I know this may seem a little off topic from most of the other posts here.? I was interviewed by an educational magazine, below is the transcript of the short interview. Enjoy.
Interviewer: Why are so many people choosing an online degree over attending school in person?
Professor Whitfield: As an educator and forever a student the available means of gaining an accomplished education in this day and age is nothing less than amazing and so very exciting! I could answer this question in the way that most would be expecting by stating the obvious such as so many are choosing online degree programs for the convenience of taking the courses anywhere you have internet connectivity available. Many are taking online degree programs because it allows them the flexibility of ?going to class? from any where (granted there must be internet capabilities) at anytime, as typically there are no set hours to attend class. While these are true and accurate statements with the advancements in technology and online availability, this topic now goes much deeper than mere convenience. There are so many reasons I could detail in answering this question, so many angles that truly need to be examined from an institutions perspective as well as the student?s. For time sake I?ll only be able to cover a select few.
A survey conducted by Sloan Consortium claims that from 2009-2010 there was an increase of over 560,000 students taking online courses. These numbers continue to grow amass since the time this survey was taken, it?s quite impressive just how popular and how quickly online programs are improving and growing. I have been teaching in both the traditional and online environments for the better part of 14 years now. Over the years I have made it a habit of regularly asking this question of my students. What I have found has been interesting. I have been given the same replies with a few ? what I call ? crossover exceptions occurring as online classroom technology has advanced over the years.
What I mean by ?crossover exceptions? is that years ago certain arguments that were given to supports one?s choice of attending a traditional university/college have slowly crossed over to be the reasons supporting one?s choice to attend an online university/college (and/or to take an online course or training).
Years ago one popular reason behind attending a traditional class was, ?I like to have my instructor readily available so I can ask questions.? Or ?I really preferred the face to face classroom experience more. I learned best from seeing and hearing things play out before me.? While this is understandable, slowly over the years with the increasing speeds and availability of a solid online connection (obviously having little or no reliable source of Internet connectivity was one of the biggest obstacles years ago that kept many from considering an online education as an option) and applications such as, video conferencing, streaming video/audio, recorded video/audio, it is now much easier to gain access to your instructor and classmates.
When I was teaching traditional courses I would be available a few minutes before class, possibly after class if my schedule permitted and of course during class at the appropriate times for questions. Students could also schedule to meet with me during my ?office hours?, which were typically one to two hours one to two days a week. I was limited with how many students I could accommodate and still ended up using the same means as I use teaching online courses to accommodate everyone, if I could.
In my online courses my students have access to me via approved social networking, in some cases instant messaging, texting, phone, of course email and in designated forums in our online classroom. Where it gets really exciting is that I have even taught online courses during which technology similar to Skype (in some case these technologies could be built in to the online classroom) which allowed for live streaming video/audio and/or a still picture with audio to achieve the desired ?personal? interaction. Recording a voice over a PowerPoint presentation is very simple these days and a very valuable tool to help achieve the traditional classroom feel to an online course.? The exception of course being the ?personal interaction? is now coupled with convenience of being wherever you have Internet connection.
While methods such as video conferencing and/or recording aren?t as widely used as I would like to see, they are available, I use a couple of free video applications to integrate in to my online classroom, these techniques are quickly gaining in popularity. I and many other online professors do take advantage of recording our lectures via video and/or audio and posting the video/audio in the online classroom as well as supplying written lectures. I feel that these simulated personal experiences are greatly contributing to allowing those who were once skeptical or apprehensive about the online experience to feel and actually be more comfortable in an online class.
Another reason that I have commonly heard through the years in favor for a traditional classroom that has crossed over to being supportive of an online environment is similar to what I just discussed: interacting, this time the focus is interacting with their classmates.
This is one aspect I love about online courses; you have access to your classmates who may be any where on the face of this planet! That?s exciting! I have students and when taking online courses I was in class with students who are in the military currently serving overseas in Afghanistan, all over the Middle East, Korea, Japan, in Europe, etc? I have students from all over the United States from every type of background you can imagine, all of us connecting and sharing experiences in one classroom, it?s brilliant!
Never have students had such amazing opportunities in each and every online class to learn not only from their professor but also from such diversity in the makeup of their classmates! This get?s me excited as a teacher and as a student! This is yet another great opportunity to take advantage of and another aspect of online learning that is drawing students to online degree programs, particularly online business degrees, over attending in a traditional classroom setting.
It is extremely difficult to achieve such diversity in a traditional classroom. Online you have the ability to gain insight from such a wide variety of perspectives, regional, cultural and social differences that you may never otherwise be able to experience. I?ll not lie, I learned more as an online student (and to be honest even more as a professor) than I ever did in the traditional classroom because I could read all the posts and discussions posted by my classmates. In the traditional classroom I have never been able to speak with every single student to learn their perspectives and why they are what they are.
Attending, teaching and participating in the online classroom I am exposed to all these wonderful diverse views of the topics we are covering, it is so fascinating. Having these types of opportunities is such an added bonus to the benefits of taking online degree programs. It?s like being a kid in a candy store finding flavors you?ve never experienced or thought about or knew to think about simply because you could never experience these flavors from your own limited environment. Hearing opinions and views from one student who has been raised in the deep South compared to another student?s opinion who was raised in southern California, both of whom see the exact same topic from polar opposite perspectives based on their experiences, moral and ethical beliefs, it truly enhances the learning experience beyond what you could imagine! In my opinion there aren?t too many environments that afford this type of opportunity. ?It helps open your mind to perspectives and views you may have never been able to comprehend otherwise and how could you? That is powerful. As a business student (or any discipline for that matter) if that doesn?t get you excited you may want to reevaluate your views on what an education is intended to achieve.
