I am sure you have heard of the amazing benefits of online education. But to get a better picture of whether or not online education is for you - you must consider the disadvantages of distance learning as well.
Therefore, here are some of the popular drawbacks you may need to consider:
1. If you are not highly motivated and disciplined - distance education may not be for you. Many students thrive on the pressures of learning in the classroom and having a face to face contact with their instructors.
Students who choose to do a degree or course online probably won't face those pressures. They must learn to work unsupervised and remain motivated to finish their program.
2. Lack of face to face interaction between students and instructors may lead to students feeling a sense of isolation or loss.
Many people will tell stories of wild college parties or the girlfriends/boyfriends they met in college. Online students won't have such stories to tell.
3. Technophobic students may have a problem with online education. Studying online requires learning how to use new software and technologies as well as troubleshooting. Not all students are comfortable with this.
4. Students may need to adjust their schedules in order to deliver assignments on time. For example, if a student lives on the West Coast and is enrolled with an online school on the East Coast, the time differences could cause scheduling conflicts.
5. Students may need to wait for feedback from students and instructors whereas in a traditional class, feedback is virtually instant.
6. Possibility that networking opportunities for distance education schools are much lower than those at traditional bricks and mortar colleges.
7. The existence of numerous diploma mills makes it easy for unsuspecting students to waste time and money getting a worthless degree. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of distance learning. Students have to be extremely vigilant, making sure their prospective distance education college is properly accredited.
The word "properly" is the operative word because some e-colleges claim they are properly accredited but thy are not.
8. Students may not be able to log into their online classes class while at the office unless their employers give them permission to do so.
As you can see, studying online may not be for everyone. Despite the fact that over 63% of of all colleges and universities in America offer distance learning programs, many students feel that by learning online, they are missing out on the real college experience.
But by taking into consideration the advantages as well as the disadvantages of distance learning, you might realize that the benefits far outweighs the drawbacks.
I think the only disadvantage is that social education lack any social contacts. The advantages are much more, and it is really cost effective way of learning.
ReplyDeleteAwesome site! Nice to find such a wealth of info about online education. We're putting together a website about degrees that pay off, and we'd love to hear your suggestions or comments?
ReplyDeleteYou makes some good points, but I really think that the benefits outweigh the negatives. I've been working on my Masters on line, and I can't tell you how much easier it has been working on my material when I have the time, from my home. It beats having to show up for a class somewhere at a certain time.
ReplyDeleteIt's right that lack of face to face interaction or social interaction is one of the disadvantages of online education. And those students who are highly motivated and well-disciplined are the one who can yield best outcome in their studies. So i appreciate that this site posted such information. It is a great help in the decision making of those people who are planning to undergo the said education.
ReplyDeleteI want to say that most professors require you to make discussion board posts and replies to threads started by other classmates. These can be easy to forget.
ReplyDeleteI am completely agree with you. Distance learning education is not as much effective as regular class attended education.
ReplyDeleteI am not agree in this kind of learning. Distance learning can hardly monitor the development of a student. Aside from that it is more expensive than the regular education. It is not true that this kind of education can give more focus on a student. I prefer regular education set up because aside from less expensive student and teacher relationship can really aid the intellectual development of a student.
ReplyDeleteI think its no big deal to take up a distance learning course, in fact I think its more convenient and fast way of getting any kind of certification or degree as you work on your own pace, plus its no different from a traditional campus based degree as all the course taught are pretty much the same.
ReplyDeleteBut one thing has to be kept in mind before enrolling for an online degree or certificate program is that one must check the accreditation of that online university.
I agree to the disadvantages but its not the problem with the provider it with us you do not do our end of research thoroughly. As far as benefits are concerned they definitely outweigh the above mentioned issues. I had a friends of mine who finished his master degree online and his words were "Online is the way to go".
ReplyDeleteI just love how you put things together in order to create a beautiful blog like yours... Thanks for sharing and keep those great posts coming...
ReplyDeleteIn a traditional classroom setting, a student's performance can be immediately assessed through questions and informal testing. With distance learning, a student has to wait for feedback until the instructor has reviewed their work and responded to it.
ReplyDelete