they receive in college if they are required to put in more effort in obtaining it. A child does not learn how to spell by looking up words in a dictionary, he memorizes the words using flashcards or something similar. This is what enables him to actually learn.

Lack of Student Motivation

One problem with online classes is that all too often, they motivate us to get a degree, but not to learn. Having debates and in class discussions with multiple professors who all have unique personalities motivates students to develop their own opinions. It motivates them to want to voice their opinions. If a student is scared to voice his or her opinion, the classroom is the place he will practice overcoming that fear, not online.

When students receive face to face verbal feedback and constructive criticism from their professors, it instills in them a motivation to not want to let their professors down. It is the relationships and bonds that are formed that give face to face learning an advantage over online learning.

Motivation is a skill that cannot be developed when students are allowed to complete task at their own leisure. They may get the work done, but this does not teach a student how to complete task under the pressure of time. During their careers, they will need to complete task in a certain amount of time on a whim when they are told. If a professor assigns a paper at the start of class and requires it be handed in at the end, that is good preparation for a career. Reading about a similar assignment online that is due in six days doesn't teach this.

Make the Smarter Choice

There are some things that need to remain the same as time goes on and societies evolve. Education is one of them. While there is an argument that online learning allows people to learn at their own pace, it is still not as valuable as the education obtained from a traditional style classroom. Keep in mind, this is only true if the teachers and professors are good at what they do and if the student is willing to learn. If not, then regardless of the method, nothing will be learned. It just does not make sense to pay for online education when you gain more skill sets and knowledge with traditional style learning (which is typically less expensive).

Now, many people cannot attend regular class meetings and therefore must utilize online learning. This is the case much of the time with graduate degrees. That is another story and understandable. But for the person who is able to choose online or traditional education courses, the decision should be clear.

A student must ask himself, "Am I going to college to develop life skills and learn, or to get a diploma?"

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Why Traditional Classroom Learning is Better than Online Courses

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Online courses are becoming more and more popular. The ability to relax at home and use our own personal computers to obtain college credit is taking more and more students out of classrooms and putting them online. Technological evolution has obviously made our lives easier and more efficient.

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Online Education vs. Traditional Education

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Online Education vs. Traditional Education

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Online education is more flexible with a schedule and less traveling. This is slao helpful if you have a full time job. With traditional education you have more contact with students and professors. Also however it is more expenive.

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The job market has become much more competitive in the last few years. As companies cut back on labor to stay in business, education has become extremely important for employees who want to be more competitive in their current positions or want to transition into a new career. The level of competition for good jobs has made obtaining a certification or degree an absolute necessity. More people are returning to school than ever before. Many are choosing to obtain degrees online while others are returning to the campus to further their education. So which option is better? Let's explore the pros and cons of both.

Education has become one of the fastest growing "businesses" in recent years. It seems like there is a new commercial every week for a new online university, technical, or school of business. Online education has become more popular in today's fast paced society. Online courses allow students to take courses from different states and even from different countries. I personally received my MPA from Troy University (Alabama) from the comfort of my home in Virginia. Some schools offer in-class courses, online courses, or hybrid courses. Hybrid courses are both in-class and online. These courses often have online classes one week and in-class sessions the next week. Some schools offer hybrid programs which include a mix of in-class courses, online courses, and hybrid classes. More Traditional schools or so called "brick and mortar" institutions are offering more online courses in response to the surge of online universities. I was a little resistant to online courses. However, my job and family responsibilities made it a necessity to take online courses and it turned out to be the best option for me.

The traditional college experience consists of attending classes in person on a campus. Younger students who are attending college for the first time could benefit from the traditional learning environment. Younger students may need more guidance and more direct contact with professors and academic advisors. Traditional classes may also be a better fit for students with limited resources and limited computer access. If you're living on campus, it only makes sense to take classes on campus.

For the more "mature" student, the traditional educational setting in the classroom may be a more comfortable fit. This option may also be better if the student is returning to school for the first time in many years. Although this is not always the case, older students tend to be a little less tech savvy and might prefer a more traditional setting.

Students who value the campus experience may also find the traditional campus atmosphere more desirable than just an online experience. There are more opportunities to engage in student activities such as fraternities/sororities as well as concerts and sporting events that typically occur on campus.

The classroom setting is also the most appropriate setting for technical or trade schools. Education on campus is also needed in professions that specifically require "hands on" training in laboratories, clinics, and shops. These schools consist of but are not limited to the following areas of study:

Automobile Mechanic/Technician

Computer Science/ Engineering

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Technician (HVAC)

Welder/ Machinist

Nursing/ Medical Professions

Chef/ Food Service

Online education, also referred to as distance learning involves taking courses over the internet as opposed to in the classroom setting. Online education has become more popular in recent years. This popularity is largely due to the flexibility and convenience that an online educational experience provides. Online education provides an opportunity to take classes from the convenience of home. In addition, online education provides more flexibility by allowing students to work at their own pace without the confines of a strict class schedule.

Online classes tend to be more beneficial for students who work full-time and have additional family responsibilities. Online course assignments can be completed at work (don't tell my boss), home, or anywhere you can carry your laptop. This form of learning makes it ideal for students on the go.

In addition to flexibly and convenience, online courses can also be more cost effective. Classes are taken online so there is no need to drive to class. This saves gas as well as additional wear and tear on your vehicle. Each school is different so you may be required to take certain tests in person at "proctor" sites. These sites are approved by the university and work directly with the school to ensure that students are taking tests as instructed (i.e., no books, notes, etc).

Online schools are also ideal for students in the military or have jobs that require frequent travel. Courses can be taken from anywhere in the world. When I was at Troy University, I took classes with students in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. It was really interesting to interact with students from all over the country. I have listed a few pros and cons of online education and the traditional campus experience.
Advantages of Online Education
1. More flexibility for students who work full-time

2. The ability to complete assignments at times when it is most convenient

3. The ability to obtain a degree from a school in another state without moving

4. This form of education is ideal for military students

5. Less Travel
Disadvantages of Online Education
1. Less direct contact with students and professors

2. Limited opportunities for student and campus activities

3. Subject to "technical difficulties" and software crashes
Advantages of Traditional Education
1. Direct contact with teachers, students, and advisors

2. More access to campus activities

3. More suitable for hands on training
Disadvantages of Traditional Education
1. Less flexibility in class scheduling

2. Less cost effective

3. More travel to and from class

Despite the surge in online universities, I believe there is more than enough room for both options. The key is to find the best fit for your personal needs. Education has proven to be the key to success and it really doesn't matter which method you choose. There is nothing like the campus experience. However, there is no disputing the flexibility and convenience of distance learning.

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The job market has become much more competitive in the last few years. As companies cut back on labor to stay in business, education has become extremely important for employees who want to be more competitive in their current positions or want to transition into a new career.

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Student Achievement in Online Distance Education Compared to Face-to-Face Education

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Student Achievement in Online Distance Education Compared to Face-to-Face Education

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There are no major differences in face-to-face education and online education except there are higher acheivment level in distance education.

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Student Achievement in Online Distance Education Compared to Face-to-Face Education

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A meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize existing research published between 1995 and 2004 comparing student achievement in online distance education (ODE) and face-to-face education (F2FE) at the post-secondary level. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the development of technology contributed to student achievement in ODE within the last ten years.

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Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools

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Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools

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The Agora Cyber Charter School is falling behind in grades. In math nearly 60% are failing and in english almost 50% are failing. Most students unenroll within months. However by Wall Street standards they are remarkable.

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The business taps into a formidable coalition of private groups and officials promoting nontraditional forms of public education. The growth of for-profit online schools, one of the more overtly commercial segments of the school choice movement, is rooted in the theory that corporate efficiencies combined with the Internet can revolutionize public education, offering high quality at reduced cost.

