“Can You Be Educated from a Distance” an Objective Look Into Distance Learning

We, as humans, fear the unknown, and change is after often at the root of our fears. One of the greatest catalysts for change is today’s rapid technological development, but the concept of traditional education has always been the same. Even that is changing, and as to be expected, there is a substantial amount of fear and apprehension towards distance education. With this, students are presented the chance to overcome of a

Andrew Delbanco’s essay “A college Education: What is its purpose?” gives three reasons why college still matters. Delbanco teaches at Columbia University, where he’s the director of American studies and has written several books on the meaning and benefits of college. Delbanco, begins his essay by discussing what college means to each individual student. He states, “For many more students, college means the anxious pursuit of marketable skills in overcrowded, under resourced institutions. For still others, it means traveling by night to a fluorescent office building or to a “virtual classroom” that only exists in cyberspace.” (1) Delbano successfully uses pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotions, his personal experience and anecdotal combine to persuade his readers to consider or realize the importance of receiving a college education, however his essay contains minor flaws that can counteract his claims.

Many advocates of distance education are ardent about their venue and very critical of traditional education. These online education devotees view traditional classes as being unchangeable, inflexible, teacher-centered, and static (Angiello, 2010). However, proponents argue that many simply would not be able to get a degree without distance education—the full-time police officer, the mother of four, or the individual living in a rural area approximately 100-200 miles away from any educational institution. Many individuals desperately need distance education courses because they "have jobs, families, civic responsibilities. They are thirsting. But some want us to say, 'Sorry you don’t want to drink the water there, but we can’t bottle our fresh spring water, so you’ll have to come here or drink nothing" (Baker, 1986). Proponents contend that distance education is "as good as" traditional education. In other words, learning occurs as much in distance education as it does in traditional education. However, is this really so? Does distance education work better for some students

College is the pinnacle of any education known to humankind, the sanctuary of knowledge, and the birth of new ideas and idealists. Since the University of Al-Karaouine was commissioned in 859 A.D., colleges have expanded their range of teachings from mathematics, physics, and foreign languages to many diverse fields that deal with nearly every aspect of today’s world. More academic institutions were established over the next millennia, but only a privileged few would be able to attend the schools of Paris, Oxford, and Montpelier. In addition to beneficial education in particular fields, colleges offer positive factors for their students. These factors include building relationships with students and professors while improving one’s standing

All three participates feel that there is a lot that can be done with distance learning. The technology is there. Participant one stated “we have the technology, but our students still

The company didn’t care. They said, “It’s what he can do that matters, not where he graduated…” (90). This example motivates the audience: it shows them that they don’t need a degree to make money at what they are good at. It motivates them by the fact that the story is about a CEO; CEOs are successful, wealthy, and happy. So this shows that a degree is not necessary to make money in life, but making yourself known online, and being great at what you do, is. It is a logical example. A second example is included in his section titled “Reality Check #5: when College Gets to 2.0, They’ll Be Late For 3.0” (93-94). He illustrates in this example the length of time it takes for colleges to change and add classes that would assist students in new media. He makes it clear that universities think that new media – blogging, social networking, and online feedback – is a good thing. However, it makes the audience feel that universities and colleges don’t really care about students and their success in the real world. Burton gives a dialogue between a professor and department chair of a university. Candace, the professor, suggests to the department chair that they need to be studying social media. The department chair agrees and tells Candace to get the curriculum committee a proposal so that a class could be created. The department chair says that it will probably be a full year, though, before the class could even be created. Then Candace says that she could at least blog

The Distance Education homepage can be found at http://www.lonestar.edu/lsc-online/. I would like to repeat again a few statements from the course set up above. I realize that distant education is a wonderful opportunity to complete a class without having to physically come to class. But this opportunity comes with added cost of more effort from each student. Please review the following items to verify that you have the basic skills, equipment and much needed ambition to properly complete this course.

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).

Distance learning (education) has become an integral part of the education process over the past few decades and is growing in popularity as technology advances.(Willis 1992) describes distance education (as) "the organizational framework andprocess of providing instruction at a distance. Distance education takes place when ateacher and student(s) are physically separated, and technology…(is) used to bridge theinstruction gap." (Coutts 1996). Furthermore, "distance learning activities are designedto fit the specific context for learning, the nature of the subject matter; intended learningoutcomes, needs and goals of the learner, the learner's environment and the instructional echnologies and methods." (American

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

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.

Distance learning is a study technique introduced in the late 19th century to help aid those that were unable to reach formal forms of education systems.it is also referred to as e-learning derived from the use of the internet to convey the syllabus and distance education. It is characterized by the physical state of teacher-student relationship that is affected by the geographical separation and in some situations also time separation. Ideally distance learning is normal learning only in a non-conventional manner. It is mostly offered by established institution thus the materials used for the traditional method of learning are similar to those used in the program only that it may be customized to fit the virtual learning. It is highly appreciated by full time workers seeking to be recertified or generally trying to add to their academic qualifications, military serving personnel, non-residence or

Crimson Scholar once stated, “You will fail to grasp the importance of knowledge without education.” Indeed, with the lack of education, an individual will remain ignorant in the matters of the world, common sense, and proper etiquette. Regarded as the process of learning and acquisition of skills, educational methods include lecturing, training, and discussion. Education can take place in informal settings, and any event can be considered educational as long as it has an impressionable effect on the way an individual feels, thinks, or acts. Education does not simply refer to on-campus learning and meeting face-to-face in a classroom that many students are familiar with today. Although distance education serves as a compelling method to those who have families or careers to manage, this method can be regarded as a premier invitation for leading society into dystopia.

Education is an important part of people’s lives; it will either make them or break them in the future depending on the careers they choose. Education is greatly diverse today in comparison to the 1950s because of advancements in teaching and other great inventions that provide easier techniques of teaching. One major issue that has been raised is distant learning courses and online education.

The online distant learning programs displayed are only filled with false promises. It also makes life more boring and lonely for students and teachers alike, depriving us of our vital learning communities that make up the joys in our very own intellectuality. Classroom learning programs are the oldest, most efficient ways of learning any criteria, it has been taught by instructors since the age of time within a classroom, making learning is less frustrating when taught by a good instructor, does not ask for a constant computer and internet access in order to do essential academic course