Online education is becoming a more popular way to get one’s degree today because it is more convenient to earn one’s degree from the comfort of his/her own Home and at one’s own pace. The fast-paced lifestyle of today makes it more difficult for working adults, especially those with families, to take time out of their busy schedules and go to traditional classrooms on university campuses in order to obtain or upgrade their degrees.
However, online education is not the same as offline Education in terms of how the classes are structured and how the material is taught.
There are many reasons why people fail online education:
1. The person is not used to working in an online classroom setting.
An online classroom is considerably different from a traditional classroom. There are rarely textbooks; most course material is presented online on web-pages, in downloadable reports, and in video and audio lectures.
In addition, you don’t sit in a traditional classroom with other people sitting next to you, behind you, or in front of you. Instead, they are on their computers at home or elsewhere, looking at the same course material you are, so you have no direct contact with them. You usually can “talk” to them via message boards or forums, making posts that anyone in the class can respond to, and vice versa.
In some rare instances, you might talk to them or your professor via the phone, but direct contact is not usually possible, and some students who are trying online education for the first time cannot overcome the lack of interaction and direct dialogue to complete the coursework and pass the course.
2. The person is not used to the rigorous expectations from a professor teaching an online course.
Online education is a new experience for professors as well, as this is a whole new medium for them to teach what they know. Some professors are more willing to embrace this new way of learning than others.
Some professors feel that they have to “make up” for the lack of interaction and direct dialogue that you would get in a traditional classroom setting, so they give you more assignments to complete than they would their traditional students, just to make sure that you are getting the education you should be getting because these professors are not confident or convinced that online education give you the same level of knowledge as traditional education does.
Some students cannot handle the extra workload and demands expected from some online professors, which is another reason why some students can’t complete online coursework.
3. The person is not able to deal with the extra distractions associated with online learning.
When you take an online course, you do so on your computer. Often, this is at home, where other distractions can affect some online students. This includes children and/or Pets who are unruly and/or need constant care. Other worries regarding home life can also distract the online student from doing his/her very best, since he/she is still in the same environment even when he/she is “attending class.”
This can prove to be too much for some online students, resulting in them not completing online courses.
4. The person doesn’t have the computer skills necessary to complete the online courses.
For those who are trying to start a brand new career, especially one that is technically challenging, sometimes, the whole experience of working with computer software and programs that you have never used before can prevent students from doing well in their courses.
Not only do they have to try to learn the course material, but they also have to learn how to access the course material, how to ask for help when they need it via the message boards/forums, how to access the tests when they are ready to take them, etc.
For some online students, the experience is so overwhelming that they don’t succeed in completing their courses.
5. The person does not utilize good time management skills in order to keep up with the online coursework.
In order to be successful in the online classroom, you have to have good time management skills. After all, you’re the only one who decides when you “attend class,” when you take the tests (within reason; there is a time limit to complete the course, but you decide what days you take the tests, unlike the traditional classroom,) how much time you spend on the message board or in the forum, etc.
Some online students can’t designate their time between all the tasks required to complete online courses, as well as balance the rest of their lives.
It is suggested that online students stay current on their coursework as much as possible because once you fall behind, it’s very difficult to catch up, especially if you are not comfortable in an online classroom setting in the first place. Most experts suggest logging in at least once a day at least six days a week to give you the best chance of staying current on your coursework and giving you the best chance of completing your online courses.
By being aware of the reasons above, you can better prepare yourself to handle these challenges and give you a better chance of completing those online courses and your degree.
Bryan Wong
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/5-reasons-why-people-fail-online-education-107735.html
pleaaaaseee proofread my essay?
“Assumed Drawbacks of Distance Learning”
In the essay titled “Can You Be Educated From a Distance?” James Barszcz tries to pinpoint
negative aspects of online education. The author places much emphasis on the observational
method of learning. According to Barszcz, the meaning of a true education is observing and
employing social norms instead of simply obtaining information. He says that education has to
expand beyond a computer screen to a college campus, where important lessons await.
Some schools, such as Farleigh Dickinson University, highly favor online courses. There, at
least one online course per year is required. FDU claims that this will provide students with an
opportunity to develop technological skills, and that it will link them to a vast faculty of experts.
Other believers in the future of online education, promise that students will soon be able to pick a
course that is best suited for them, regardless of what school offers it.
However, Barszcz argues that young people already mastered the use of computers. He
also sees a low possibility of a student-expert relationship online. According to him, real learning
takes place when students observe professors and fellow classmates. Only then, education can
educe intellectual and moral values out of a person. For Barszcz, distance learning is nothing
more than a source for acquiring knowledge. Although knowledge is very important, the medium
by which it is gained is of greater significance to the author.
In his essay, Barszcz fails to provide real, logical reasons to support his arguments. The
author constantly oversimplifies and draws on stereotypes. On top of that, his use of surveys
and statistics is very deceptive. According to Barszcz, students who take online courses give
less effort than the ones who come to class. “…you can do the work, as they say in your
pajamas” (30). It is not a proven fact, however, that people who use distance learning are less
committed. The author asserts that “While the attrition rate for all freshmen at American
Universities is around twenty percent, the rate for online students is thirty-five percent” (30).
Although the survey itself is valid, Barszcz uses it in a way that does not consider other
motives for dropping out. There does not have to be an issue of commitment. Students who
take online classes might simply be too busy, and therefore lag behind in schoolwork.
Another flawed use of data occurs, when the author employs a survey that merely tests
students’ expectations for distance learning. “In a survey conducted for eCornell…less than a
third of respondents expected the quality of the online course to be as good as the classroom
course” (30). Barszcz neglects to provide a survey that would ask for students’ opinions after
completion of the course. Yet, it is possible that in retrospect, people who had low expectations
could be positively surprised.
Barszcz’s next argument talks about the use of technology, and it is easy to notice that the
author is plainly begging the question. “First, it should be noted that students today and in the
future might well use the Internet with at least as much facility as the faculty” (31). Statements
like these have no proof whatsoever, and are no more than Barszcz’s speculations. Later on,
the author expresses his doubts about faculty commitment:“…how much time and effort do
you suppose `world-class scholars`… will expand for the benefit of students they never meet or
even see?”(31). Barszcz openly stereotypes experts as people who lack time and devotion.
The author states that true education should educe good qualities out of a person (31). Yet,
he himself admits that “Exactly how this kind of educing happens is hard to pin down” (31).
Some learning tools, according to Barszcz, include looking at professor’s pictures or going out
for coffee with peers in the dorm. However, these activities can also occur in everyday life.
People who study online might have a group of friends outside of a college campus, that they
can observe and learn from.
Barszcz concludes his essay with Alfred Whitehead’s vague definition of style. The
correlation between this so-called style and the author’s arguments is not clear. Similarly
confusing, is Barszcz’s use of Robert Frost’s quote: “…it’s the mysterious ways of cultivating
that style that the poet Robert Frost had in mind when he said `hang around until you catch
on`” (32). It no doubt is a mysterious notion for a reader to follow. The lack of clarity and
support in the author’s arguments make it even harder to support his view.
It is clear that Barszcz’s essay has many flaws in logic, use of statistics and factual
support. Nonetheless, it contains an underlying mai
it is supposed to be an analysis of an another essay. i want the punctuation to be perfect, because I am having trouble with that specifically
and i am supposed to be totally objective…i think content is fine its just the structure and punctuation i need proofread
so in short, you contradict the author’s ideas? well, your essay could be much better if you laid both the advantages and disadvantages of online education. and you can add about the differences between online education and school works. which is better, in your own view, online or school education? you can wrap it all up with your own point of view. good luck!
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