The New York Times has spent several months examining this idea, focusing on K12 Inc. A look at the company's operations, based on interviews and a review of school finances and performance records, raises serious questions about whether K12 schools - and full-time online schools in general - benefit children or taxpayers, particularly as state education budgets are being slashed.

Instead, a portrait emerges of a company that tries to squeeze profits from public school dollars by raising enrollment, increasing teacher workload and lowering standards.

Current and former staff members of K12 Inc. schools say problems begin with intense recruitment efforts that fail to filter out students who are not suited for the program, which requires strong parental commitment and self-motivated students. Online schools typically are characterized by high rates of withdrawal.

Teachers have had to take on more and more students, relaxing rigor and achievement along the way, according to interviews. While teachers do not have the burden of a full day of classes, they field questions from families, monitor students' progress and review and grade schoolwork. Complaints about low pay and high class loads - with some high school teachers managing more than 250 students - have prompted a unionization battle at Agora, which has offices in Wayne, Pa.

A look at a forthcoming study by researchers at Western Michigan University and the National Education Policy Center shows that only a third of K12's schools achieved adequate yearly progress, the measurement mandated by federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

Some teachers at K12 schools said they felt pressured to pass students who did little work. Teachers have also questioned why some students who did no class work were allowed to remain on school rosters, potentially allowing the company to continue receiving public money for them. State auditors found that the K12-run Colorado Virtual Academy counted about 120 students for state reimbursement whose enrollment could not be verified or who did not meet Colorado residency requirements. Some had never logged in.

"What we're talking about here is the financialization of public education," said Alex Molnar, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education who is affiliated with the education policy center. "These folks are fundamentally trying to do to public education what the banks did with home mortgages."

The online companies can tailor their programs by reducing curriculum and teachers. During a presentation at the Virginia legislature this year, a representative of Connections explained that its services were available at three price points per student:

Option A: $7,500, a student-teacher ratio of 35-40 to 1, and an average teacher salary of $45,000.

Option B: $6,500, a student-teacher ratio of 50 to 1, with less experienced teachers paid $40,000.

Option C: $4,800 and a student-teacher ratio of 60 to 1, as well as a narrower curriculum.

Despite lower operating costs, the online companies collect nearly as much taxpayer money in some states as brick-and-mortar charter schools. In Pennsylvania, about 30,000 students are enrolled in online schools at an average cost of about $10,000 per student. The state auditor general, Jack Wagner, said that is double or more what it costs the companies to educate those children online.

"It's extremely unfair for the taxpayer to be paying for additional expenses, such as advertising," Mr. Wagner said. Much of the public money also goes toward lobbying state officials, an activity that Ronald J. Packard, chief executive of K12, has called a "core competency" of the company.

In all, for-profit educational management companies run 79 online schools around the country, according to the study by researchers at Western Michigan University.

Many educators believe there is a place for full-time virtual learning for children whose pace is extremely accelerated or those with behavioral or other issues, like teenage mothers who need to stay home with their babies. But for most children, particularly in the elementary grades, the school experience should not be replaced with online learning, they say.

"The early development of children requires lots of interaction with other children for purposes of socialization, developing collaboration and teamwork, and self-definition," said Irving Hamer Jr., deputy superintendent of Memphis city schools.

In an interview at K12's headquarters in Herndon, Va., Mr. Packard said, "We're here to help children, and that is our overriding purpose and we want to do it as well and efficiently as possible."

He acknowledged what he called a "degradation" in K12's test scores, but he argued that they are an inaccurate measure because many students are already behind when they arrive. "The type of child now coming to an online school, 75 percent of those kids coming in are behind more than one grade level," Mr. Packard said.

He said K12 continues to invest in its curriculum and has developed interventions, like a remedial math program, to help struggling students.

"Kids have been shackled to their brick-and-mortar school down the block for too long," Mr. Packard has said repeatedly, adding that for the first time, every child, regardless of where he or she lives, has a choice.

Some educators are questioning its value. "It's choice," said Thomas L. Seidenberger, superintendent of the East Penn School District in Pennsylvania, which is outperforming Agora and other online schools its students attend. "What about a bad choice?'"
The Cost
The original pitchman for K12 was William J. Bennett, the former education secretary who helped found the company in 2000. At the time, Mr. Bennett said he viewed online schools as a haven for shy children, those worried about being exposed to drugs and even those with "terrible acne."

The company planned to sell an education package directly to parents who wanted to home-school their children. But within months, K12 had decided to tap into public education dollars.

As the company's product has become more popular, the cost has soared.

Mr. Bennett, who left the company in 2005, originally said a home-schooling package would cost about $1,000 per student per year. Parents who wanted teacher support would pay more.

Today, K12 receives an average of $5,500 to $6,000 per student from state and local governments. The schools also receive money for federal programs.

Because online schools do not collect every type of financing that goes to traditional public schools, Mr. Packard contends that his company's schools, on a national average, cost taxpayers 40 percent less per student.

But online schools have negligible building costs and cheaper labor costs, partly because they pay teachers low wages, records and interviews show. Parents, called "learning coaches," do much of the teaching, prompting critics to argue that states are essentially subsidizing home schooling.

"Any high school student taking economics could immediately recognize the fundamental flaws in their pricing structure," said John E. Freund III, a Pennsylvania lawyer who represents a number of districts who are losing students to the online schools and the public financing that goes with them.

Because many states prohibit for-profit public education, the management companies for virtual schools run schools under contract with public districts or nonprofit charter schools, which also receive public money. But companies like K12 are almost fully in charge - devising curriculum, hiring teachers and principals and evaluating student performance.

Another way K12 maximizes its income is to establish schools in poor districts, which receive larger subsidies in some states. The company administers one of K12's newest schools from Union County, Tenn., a mountainous Appalachian enclave where nearly a quarter of the residents live in poverty.

The Tennessee Virtual Academy is technically part of the local school district, which receives more per pupil from the state than most other districts in Tennessee. But of the school's 1,800 pupils, few are actually from Union County.

Out of the state money, the Union County schools will get an administrative fee of about $400,000. K12 stands to collect almost $10 million to staff and manage the school. Dozens of other Tennessee counties, however, lost state financing when some of their students elected to go to the virtual school.

The online schools have enabled entrepreneurs like Michael R. Milken, whose company Knowledge Universe started K12 a decade ago and who remains an investor, to use education as a source of government-financed business, much as military contractors have capitalized on Pentagon spending.

Mr. Packard reports to investors every year with higher enrollment numbers and sales. On Nov. 15, he announced that the company's online schools had enrolled more than 94,000 students. "I think online schools are becoming more mainstream," said Mr. Packard, who was paid $5 million this year.

A sizable portion of the public money collected by K12 is rolled back into generating more business, a common practice by for-profit companies that nevertheless raises questions when the money is intended to educate schoolchildren. K12 spent $26.5 million on advertising in 2010, according to an analysis prepared for The New York Times by Kantar Media.

"Some of the cyber charter schools have fairly aggressive recruitment campaigns," said Jim Buckheit, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. "They have vans, billboards, TV and radio ads. They set up recruitment meetings in area hotels and invite parents to come."

K12 has run thousands of the sessions, where part of the pitch is supplying computers and subsidized Internet connections for qualifying families. Dr. Seidenberger said he was surprised to see ads for online schools in the outfield at Coca-Cola Park, the stadium of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs minor league baseball team.
The Churn
Parents who become interested in K12's schools can follow up by calling 866 numbers, which connect them to a call center in Herndon.

School employees who have visited the center have described a high-pressured sales environment aimed at one thing: enrollment.

Some workers, called "enrollment pals," are paid bonuses based on the number of students they sign up, according to former employees knowledgeable of the operations. Mr. Packard's annual bonus is also partly tied to enrollment.

Because the online schools are public, students cannot legally be denied enrollment. But former K12 employees said the aggressive and impersonal enrollment process lures students who are not a good fit.

