Galt Global Review

In a world that is becoming increasingly more automated and virtual, why not education as well?

In the past, a typical educational institution would pilot a few online courses for a limited number of students. Now, through distance education, students have increased opportunities to earn graduate level degrees and diplomas from most major institutions worldwide. Students at Harvard can obtain most of their degree credits online for certain programs; people interested in a career in hospitality management can enroll in the online version of Cornell’s famous program (called eCornell); and other specialized programs from reputable universities are increasingly becoming available online, such as business and economics from the London School of Economics and nursing and global economics from Duke University. There is also the Global University Alliance (GUA), a consortium of nine schools from the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands. A pioneering online education provider, GUA has created cross-accreditation arrangements where students can enroll in a range of courses at multiple universities, all of which are delivered through the Internet.

In just more than a decade, the Internet has transformed distance education into a multi-billion dollar industry, and the current trend in “e-learning” – namely, the shift from small-scale experimental programs to large-scale infrastructures – will only increase in time.

Without ever having sat in a classroom, students can obtain a degree. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and a certain amount of self-discipline. Following the same general route as traditional learning, e-learning, or distance education, differs in the execution of assignments and methods of obtaining information. There are lectures, although they aren’t in person. There are assignments, yet they’re not handed in to a professor. There are exams, although they are conducted virtually rather than in a lecture hall. Students communicate with instructors by email, bulletin boards and instant messaging. The classroom “lives” in text chat and bulletin boards, as well as audio streams or recorded lectures. Transcripts and notes from lectures are archived to reference at a later date, as are live sessions with discussions among students. Although there are many different “presentation” techniques for online learning (instructors often team together with web developers and designers to put together their courses), when done successfully, the result is a much more high-tech and interactive learning experience than the traditional lecture hall.

Convenience and flexibility are two of the greatest benefits of e-learning. Because online courses typically don’t have regular meetings, it is on the onus of the student to complete coursework and studying based upon their own schedule. This option is particularly appealing to mature students who need to balance work, family and study commitments. Online education is also suitable for international students who want to study at western institutions yet find it difficult to re-locate or obtain a student visa.

Making the Investment

In a research paper titled “Investing in Online Learning,” Silvia Bartolic-Zlomislic and Tony Bates, research professors at the University of British Columbia, investigated why institutions around the world are investing so much in online learning, and whether the investment is justified. In their research, they found that online learning does create the opportunity for educational institutions to branch out to new markets. In particular, they found that many students appreciate the advantages of international courses and the opportunity to work collaboratively with other students from around the world. Another cited advantage was the opportunity to have access to materials and to communicate with experts from other institutions.

The tools may be in place, but the success of online education is impacted by the readiness of students to embrace this method of learning. The format of online learning is particularly appropriate for both self-directed learners and lifelong learners, as their participation in and completion of online courses is entirely up to them.

As Bartolic-Zlomislic and Bates write, “There is a clear synergy between the needs of lifelong learners and the nature of online learning.” Indeed, online education is not just pursued by those wanting to gain credentials in their post-graduate studies. MIT offers all of its course materials available to the public online, for free, through an Open Courseware (OCW) initiative. Launched in 2000, this massive, on-going project has set a global trend with already more than 70 major institutions around the world creating an OCW site of their own. All of MIT’s 2000 courses are available for people (students or not) to peruse and download lectures and reading material for their own self-directed studies.

Clearly, the opportunities for people to use online education - credited or not - to advance themselves in their careers and personal development, will only increase as the technology to do so becomes more readily available. Universities that have the capacity to break away from the traditional format of post-secondary education could become the new world leaders in educational innovation.

For more information on the subject on online education, check out the following websites:

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
http://www.cvu-uvc.ca/english.html
http://onlinedegreereviews.org/