Of course you can get diversity in a traditional classroom, not exactly as you can online with most universities/college programs. Of course at some local universities you may not see such a broad dispersion of your classmate?s locations when taking an online class, you still have a higher probability of being exposed to a larger range of experiences.? This is one aspect that most do not think to consider as a benefit to online courses. I find this most beneficial for business admin and related degrees. Simply because online students may not know to recognize this as tremendous positive, it?s there. When I take a multi-vitamin I don?t know or recognize all the benefits my body experiences as a result, but I reap the benefits all the same. I think as online courses have grown in popularity it?s like my multi-vitamin example, taking online courses have hidden benefits you may not readily recognize but you are getting, valuable and powerful benefits.
On the other end of this spectrum traditional classroom students may never know that they may be missing out on this type of exposure. I see it from both angles and I?ll tell you from experience I?m a better teacher, businessman and person having been exposed to such diversity, in hindsight I see how truly valuable of a learning experience it really was. I am thankful for having experienced it. Had someone informed me, as I do my students, to recognize these opportunities online learning experiences would be, can be all the more beneficial.
There is no denying certain aspects of an online education are more challenging and difficult than in a traditional classroom. If one will only do a little research and weigh the pros and cons, I do believe in most cases they will find the advantages of an online program, particularly with Business Administration degree focuses, will out weigh their doubts.
Here?s another quick example of some advantages of taking an online course(s). As fate would have it I had a female business student both in my traditional classroom and online. The entire term in the classroom I barely knew she was present, she participated but it was nominal. As I am sure you have already figured out, in the online course this same student was one of the most vocal and opinionated. Her classmates benefited much more from her participation online than in the traditional classroom, as did she. She was not intimidated online as she was in the traditional classroom.? Even though I required participation in the traditional classroom, it just wasn?t the same. This was a point in my career many years ago when I started seeing a potential significance to online training.
Overall, I feel that there are many reasons that we are seeing an influx of online learners. I saved one growing statistic for last. That stat states that 51% of Chief Administrative Officers agree that online business degrees are as efficacious as traditional degrees; with an additional 15% saying an online degree is superior. Couple that with the benefits we have discussed here and you have a pretty solid formula for success with an online degree program.
?
Interviewer: Why is business administration a good degree to earn online? What are the benefits of studying this degree online vs. the traditional way?
Professor Whitfield: Business Admin is a degree primed for successful online achievement. I am an example of that and have seen countless of my online business students and colleagues (both educational and business) praise the online environment for business admin degrees for many reasons, a few I have already covered, there are a few more common and very powerful reasons why online Business Admin degrees are seen as more valuable, we?ll chat about a couple here.
The ?real world? of business is similar to the online classroom; you are given a task and/or have assigned duties, responsibilities, you have deadlines and expectations. In the business world you are expected to independently accomplish these tasks with little to no supervision. I feel that many business leaders and hiring managers are now recognizing that those who earn online business degrees from reputable programs are covering the exact same concepts, theories and material as those in traditional classrooms. While this most always been the case of course, earning your degree online not only shows you have the basic knowledge but you also possess the skills of being self directed, you have proven your self discipline, self motivation, time management, multitasking and other skills that business managers look favorably upon. I am not saying traditional business students do not have these same skills, however, I am saying that by earning an online business degree it is much easier to see more proof of those skills.
What I have found to hold true is that the common foundations and fundamentals of a Business Administration degree, that is: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, managing, budgeting to name a few, are taught regardless your classroom, be it traditional or online. If you are going to be exposed to the same fundamentals and basic knowledge and your degree has the same likelihood of being accepted why not enjoy and benefit from the additional factors of earning your degree online? ?Sure it can be more of a challenge but that is also what makes it more valuable.
On a side note, I always recommend that if you are considering an online school you do your due diligence and then you do it again! You have to be 100% certain the online program you choose is reputable and regionally accredited. While the accreditation is another topic, it is very important to earn your degree from an accredited university/college.
As you know one of most common ?pros? to attending an online program is the flexibility. This allows you to work full-time or at least pursue full-time employment easier than attending a traditional program. This was the situation I found myself in; I had very few choices when it came to my availability to attend class. I had to work full-time to financially support my family.? What I found most beneficial was that practically every concept I was covering as I progressed through my business administration program I was able to directly apply the concepts to my actual work environment immediately. I hear this from online students literally all the time! I love it!
I earned my business degree online focusing on business management back in 2004 coming from a background of Information Technology. I studied harder, researched more and dug deeper making sure I learned as much as humanly possible. I owed it to myself (and my family) to ensure I got the most out of my online/educational experiences regardless of the venue. I had a goal and a purpose. Today I own three businesses and have 35 employees, I am an associate professor of business and I regularly give business training seminars and classes. I personally feel I owe much of what I have achieved to the lessons I learned as an online student.
What it boils down to, as with any course whether it be in a traditional classroom or taking place in cyber space, if you as a student have a passion, a desire and a willingness to learn and to challenge yourself, to be disciplined with your study habits with a goal and purpose set in mind you are going to be successful. You get out of what you put in to it.
Source: http://theludus.com/online-versus-traditional-education/
encyclopedia brittanica nfl free agency jonbenet ramsey jason campbell doobie brothers jennie garth peter facinelli marques colston
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.