"When you have the television and the Xbox and no parental figure at home, sometimes it's hard to do your schoolwork," said one Agora teacher, who asked not to be identified because of concerns over job safety.

The constant cycle of enrollment and withdrawal, called the churn rate, appears to be a problem at many schools. Records Agora filed with Pennsylvania reveal that 2,688 students withdrew during the 2009-10 school year. At the same time, K12 continued to sign up new students. Enrollment at the end of the year - 4,890 - was 170 students more than at the beginning, obscuring the high number of withdrawals.

Gary Miron, a professor of education at Western Michigan University who researches for-profit school management companies, called the turnover troubling. "The kids enroll. You get the money, the kids disappear," he said.

A review of K12 management contracts reveals that the company may still benefit from students who end up leaving. Under its contracts with some charter schools, K12 charges "upfront" fees for books and other supplies.

According to an Agora price list for the 2009-10 school year, K12's upfront billings for elementary and middle school students were $60 a course for online services, $75 a course for materials and $75 per student for computers. With students frequently enrolled in six courses, the fees could surpass $800.

Under some of K12's contracts, only a portion of the fees would be returned if students withdrew quickly. Mr. Packard has said the company does not make money if students leave because of the cost of the materials and shipping.

The state audit of the Colorado Virtual Academy, which found that the state paid for students who were not attending the school, ordered the reimbursement of more than $800,000.

With retention a problem, some teachers said they were under pressure to pass students with marginal performance and attendance.

Students need simply to log in to be marked present for the day, according to Agora teachers and administrators.

For most students, attendance is recommended but not mandatory at what are called synchronous sessions - when they can interact online with the teacher. A new grading policy states that students who do not turn in work will be given a "50" rather than a zero. Several teachers said assignments were frequently open for unlimited retakes.

Agora records from last year show that failing students were told they could make up their work. "All students with a course average of 40 to 59 percent were called and told all assignments past due could be made up without penalty," according to minutes from a school board meeting. Similar calls were going out to students with averages of 0 to 39 percent.

Theresa Henderson, an Agora teacher until June 2010 and the mother of four of its students, said she was among faculty members who requested a stronger policy to dismiss students who were not doing their work.

Several current and former staff members said that a lax policy had allowed students to remain on the rolls even when they failed to log in for days. Officials of the Elizabeth Forward School District in western Pennsylvania complained that Agora had billed the district for students who were not attending.

One of them was a girl who had missed 55 days but was still on the school's roster, according to Margaret Boucher, assistant business manager at Elizabeth Forward.

The school has cracked down on disengaged students, according to a statement by its director, Sharon Williams, who said a policy adopted last December mandates attendance at online classes for those students who do not log in, repeatedly fail to complete lessons or are failing three courses. She said the school follows state law by removing students who are absent for 10 consecutive days.

Poor attendance and disengaged students have been such a problem that Agora dismissed 600 students last year for nonattendance, 149 of them just before state tests were administered, according to school board minutes.
The Students and Parents
With K12 estimating the market for its schools as high as $15 billion, the company's manifest destiny is to expand across the United States. Its newest conquest is Tennessee, where the company got legislative approval last May and began holding information sessions in July.

By fall, 1,800 students had enrolled in the Tennessee Virtual Academy.

About 75 of them came from the struggling Memphis city school system, including the children of Denita Alhammadi.

In a neighborhood teetering on the edge of middle class, Ms. Alhammadi has converted her living room into a classroom. Two desks are for her children, Romeo, 13, and Yasmine, 8. Another is for Ms. Alhammadi, a former Army supply officer who is also studying online, through Kaplan University.

Within weeks of attending a K12 information session, Ms. Alhammadi had become parent and teacher, wrapped into one. She spends as much as six hours a day as the official "learning coach" for her children.

Like many parents who move their children to online schools, she had worried about violence. But no single reason leads families to make the switch. The students are a broadly diverse group, ranging from entertainers and athletes in training to children with cancer, seizure disorders, peanut allergies or behavioral problems. Some have been expelled from regular schools. In many cases their parents are simply dissatisfied.

Kathryn Ubiarco, whose son and daughter are also enrolled in Tennessee, said that her daughter's school in Memphis had not been teaching her to read. "There's no way to come up with the B that she got in reading last year," Ms. Ubiarco said. "The child can't read." She believes the virtual school curriculum is more rigorous.

A lesson from a middle school world history class focuses on the history of the calendar and the recording of time. Intended to take one hour, the lesson opens online with an illustrated introduction. A video explains how time zones vary around the globe. After reading from a textbook, students define terms in a written journal. Then, the parent helps chart a timeline of the student's own life.

The student can click on other online resources - flashcards, three timelines, two games and links to more than 20 other Web sites.

Students say the games are fun. They may encounter problems, though, when navigating the links. Of more than 20 links in the history lesson, five were not working on a recent day. Several linked to commercial sites including the History Channel and Yahoo Kids.

Students must score an 80 on an online assessment to move to the next lesson.

Some teachers have complained that it can be difficult to determine whether students are actually doing the work, or getting help from their parents or others. "Virtual schools offer much greater opportunity for students to obtain credit for work they did not do themselves," said a report in October from the National Education Policy Center, which receives financing from the National Education Association.

Ms. Alhammadi, who runs her tiny school like boot camp, has hidden Romeo's computer login so she has control. Otherwise, he would skip the lessons and move straight to the online test - a habit cited by critics of K12's curriculum.

As two frisky cats run back and forth, Romeo raises his hand - a formality required by his mother - and asks to leave the room. He returns with headphones and plugs them into his computer. As he lip syncs Rihanna's hit "Umbrella" it becomes clear that Romeo is not listening to any lesson. "I concentrate better with my music," he says.

On his computer screen, a series of multiple choice questions ask him to select the correct answer to algebraic equations using negative numbers. Romeo scores a 67 percent.

When Romeo moves to science, he misses a question on the definition of matter.

"Romeo, Romeo," his mother says. "If you had been studying appropriately, you would have found out that there are lots of properties of matter. And you got to take all those elements to build matter. Because elements are gas, solids, liquid."

Romeo is scheduled for a virtual session with his assigned teacher and class at 1 p.m. But when he signs into the class, no one else is there. "Wow, the room is completely empty," he says. He types, "Anyone here?" There is no response.
The Teachers
The monthly meeting of the Agora Cyber Charter School board of trustees is live on Blackboard, the same platform students and teachers use for class. During the November meeting, an elementary teacher, Jessica Long, placed a checkmark by her name, indicating she wanted to speak. Then she challenged school figures showing its student-to-teacher ratio is 49 to 1.

"I know on the elementary level we have anywhere from 70 to 100," Ms. Long said. "I don't know anyone who has 50 students."

Some teachers said they were initially attracted to K12 by the flexibility of working from home, in some cases allowing them to take care of their own children while teaching.

Gwen Schwartz, an Indiana University graduate who teaches for the Tennessee Virtual Academy, works from her home in a remote area of eastern Tennessee while her children are next door with their grandparents. In addition to saving on child care, Ms. Schwartz can save on commuting costs and clothing.

But many teachers said the job had become less desirable as the company increased enrollment, particularly because pay at many K12 schools starts in the low 30s - low even for online schools. Some class sizes have become unwieldy, they said, requiring 60-hour weeks and compromising instruction.

At Agora, enrollment has reached 8,836, up from 6,323 in May, according to figures released by the school. As of late November, the total number of staff members - 408 - was lower than last year. Some high school teachers said they were managing as many as 270 students, even though they had been told they would have 150. Agora officials said last week that they hired 25 teachers in the past couple of weeks.

