Online Learning Readiness: Non-Traditional Students

Although taking online courses may appear to be very time consuming and hard at times, the idea of obtaining your college degree from the convenience of your own home has made it easy for students to continue on with their everyday life. This article has given me a whole new perspective to this online learning experience. Through the group assignments and class participation, online learning generates relationships amongst peers and instructors and allows us as the students to value each individual student’s walks of life under the same subject. This online course will prepare me to become the educator that I need to be when dealing with the different diversities with the students, parents,

Online courses have started within the past 30 years as a means of learning. With increases in Internet use, many U.S. schools offer online classes. Because of the main disparities amid online course and face to face instruction, numerous questions have been brought forth in regard to the quality of online courses. This research will help American college students to understand the difference between online classes and face-to-face courses, and give them an idea that how effective that online classes are. Therefore, the leading research question of this study is what advantages and disadvantages of

Just to be clear, do you want us to discuss three different types of programs/sections (covered in Unit 3: Succeeding as an Online Learner) that are available, at our disposal, to help users acclimate to the online learning environment? Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Though there is growth nationally in higher education and online programs, one of the biggest challenges an academic institution faces is that student retention in online programs is lower than in traditional, campus-based programs (Nichols, 2010). Online education has grown to be very popular because it reaches rural and international areas and students can often flex their family and professional time with academic time. Online education is convenient for both the student and faculty, but the faculty must be prepared to face the challenges of online learning such as learning styles, motivation/coaching, and constraints of online learners (Stavredes, 2012). Another responsibility of online faculty is helping with student retention. Many academic

Furthering our education is proving to be more and more on demand, ever since the crash of the economy and a rising number of job losses in the United States. We find that going back to school to higher educate ourselves will result in a better resume and experience to finding a career that works for us and our families. Some online learners will probably feel that online learning just isn’t right for them, due to not enough communication with our instructors, or online courses becoming more challenging than being in an actual classroom. Maybe some students think there is no time in their busy schedules for school, making them feel like it is nearly impossible to pursue any kind of

In conclusion, learning online comes with the unique perk of flexibility and pitfalls related to flexibility. Juxtaposing the classroom with my dining room ( traditional vs. nontraditional learning environments) reveals the only difference between the two environments a personal state of mind. Meaning, I must remain focused, humble, and fearless because my success is ultimately my responsibility. When I accepted this responsibility in 2005 and I started by taking one class at a time until I gained enough confidence to enroll full time. Graduating next year is going to prove that how you start is not as important as how you finish; I plan to finish stronger and wiser than when I began this

Managing my time is the most challenging aspect of college. In college we will be given colossal of assignments, I still haven’t adapted the skills needed to finish all of the assignments on

In today’s society, so many people are continuing their education beyond high school. We realize that in order to make a decent living, a degree is most likely a requirement. In some cases even a bachelor’s degree is not enough to qualify for many positions. Nevertheless, thanks to technology, we now have the option to learn online or in a traditional classroom setting. There are very few differences between the two, and students need to understand that as much time and energy will need to be devoted to the online courses as on a campus. “A 2010 meta-analysis and review of online-learning studies concluded that online learning was as good as or slightly more effective than traditional face-to-face instruction” (Mendenhall, 2011).

confidence issue but also I'm a control freak so nothing ever seems good enough. We are lucky to be able to take classes online, while at the same time, it means we have to really buckle down and take charge of our time as we don't have to be in class at any certain time. For every pro is a con but I wish you are able to overcome any time management issues you may have so that you are able to

Students are required to learn massive amounts of course material. It is mandatory to learn at the instructor’s pace. Online courses give flexibility while scheduling to learn this material. Students are overwhelmed with homework throughout the duration of each class. Some have up to four classes of homework due weekly. It can be difficult for many to absorb all the material while scheduling work and home life. Trying to arrange the balance of each can be tiring for the body and mind. When taking online classes, there is an advantage to have the capability to learn the subject when the brain and body are ready to handle it. This flexibility can give the benefit of the full focus on schoolwork. On-campus classes give the benefit of help on the spot when needed, but students that take a

Non-traditional students are finding it easier and easier to maintain a job, a family, and pursuing a college career at the same time. This is possible because more and more non-traditional students are receiving an education using distance learning, as opposed to traditional, in-the-classroom teaching. Distance learning is basically taking college level, credit-bearing courses via the Internet. One of the most obvious advantages of distance learning is that it puts the classroom in your home, office, or wherever you can find a computer and log on to the Internet. However, there is much controversy regarding the quality of the courses being offered on the Internet versus the quality of

Students who are prone to procrastination will have a difficult time adjusting to online classes. Hours of work are necessary to get through all of the materials, including course lectures, educational videos, assignments, projects, assigned textbook reading and discussions. For students who are getting an online degree, especially an online master’s degree, require a greater amount of work.

Technology is changing every aspect in our lives, even the way we learn. Online classes are a rapidly growing trend it today’s society. Online classes are a cost-effective substitute for traditional courses and more convenient for many, so more schools and universities are offering this option. Due to the increase in online course enrollment, people are questioning if students truly learn something from online classes because it’s not a traditional learning environment. Online classes are just, if not more, effective as traditional classes because grades have increased and online discussions provide students with the chance to interact through networking while earning a degree for less than what it would cost to enroll at the same university.

Education has undergone significant changes because of the development of information and communication technology over the 21st century (Lin & Jou, 2012:2). As a convenient and inexpensive way to gain knowledge while pursuing higher education, online learning, a form of training or teaching that takes place over the Internet, has been considered as an alternative to traditional classroom learning (Zhang et al, 2004). This essay will argue that even though online learning has benefit such as flexibility which could outweigh traditional learning, traditional classroom learning might still not be entirely replaced. This essay will discuss positive and negative aspects of online and traditional learning in terms of four criteria:

Andrew Simoncelli once said, “Students who take online classes must be motivated, independent learners.” This is relevant because independence and motivation is what it takes to succeed in an online course. Online learning will not only expand what students learn, but will also bring a number of positive changes in the way students are taught. Courses online have changed everyone’s look at learning all over the world. It allows more opportunities for observers to learn online rather than learning in class. Another affirmative of taking an online course is flexibility and convenience. Students who would like to experience some of these ideas should look into an online class!