Some Agora teachers have been asked to take on extra students at the rate of $1 per student, per day, according to a newsletter from the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

In interviews, former teachers at Ohio Virtual Academy and Colorado Virtual Academy also complained of bigger class loads, with elementary teachers who once handled 40 to 50 pupils now supervising 75. A teacher with an elementary class that size and a 40-hour workweek could devote little more than 30 minutes a week to each student.

Mary Ravanelli, a former teacher at Ohio Virtual Academy, said she oversaw more than 70 students at a time, answering calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., updating parents on students' progress and attending various school outings. "We'd actually meet our students several times a year," she said.

With teacher salaries and benefits the biggest cost to K12, increasing student-to-teacher ratios is an easy way for the company to increase profits. Ms. Henderson, the former Agora teacher and mother of four students, said the ultimate losers are the children.

"What has happened now in honors literature courses, the teachers are not able to keep up with 300 students, so they'll just cut curriculum. The kids are losing out," she said. "This past week my son was exempted from 'The Great Gatsby' because of the workload of the teacher."
Politics
"Choice" is a mantra of the charter school movement, which promotes competition as a way of compelling traditional public schools to improve. The for-profit companies that operate some charter and online schools take the idea a step further by arguing that private business models are more efficient than public school systems.

Together, the groups have formed a lobbying juggernaut in state capitals.

In Pennsylvania, where K12 Inc. collects about 10 percent of its revenues, the company has spent $681,000 on lobbying since 2007. The company also has friends in high places. Charles Zogby, the state's budget secretary, had been senior vice president of education and policy for K12. In a statement, Mr. Zogby said he still owned a small number of K12 shares, but did not make decisions specifically affecting online schools.

An analysis by the National Institute on Money in State Politics concluded that K12 and its employees had also contributed nearly $500,000 to state political candidates across the country from 2004 to 2010.

One of the industry's most persuasive promotional tools has been the young children who show up en masse at hearings to support online-school legislation. They are mobilized by groups tied to online schools. Records show that at least some receive industry funding.

When Karen Beyer, then a Pennsylvania state representative, sponsored a bill in 2007 to cut financing to online schools, about 700 people turned out for one hearing. Mr. Freund, the Pennsylvania education lawyer, said the room was "packed with kids."

"They had on different colored T-shirts representing their cyber schools," he added.

One of the organizers of such turnouts has been the Pennsylvania Families for Public Cyber Schools. Records show that the group, which gets money both from K12 and Connections Education, has spent about $250,000 on lobbying in the past five years.

Similar family organizations have cropped up across the country.

Former State Representative Stephen Dyer became suspicious when members of the benignly named organization My School, My Choice paraded through his northeastern Ohio district carrying signs attacking him: "Why Won't Rep. Stephen Dyer let parents choose the best education for their kids?"

The protest was prompted by questions Mr. Dyer had raised over the state's financing formula for charter and online schools. The group describes itself as a coalition of parents, teachers and employees of the schools. But Mr. Dyer said that his wife questioned the people carrying the signs and found out they were paid temp agency workers.

A telephone call to a toll-free number on the Web site for My School, My Choice was returned by Mark Weaver, a Columbus lawyer and political consultant with Republican ties dating back to the Reagan administration.

Mr. Weaver said the group's crowning achievement was a 2009 rally against legislation in Ohio that would limit school choice. "We put 4,500 people on the statehouse lawn," he said. But he declined to answer questions about the group's leadership and financing.

Documents incorporating the organization provide clues. The forms name one of the group's founders as Tim Dirrim, a Huntington National Bank employee who serves as board president of the Ohio Virtual Academy, which is managed by K-12 and receives more than $60 million a year from the state. Mr. Dirrim said he knew little about My School, My Choice and was not aware of the campaign against Mr. Dyer.

Much of the Ohio Virtual Academy's money goes through an account at Huntington National, according to the Ohio auditor's office. Mr. Dirrim said the banking arrangement was made before he joined the board and that he did not make decisions relating to the bank's account with the school.
The Results
Mr. Packard has repeatedly delivered upbeat assessments to Wall Street about the progress of K12 Inc. students, even as many schools were performing poorly on state tests.

In a conference in March sponsored by the investment firm Morgan Stanley, Mr. Packard said that "our kids are doing as well or better than the average child in a brick-and-mortar school."

During an investment analysts call in October, Mr. Packard boasted about results at Agora, calling them "significantly higher than a typical school on state administered tests for growth." Weeks earlier, data had been released showing that 42 percent of Agora students tested on grade level or better in math, compared with 75 percent of students statewide. And 52 percent of Agora students had hit the mark in reading, compared with 72 percent statewide. The school was losing ground, not gaining it.

Mr. Packard said in a recent interview that he was not aware of the data at the time he made the comments. A spokesman said Mr. Packard was relying on older data.

A Stanford University group, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, tracked students in eight virtual schools in Pennsylvania, including Agora, comparing them with similar students in regular schools. The study found that "in every subgroup, with significant effects, cyber charter performance is lower."

Devora Davis, the center's research manager, said the group's analysis of Pennsylvania online schools showed that students were slipping. "If they were paired with a traditional public schools student, the public school student kept their place in line, and the cyberstudent moved back five spots," she said.

An analysis by the Carroll County Public School District in Virginia shows that the 400 students in the virtual program there performed worse than the regular students in 19 of 26 categories on the state assessment test.

The Carroll County superintendent, James Greg Smith, said he was particularly concerned about scores in middle school math, history and social sciences. In seventh-grade math, for example, only 35 percent of the online students passed a state assessment; 68 percent of the traditional students did.

It will be a while before test results are available for students at the new virtual school in Tennessee. Back in Memphis, Ms. Alhammadi is worried that her daughter, Yasmine, is moving too quickly. A computerized analysis shows that, at the rate she is going, Yasmine will be finished with all but one of her classes by March.

Red flags go up if a student is "zapping through like a rocket, lesson by lesson," according to Tom DiGiovanni, K12's senior director of product planning. "The teachers are instructed to drop in (by phone) and do a little quiz to kind of test students" to make sure they understand the concepts.

Five miles from Ms. Alhammadi's home, Ms. Ubiarco has also turned her living room into a classroom. Her daughter Sabrina, 10, is in the fifth grade and her son, K.C., 6, is in kindergarten at the Tennessee Virtual Academy.

Ms. Ubiarco is giving Sabrina a math lesson - about the distributive property - on a white board in the family's living room.

While his mother focuses on his sister, K.C. is doing his own thing - lying on the carpet crashing cars into Spider-Man and Batman action figures.

For the most part, Mrs. Ubiarco said the switch to online had gone smoothly, although she was initially stumped when she first got the K12 curriculum.

"I called the teacher the other day to find out what a simple predicate is," she said. "She said it's the verb. I said why don't they just say that?"

Correction: December 14, 2011

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Online Schools Score Better on Wall Street Than in Classrooms

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The business taps into a formidable coalition of private groups and officials promoting nontraditional forms of public education. The growth of for-profit online schools, one of the more overtly commercial segments of the school choice movement, is rooted in the theory that corporate efficiencies combined with the Internet can revolutionize public education, offering high quality at reduced cost.

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Online Learning vs. The Traditional College

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Online Learning vs. The Traditional College

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For a adult who is going back to college who has a full time job and a family it is unpractical for them to go to a campus and attend class. That would be more practical for an 18 year old who is just coming out of highschool. Online school would be alot more practical for an adult.

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CarronJ

December 15, 2006

Adult students are more likely to succeed in online education than a traditional college student because adult students have more maturity and responsibility. Traditional college students are between the ages of 18-21 and benefit from the social atmosphere that a normal college campus provides. A lot of older adults have full time jobs or families and look at college as an education only not a social life. For young students, college means newfound freedom because they can live on campus or with friends away from parents.

A college campus has social activities and an exciting environment. For an individual seeking a degree for a promotion or similar benefit, this type of environment is not necessary. In a study from the National Survey of Student Engagement only 11 percent of traditional college students spend 25 or more hours a week studying, reading, writing, and doing other activities for their classes; 40 percent spend 10 hours or less out of the 168 that make up a week. As you can see there is a difference in the study patterns of adult students and 18-21 year old students.

Common reasons adults return to school:

Career advancement- some employers require a certain education level for company positions

Higher pay/ Salary Increase- According to the Department of Education, the average earnings for those holding bachelors degrees are 50 percent higher than the averages of those with only a high school diploma.

Personal growth and development- Gaining additional knowledge in a particular field of interest.

Common reasons 18-21 year olds enroll in college:

Pressure to attend from parents, teachers, and guidance counselors

Parties, Fraternities, Sororities, and Sport events

An actual desire for higher learning and to earn a college degree

The popularity of online learning is increasing at a very fast pace. There are millions of students in the United States that are currently studying online and overseas students are joining in on this trend. With the Internet, online degrees have become a perfect option for the individual who may not be able to enroll in a traditional classroom institution. Online education teaches you how to multi task unlike a regular classroom setting. Online you have to use several programs, maintain files and email in order to succeed in that type of institution. The course work is distributed online through email or posted on websites. The Internet is ideally suited to bring together all kinds of learning tools. Papers and assignments are submitted by email. The entire operation is done online.

WorldWideLearn.com listed a few strategies for distance learners:
Set goals
* Goal #1. I will succeed in this course.

* At the beginning of a new course, look through the materials. Break the lessons/assignments into manageable chunks. You might not have time to do a full lesson in one night, so plan for how much you can do, and then stick to it until you're done.
Establish a regular study/learning schedule
* Keep a calendar or journal with your study goals and important dates clearly marked and look at it every day

* Determine what time is best for you to study.

* Take breaks-walk around and stretch. Drink some water or have a light snack.

* If possible, have a dedicated study place with all the supplies you might need

* Pace yourself. Don't over extend yourself. There's a reason it takes several years to graduate from traditional university. Make sure your learning not just racing through the materials.
Talk about it
* Tell people what you're doing. You're more likely to stick to a course if your co-workers knows you're doing it.

* Ask a friend or family member to check up on you.

* Ask someone to proof your work before you submit it.
Join a study group
* Join a club.

* Get a mentor.

* Search the internet for bulletin boards or chat rooms related to your topic.
Know your learning style
* Look for real world situations and examples of what you're learning about.

* You'll be much more interested if you're involved, not just reading about a topic.

* Put things into practice as early as possible.
Celebrate successes
* Reward yourself with whatever work for you, along the way. Remember, you chose to do this. Be proud of your accomplishments.
Ask Questions
* If you don't understand something ask.

It is important to note that every online program is different. Some are completely online while others called hybrids require that students come to a physical campus for lectures or test taking. If your schedule permits you to attend campus sessions once in a while then hybrid would be suitable. Universities like NYU operate under synchronous which means students and teachers participate at the same time in a virtual classroom or chat session via the web. An individual who has the time to attend a virtual session but cannot commute to a college campus would find this a great option. The other learning outlet for online education is asynchronous, which is self-paced allowing students to work independently. If you like not having to attend class on campus or in a virtual classroom then asynchronous would be best for you. Some like Stephanie a 28year old single mother with a small child would benefit from this type of online education. Stephanie attends York College part time online at night because she can't get daycare in the evenings. She can take classes at home while caring for her infant child.

Whichever online education options you choose they all require focus, dedication, and motivation. Trying to focus in a virtual online class is harder than a traditional classroom because there are so many distractions. If you attend online classes at home or the office you run the risk of hearing outside noise such as people chatter, TV or radio, office equipment, children. Regular campus classrooms are closed in so there is no one else besides the teacher and students; there are fewer or no interruptions. Because of the distractions online classes require more discipline, you must be able to concentrate under pressure.

Another reason online an education takes discipline and maturity is that unlike a normal campus the teacher is not directly in front of you and visible. In a normal campus classroom the teacher is in front of you supervising and making sure you are paying attention and completing assignments. For a young college student this is beneficial because they lack the responsibility to be organized and multi task on their own. Adult students however are more inclined to be mature because of already existing obligations like work and family. According to studies done by the U.S. Office of technology Assessment compared to traditional students, online adult learners do as well or better in courses and on tests. In another study done by CBS news human resources executives agreed students who go to school online after work while balancing family life demonstrate a particular ambition and resourcefulness that would be an asset in the work place.

Mature adult students understand the importance of an education and how valuable it is to their lives. Another example is college tuition being expensive this means budgeting is important. Budgeting money and time one asset in college success. Traditional 18-21 year old college students still lack the discipline for time and financial budgeting. Many rely on parents to support them financially while in school. They have teachers or peers to help them with time management for school assignments and things of that nature. One of the reasons parents encourage their kids to attend college is so they can become responsible.

Anna Morgan is a professor at Albuquerque Community College. She teaches Business Writing courses in both distance learning online and real campus classroom. Her distance learning class is held twice a week online in a virtual classroom. Most of her online students are between the ages of 25-40. Some of them have children, full time employment or both. Her campus class students are typical college age all under 21 years of age. Anna states that most of her students perform fairly well, but if she were to switch students so that online students were taking campus classes and campus students were to go online it would be as successful, the performance level would drop. Adult students would not be able to attend campus class. The young students would not focus and be prepared for class, because online classes requires more effort on the students part, Anna believes her younger students couldn't remember for lack of organization. She says it helps her students if they are reminded when assignments are due and that she is visible, not just a face behind a computer screen. In her opinion adult students in her online class are mature and more capable of succeeding in an online education environment. I asked to interview a student from each of her classes to see what their opinions were and why they chose that particular learning environment.

Steven Albright is a 35-year-old student in Anna's online business writing course. He is married but does not have any children and works a full time job. Steven is working on completing a bachelor's degree that he failed to receive earlier. I asked him why he waited to go to college, he stated that he and his wife got married young so he needed to work and support his family and college tuition was not in their budget. Steven has been working for Intel for almost 10 years, when he started working they gave complete training to new hires without a college degree. Now new hires must have a degree in order to apply. He feels the way business is going job security is very low. Obtaining a degree would increase his chances of getting a job elsewhere should Intel fall. Because his schedule is so hectic an online education is the only option he has. Commuting back and forth to a college campus after working 10-hour shifts is too difficult. Steve says that he gets online to attend class from his office at work or home computer. I asked him if preparing and organizing for class was difficult, he said no because he uses Outlook Express and other multi tasking skills to handle all his responsibilities including school. I wanted to note that Steven's grades are always above average.

The other student I interviewed attends class on campus. Lisa Hamilton is 19, studying for a Bachelors in communications. She is a student in Anna Morgan's onsite business course. I asked Lisa if she had ever thought about taking classes online, she thought that it would be a challenge. In her opinion online classes are for the most part independent and self structured. Lisa felt she would have to be more organized because the professor would not be available as much to guide her. Online classes would require a lot more effort on her part. Lisa also stated that it is already hard for her to remember everything she must do for campus classes.

I wanted to hear other situations that dealt with online learning so Anna suggested I speak with Tonya, a 20-year-old student in her online business writing class. Tonya is different from the other students in the distance-learning program she is also the youngest. I asked her why she chose online learning instead of campus classes, she stated that after attending traditional classes she preferred online. Tonya felt pressure in a regular classroom because everyone could see her vulnerability. This is one reason I also chose an online education.

When I was a 17-year-old senior in high school, I was preparing for college the following year. College was something we knew we had to attend. No one gave it a second thought because our parents, teachers, and counselors encouraged us to go. In my high school they start preparing you for college right away. By your junior year we were expected to know which colleges we sought admission. I remember my junior year all the pressure to excel on academics; because my teachers would always say how that is the year colleges look at the most. Looking back I really didn't have much of a choice about college. I never had time to think about what I wanted to do with my life or if I even wanted to go to college. When I did think about college it was about all the fun and excitement in the atmosphere. I was a cheerleader in a high school and being a cheerleader for college seemed like the logical next step. High school sports games were always filled with exhilaration so college had to be twice that. At that time I wasn't even thinking about a real career path just still in a dreaming phase, college was just an extension of high school. The only difference is that my parents would not be there. This time I would be on my own less rules and restrictions.

College move-in day was like liberation, all the freshmen with boxes and parents in vans or trucks with all their young hopefuls' belongings. You can see the looks on the mother's faces; it was a feeling of sadness because their children were leaving home, but at the same time proud because they knew to expect a college degree when their child returned. It was obvious who was an only child and which students were the youngest out of siblings. The only child parent's seemed to be more emotional for several reasons. Parents dropping off their youngest child looked slightly more relived like they finally reached the end of a long journey. As me and my parents were driving through the campus looking for my dorm house there was so much activity around us. Fraternities and Sororities showing off their colors and logos trying to get new recruits to pledge, then step teams and cheerleaders dancing and cheering; there were also other school clubs and groups ready and prepared to give information to freshman. I don't recall any academic groups outside cheering about classes and courses; it was only a build up of recreation activities.

When we pulled up to my dorm and went inside to get my welcome packet and keys, they immediately encouraged me to join in the dorm activities. The dorm had hallway decorating contests, movie nights, and slumber parties happening frequently. I guess all these things were to help motivate students and make them feel welcome. My move in day was different from most of the new students because I actually lived in state, for some other students this was far from home. Even though it wasn't far from home, I still wanted to experience all that college life had to offer dorms, frat parties, sports games, ect. My roommate was already unpacked by the time I got there; she was from California majoring in psychology. From the look on her face, I could tell we were going to get along great.

After my parents left, my roommate Shelly and I attended student orientation. A whole auditorium filled with new students ready to embark on college life. I don't think half of that crowd was thinking about what classes they wanted to register for. The majority thought about parties that night and whatever else would be going on. I was actually split in the middle between which courses to take and which event to attend tonight. Shelly was busy looking around trying to count how many cute guys were in the room. Looking around it was obvious that all of the males there were looking at every female deciphering who looked good, who they could date and how fast. During this parade of body scooping and party planning, the Dean of all the departments and head of the freshman class spoke to everyone. The gist of what they all stated was what you normally hear on the first day of college. Look to your left, look to your right the person next to you may not be here on graduation day in four years. This is a very blunt but true statement. At that time I didn't think that applied to me because in my mind I thought I was prepared for college. Little did I know college was much more than I had anticipated and that I was not mentally prepared.

I remember the first class of the semester everyone seemed to be excited about learning. The idea that this was a real college course just like something we've seen on a movie or TV. I think that a lot of kids watch movies or television shows that display college life and believe it as real; as if college is exactly like that. Very seldom does Hollywood show college to be a challenge and if they do the characters appear to overcome the obstacles with ease. For a young person who has never been to college its very easy to believe whatever you see or hear, especially if it sounds good. You can't blame adolescents in their misinterpretation of college because its an experience like many others that you will only know once you go through it yourself. A boyfriend I had in high school used to say how he couldn't wait for college because of the way it looked in a movie titled House Party 2. This movie was about a young 18 year old guy and his girlfriend going to college for the first time. Although they do show scenes where they talk about what classes they want to register for and the main character preparing for a huge term paper, the movies main theme is the big pajama party they throw on campus. Now my boyfriend was a terrific student on the honor roll, but he was also intrigued in the parties and even of college life. Even good motivated students who don't drink or smoke can still get caught up in the hype of college life. I never drink or smoke, but still I wanted to attend parties and hang out with my friends. Being so taken by all the fun college has to offer makes it difficult to concentrate on school.

Because I didn't think very much about what I really wanted to do with my life my academics suffered. I know my roommate became caught up in guys and dating. She was always going out with some guy she met at a party or event. I don't think there was a single night where something was not happening on campus. There were so many parties, sporting events, and dorm nights. I can recall times when I would just give up on studying because my roommate was making out with some guy on the other side of the room or the loud music and noise coming from other rooms, dorms, or outside. Once I tried going to the library because it was quiet and I could concentrate better, but as I was on my way there was so much going on around me that I looked like a geek carrying books on my way to the library. Finally I saw one of my friends who convinced me to attend a party with her in a coed dorm. At that time in my life I was so young and excelling in school, getting a good education just did not seem of high importance. Like many at that age I figured I had plenty of time.

By the end of my first semester I knew that I was not ready for college. Unlike high school this was not free, my parents were paying a lot of money to put me through school. My grades were suffering from my hectic social life. I failed to make school a priority and instead choose my friends and hanging out. In addition to that I still wasn't sure about which career path I wanted to take. Looking back on my experience as a traditional college student living on campus, there was no way I would be able to handle an online class. It was hard enough attending regular daytime classes in a real classroom, but if I had to stay online for hours at a time focusing on some class, I definitely would not be able to do it. I can picture myself sitting online on Friday night trying to focus on class and my friends telling me about something else going on that night. It would have been more than easy for to forget class and go out to have fun, especially if there was connection or technical problems with my online class; to stay online would seem ridiculous when I could be out having a good time.

Later on after a few years had passed I decided to go back to school because I can get a better paying job with a college degree. Online learning fit perfectly into my schedule and made me feel more comfortable leaning from the privacy of my home. I am a lot older now and take my education much more seriously than when I was a traditional college age.

Observing the life and environment on a traditional college campus with young students, has become a study within itself. There are numerous college professors who actually examined the behaviors of the 18-21 year old college student and then documented their results. Barrett Seaman is an accomplished writer, writing for publications such as Time Magazine; he also served as a trustee at his Alma matter Hamilton College . He had written previous books about college that just helped students in choosing a college. However he was curious about college life in today's society since it had been so long since he had been to college. To research young college life he visited several traditional campuses around the country and wrote the book titled Binge, Campus Life in an Age of Disconnection and Excess. What I found interesting was the interpretation of how young students studied and if they even studied at all. Right away he noticed the large social surroundings stating "Seeing the number of parties on campuses, the local bars jammed to the rafters on weekday nights, and the incredible amounts of time students spend on extracurricular activities, I wondered how much time these students were devoting to their studies (pg. 57)." With all of the activities you cannot really see where learning actually fits in; it's as if young students think of college as just a place to live without your parents and party and hang out with friends. The book also documents a typical schedule of a student "A Harvard junior, a varsity athlete with a B average, " and took me through her typical weeknight routine:

6:00 Dinner in the house dining room

6:30- 9:00 Hang out, study

9:00- 11:00 Pregame in someone's room (a few beers, a gin and tonic)

11:00 Head out to a bar or club nearby in Cambridge

2:00 Drop by a final club briefly after the bars close (pg. 59)"

This schedule included only a few hours studying but while he was studying he was hanging out, so actually how much real studying was going on. Even in a prestigious school such as Harvard there is a lot of drinking and partying happening and actual learning fits in between the social life. College is just not looked at as learning the most you can, taking advantage of the opportunity study under intelligent professors, instead it is seen as a four year long party learning optional.

Rebekah Nathan was an anthropology professor who had trouble understanding her students. She had been a teacher for over 14 years and wondered why her students would miss class or hand assignments in late. Since it had been so long ago that she was a student she realized she could no longer understand the mind of a student. Rebekah decided to study what college life was really like from living in a dorm to attending classes and social events. Her entire experience was documented and turned into a book titled My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by becoming a student. In this experience Rebekah enrolled as a freshman at a college she called AnyU; she also lived in a dorm so that she could grasp the whole mentality of a young traditional college student. Rebekah speaks of her first day on campus as sort of a surprise to her by stating "It dawned on me soon enough that I had gone through the looking glass, so to speak, and I was now privy to a world that students typically didn't share with me. I heard about weekend parties, and how someone wrote the paper drunk between 3 and 4:30 in the morning, and how unfair the grading was, and why did we have to take so many liberal studies courses anyway? The discourse I began to hear happened naturally in my shared status as student, and the difference in the content, formality, and tone of the dialogues struck me (pg. 3-4)." She was learning how most young college students put their social life before their studies. As a professor she would not have been able to see this, as clear because she was on the outside looking in, now she was a student so those were her peers thus allowing her to understand more clearly the mind of a young student.

As I was reading this book some things she described reminded me of my own college experiences. Most traditional American college campuses welcome freshman and create a fun atmosphere that builds excitement. Rebekah shared her first at college experience that was very similar to mine. She goes on to describe her first day and a campus tradition called "Welcome Week" describing it as " a time when students participate in optional social, sports, and orientation activities prior to the start of classes. Printed calendars of events, along with informal flyers, posters that hung from the lobby rafters, and tiny strips of paper that appeared regularly under my door announced a plethora of dorm events and university activities that competed for student attention (pg.10)." All of these events that the college themselves promote make it very difficult for a student to want to attend class on time and participate or actually learn something while they are there.

One thing I found particularly interesting was a survey she conducted about cheating. This survey was basically trying to understand student's ideas about what they considered to be cheating. There were common answers such as "it depends on the situation" or what if it is class you never wanted to take in the first place". Rebekah also asked the question; when is it okay to cheat? One student replied "If its an online class. Online courses suck (pg. 126)." That statement shows how a traditional aged college student feels about taking classes online. This student thought they were pointless and wouldn't recommend it. This goes back to my original claim; young traditional students lack the maturity for online learning. Some students can barely attend campus classes and obviously would not even take an online class serious enough to actually complete the work. Older more mature students over 25 view online learning as an option to complete their degree that would otherwise be unavailable.

Traditional young college students would have a difficult time adjusting to learning online, because most of them only see the Internet for fun. Young people grew up with the computer and Internet; they have constant access to email, games, instant messaging and other things that can be done online. Traditional students may use the computer for typing up papers or doing basic research for school, but to use it for learning and attending classes is a stretch. In a virtual college set up like NYU, you are required to be online for at least 3 hours each class. During class, you can hear the professor and other students, but you cannot see each other. This means that while virtual class is going on a student can be doing other things; either checking email, visiting porn sites, talking on the phone, watching TV, ect.

Virtual classrooms also encounter occasional technical problems, which take patience and persistence. A number of issues can take place like failed internet or high speed connection, microphone not working properly, these are things that can happen to the students or teachers. I myself have experienced the teachers being late or absent from class due to technical problems. Many young traditional students would not have the patience or desire to wait while an issue is being resolved. Most online classes meet in the evening or late hours to accommodate adult schedules, this time frame is when most young people like to hang out with friends or watch TV, not sit in a classroom. Technical difficulties would be just another excuse for young students not to attend class. Dealing with all the issues that come with online learning takes maturity that most traditional students still lack. Traditional young student still need to rely on teachers for the support they are no longer receiving from parents like mentoring and supervision.

In online learning there is no monitoring from the teachers, which gives this students a sole responsibility to listen and participate in class. In a regular college classroom, the instructor is in front of the class, so they can see if a student is not paying attention, sleeping, socializing with other classmates, or anything else. In a traditional college atmosphere students are able to make a transition without their parents, because initially the professors, counselors, or other staff at the college are able to step in for the parents as far as guidance. Parents send their kids of to college so they can be prepared for the real world; this is the first step for young students to understand life without parental help. For example in a traditional college campus students are between the ages of 18-21 and live in a dorm room on campus. A dorm is like an apartment, but in a dorm they have supervision like resident hall managers to make sure things stay in order and students are getting along. If a young student were to take their classes online they would not have this type of guidance. Attending college online means the students have the sole responsibility of adjusting alone.

So exactly what can be done for traditional aged college students who want to take online classes? I believe they should be required to write a personal statement, expressing in detail what they would contribute to an online class and why they are seeking online education. A personal statement about their role in online education is more valuable than just acceptance based on transcripts and test scores. Traditional colleges ask for previous grades and test scores and after acceptance students still party and drink or do what ever else they desire. The problem is they still don't take the college experience serious enough.

A probationary period should also me implemented, making it mandatory for students to prove that they will actually attend classes, participate, and complete assignments. The probation must be a minimum of a year or a semester depending upon academic standing. For instance students who excel with an A average the first semester can be taken off probation, provided that they remain on that level. Should students drop below a B average probation will begin again until their grades improve. After a year of maintaining a B average or better the probationary status ends permanently. In the chance that a students grades drop to a D or failing then a decision can be made not allowing a student to take online courses.

To assist students with succeeding in an online class, they can be assigned an advisor. This advisor is different from a regular advisor because it is solely for online learning. Unlike other advisors they will communicate with students on a consistent basis not just at the beginning of a new semester but during the entire academic year. They will make sure students are attending classes and will follow up on students who are not participating or whose grades are slipping. These advisors will also offer assistance and support for students struggling in their online classes. Young students need to be motivated into learning and their advisors will be there to help them. I feel it is necessary for students to have these advisors at least for the first two years of college online. It takes time to adapt to this kind of learning, this will assure that young students get as much support as possible.

With these implementations, I feel that young students will be more likely to excel in learning and take online education seriously. This will reduce the number of drop out students and the number of failing students as well. If these proposals are put in place I believe that traditional young students will be able to handle online courses just as well as an adult student.

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Online Learning vs The Traditional College by Carron Jackson

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CarronJ December 15, 2006 Adult students are more likely to succeed in online education than a traditional college student because adult students have more maturity and responsibility. Traditional college students are between the ages of 18-21 and benefit from the social atmosphere that a normal college campus provides.

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Pros and Cons: Online Degrees vs. Traditional Degrees

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Pros and Cons: Online Degrees vs. Traditional Degrees

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Students who go to online school and students who go to traditional schooling life different lives. Students who go to online school have a more flexible schedule. However students who go to traditional schooling have a more social atmosphere

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Online Education Versus Traditional Education

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Online Education Versus Traditional Education

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People who go to online school live a different lifestyle and have different test scores than people who go to a traditional school. People who take online school usually hve better test scores. Also the cost for online school is alot cheaper than traditional schooling.

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Benefits of Online Education

Every day, more and more people like you are discovering the benefits of online learning. Let's face it-life is busy! Between jobs, family and friends, we've all got plenty of responsibilities. Continuing your education at a regionally accredited, premier online University with no physical residency requirements gives you the flexibility you need to manage your personal and professional responsibilities while you work towards achieving your academic and career goals.

Rather than being tethered to a specific schedule where you have to drive to a (hopefully!) nearby university for class, online degree seekers are able to learn with more flexibility when it comes to choosing when and where they want to work on their weekly assignments. This is ideal for students with unconventional work hours, those who work full-time, or those who are serving in the military or raising a family.

In fact, online programs can greatly increase your ability to move forward with your education goals while maintaining your lifestyle:

Work full-time while you take classes.

Complete weekly assignments on your schedule without neglecting personal or professional obligations.

Share in a global experience while you study from wherever you have access to the Internet.

Learn from first-rate faculty teaching from all across the globe.

ONLINE EDUCATION VS TRADITIONAL EDUCATION

There are more differences between online education and traditional education besides a couple of cords and a keyboard. Students participating in distance learning will experience different scores, different methods and a different lifestyle than those enrolled in a brick-and- mortar institution.

Different Lifestyle
Rather than being tethered to a specific time allotment, the online degree seeker is able to learn with complete flexibility. This is ideal for those with unconventional work hours, those working full time, those serving in the military or those raising a family.

Different Methods
The traditional method of lectures, books and desks may not be the optimum learning environment for every student. In a New York Times article, experts declared that the real promise of online education is "providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms," which in turn fosters the concept of "learning by doing." Many students find this engagement more useful and more relevant. Students at Northcentral University build upon this engagement with the assistance of a faculty mentor. These experienced community and industry leaders provide mentoring and individual insight on your coursework while offering guidance as you determine your career path.

Different Scores
Traditional students may need to sit down at their desks when they find out that another surprising difference between the two learning formats is higher scores. Studies have shown that students in online learning conditions perform better than those receiving traditional instruction. Dr. Ralph Kuehn, Director of Mentors and Quality Assurance at Northcentral University, credits this success to the underlying format of Northcentral University.

"In seeking an online degree, each student relies upon their own motivation to complete each course and to eventually graduate," Kuehn said. "This motivation is a strong proponent for success."

Different Costs
The greatest gap between the traditional and the online could be bridged with currency. The cost of tuition at an online institution, like Northcentral, is a fraction of that at a traditional institution. Because an online university does not have the fees of maintaining a large campus and its classrooms, it is able to pass the savings onto students of all ages. As you decide which learning environment is right for you, it is important to consider these differences. However, don't forget that the biggest difference is the impact that higher education - whether online or traditional - will have on your life.

"I didn't want to have to rely on group projects and other people to do my work. That's not how I function. That's not how I work. So I was looking for a very individualized experience. There is a lot of self-learning that has to be done and self-discipline and motivation, but that's how I'm comfortable learning so it's a perfect fit for me"- Jannine Wilmoth, PhD in Business Administration, Homeland Security Student

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Benefits of Online EducationEvery day, more and more people like you are discovering the benefits of online learning. Let's face it-life is busy! Between jobs, family and friends, we've all got plenty of responsibilities.

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nline vs. Traditional Education: The Answer You Never Expected

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nline vs. Traditional Education: The Answer You Never Expected

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There is now a bigger demand for more online education because of higher requirments for jobs. There was 500,000 more students who enrolled in online education in 2011. Tradtional education has more disicpline and social interaction.

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The word "college" might make you think of students hanging out in dorm rooms or gathering for classes in enormous lecture halls. But that depiction is becoming increasingly out-of-date as technology provides for more and more ways to learn.

In fact, online and distance learning has steadily grown in popularity among college students, but does that mean it's a good choice for you? In order to help you answer that question, take some time to compare and contrast traditional versus online education.

Comparing online versus traditional education

Both online education and its traditional counterpart have pros and cons, so it's important for students to understand what to expect before they step foot-or log into-the classroom. We focused this side-by-side comparison on three key areas that make an impact on a student's experience. We'll also take a closer look at what a "blended learning" model has to offer.

Online vs. traditional education: Flexibility

One of the key components to consider when weighing the options is the amount of time you have every day to dedicate to schoolwork. Are you willing and able to attend college full-time or do you need more flexibility to work around your busy schedule?
Online education:
A benefit to taking online courses is that they offer flexibility to the student. This is a great option for those who already have time commitments with family and work. Online classes will mold with your schedule-and allow you to log into your online course at a time that works best for you, as opposed to having to attend a lecture at a specific time.

Most online courses will follow a weekly format where students are expected to log in, read course materials, contribute to online class discussions and complete assignments prior to the beginning of the next week. You'll still have plenty to do for each class-but you'll have more options for fitting this work in around other commitments.
Traditional education:
Generally speaking, this is the best option for students who have a little more freedom in their schedules. That said, traditional students do have some flexibility in their scheduling in that some schools offer night classes or classes that follow a schedule where they meet only once per week.

One easy-to-overlook factor when it comes to scheduling is travel time to campus-a long commute can certainly make schedules difficult, especially if you're planning on working while in school.

Online vs. traditional education: Discipline & self-motivation

Something else to consider while weighing your college options is your level of self-discipline. Both traditional and online education certainly require some discipline to succeed, but there can be significant differences in how learning is structured. These structural differences can have a significant effect on your ability to stay on track.
Online education:
The increased flexibility of online learning comes with a bit of a trade-off-you'll need to be highly self-motivated. All college classes require students to keep up on required reading and assignments, but some students may struggle to stay motivated when learning from the comfort of their home.

The best online students develop strategies for staying up to date on their coursework. Things like setting aside time every week for studying and creating a work space with minimal distractions can help immensely.
Traditional education:
When it comes to discipline and motivation, traditional education does have an advantage in the eyes of many. The structured schedule of attending class a handful of times per week and having routine face-to-face interactions with instructors can help keep students on task. Students in traditional, on-campus settings have more opportunities to be reminded of upcoming assignments, which can help if you tend to procrastinate on large, time-consuming assignments.

Online vs. traditional education: Social interaction

One final area to consider is the level of social interaction you're hoping to have as you earn your degree. Do you need interaction from your peers and instructors to succeed and stay motivated? Or do you thrive in an independent study environment?
Online education:
Social interaction with instructors and other students, while not as common in online courses, still happens regularly. The biggest difference is in the form it takes, with many online student interactions happening via video chat or through online discussion posts.

Some courses may also offer pre-recorded videos of the same lectures given to traditional, on-campus students. If you're a social learner who likes to ask questions and pick the brains of your instructors, these video lectures can help you earn a deeper understanding of assigned reading materials.
Traditional education:
Despite technological advances, traditional education is still likely the better option for those who thrive on face-to-face communication. Seeing and interacting with your instructors on a regular basis can be motivating for some-it's a little easier to go the extra mile if you know your instructor is likeable and invested in your education. Traditional, in-class settings may also offer more opportunities for spur-of-the-moment questioning or interesting tangents that may help a concept "click" in the minds of students.

Online vs. traditional education: The blended education model

By now, it's probably becoming clear to you that both online and traditional education each have their perks. So is there a way to get the best of both worlds? One option that is increasing in popularity is called "blended learning."

In this format, curriculum is designed to implement both traditional, in-person learning and online coursework. The implementation of this can vary greatly, depending on the subject and instructor. But as an example, instructors may require only meeting once weekly for lectures, while assigning projects or other activities for students to complete online on their own time. This allows students to receive some of the positives from face-to-face social learning while still allowing for scheduling flexibility.

Another example would be a program that offers some courses on campus and others online. For example, a nursing program may include an online anatomy course, and a nursing simulation lab on campus. The idea here is that certain courses involve material that is conducive to online learning, while other lessons can only be taught in a physical classroom or lab.

The decision is yours

In the case of online versus traditional education, there is no right or wrong answer. Much of it comes down to personal preference and knowing how you learn best. These learning formats can all be very effective, no matter your personal learning style and situation.

It's important to do some self-evaluation before diving into a full college course load. To learn more about which options best fit you, check out our article, Ways of Learning in College: Identify Your Ideal Educational Environment.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published February 2014 and has been updated to reflect information from 2017. RELATED ARTICLES:

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Online vs. Traditional Education: What You Need to Know

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When weighing whether to take online courses versus in a traditional classroom setting, there's a lot to consider. We compare the two so you can make an informed decision on whether an online or traditional education is best for you.

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Distance Education: Better, Worse, Or As Good As Traditional Education?

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Distance Education: Better, Worse, Or As Good As Traditional Education?

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in the investigation of decideing is online education is better or wworse than tradintional they found that the post-test scores, final grade scores, and age were significantly different. There were no differences in pre-test scores, homework grades, or final course grades.

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Distance Education: Better, Worse, Or As Good As Traditional Education?

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As distance education increasingly becomes a vital part of higher education, one must ask, if distance education is in fact better, worse, or as good as traditional education? A vehement argument is being waged, pitting distance education against traditional face-to-face education. Some argue that distance education is viewed as being different from other forms of education.