Online teaching is the Future!

In today’s market, paying for school can be an issue for any student who does not come from a wealthy family. Thanks to rising tuition and a tough job market, college seniors graduated with an average of nearly $27,000 in student loan debt last year. That’s not considering and putting in the factors of them even having a job after graduating. Increase comes at a time when unemployment is remained stubbornly high for college graduates. In the same time even public colleges have increased their rates due to State budget cuts.  A recent study showed that nearly 90% of the seniors graduate with a debt. So, how do we solve this problem?

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Georgia Tech University has an answer for this. There has been a big shortage in the computer-science field all over the United States. On May 14 the Atlanta University introduced the first ever online Masters degree program for recent graduates or even professor in University. This is remarkable because is has never been done before. With nearly a fraction of the cost one can obtain a degree that is very hard to obtain with all the debts a student has acquired over the years. These online courses are being referred to as MOOCs. For  nearly $7000 today, one can get a Masters degree. The program does have some controversies amongst other colleges and professors. Some believe that it is not a traditional way to obtain a degree or is a threat towards teachers, but is that really our problem, when options are left so limited?

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I believe that this is the future for schooling if you believe it or not. Yes in the beginning like anything we people will hesitate to use a program for online learning but in the end its not only limited to college, but also high school. ” In 2011 only 7.9 Percent of 11th graders were tested college ready” Thats failure, and worst when you realize how much money was spent in teaching them. We live in a tech savvy world where kids grow up playing call of duty, and online communication. How can they possibly do worst then 7.9% with the online education system?

What do you guys believe the future to be, keeping in mind the rising cost of tuition and debt rate? Should be implemented to see if there is a change and progress?  Or keep the old ways ?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324659404578504761168566272.html?mod=trending_now_3

 

27 thoughts on “Online teaching is the Future!

  1. I definitely think that an Online Masters Program is NOT traditional but that does NOT mean its a negative thing. I have taken multiple online courses and passed with an A. It isn’t traditional but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. In today’s society, everyone is busy with work that keeps them away from other important things such as school. I’m all for getting a Master’s degree, even online.

  2. I believe that online teaching is a future for education. With college cost and debt increasing rapidly, only $7000 for master program is deal breaker. I don’t think that most students, who are looking for affordable school and flexibility, can resist comfort of attending the class on their free time and paying lot less. Therefore, even if initial response at release is not that great, just like any other technological inventions it will become popular and become successful institution.

  3. I don’t think that the Online Masters Program will take over the traditional program. That doesn’t mean that many other schools won’t jump on the bandwagon. I think that it will become another option, just as maintaining an Associate’s degree online is. If somehow, this was the future, then I beleive the rates of these classes would rise, because these schools have to make their money somehow. They wouldn’t give up traditional for online, if online is going to cost them money. Interesting article.

  4. I would also agree that an online masters program is not traditional, however, I do see this type of program expanding in the future. Obviously not all graduate students will like the idea of obtaining their entire degree, but I definitely think a majority will. Cost of education and convenience of earning your degree online will be something many people take into account.

  5. I also agree that an Online Masters Program is not traditional, however, it does not mean that there is anything wrong with that. You made a good point on how we live in a tech savvy world. With the increase in the popularity of technology, an Online Masters Program could possibly be a benefit for those who don’t perform as well in a traditional classroom setting. Also, the rising costs of tuition doesn’t make it any easier for those that want to obtain a traditional masters program. I would recommend trying out the new Online Masters Program for a few years and receiving feedback after those have completed the program. As of now, the idea of an Online Masters Program seems like it wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  6. Although online courses are becoming more and more popular. The ability to relax at home and use our own personal computers to obtain college credit is taking more and more students out of classrooms and putting them online. But I disagree with the Online courses are suitable for everyone. I personally love to attend in the traditional classroom because of of interpersonal interaction because I find myself learn more knowledge and skill in that kind of setting. In fact, I can get immediate feedback from the teacher. In addition, I feel like i am not as motivated to read the class materials knowing no one is going to know about.

  7. I don’t believe the impact from an on-line degree is as great as a traditional one. Things are done through people and with teams. When working on teams with different dynamics and personalities, it forces us to learn new techniques in ways to get a job or a task completed. I’ve seen people struggle with difficult conversations and challenging viewpoints. Being a part of a traditional master’s program has given me some practice, confidence and skills to succeed in these situations. In addition to the teamwork, aspect there is the learning element from those around you. People come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. I’ve learned just as much from these folks outside of class as I have during class. I have relationships now that I would have never had in an on-line course. I did take an on-line course and completely disliked it. I can do that sort of learning through personal research. Again – All my opinion.  – Great topic!!!

  8. I think online degrees are the way to go. Like it is mentioned in the article, there might be some resistance in the beginning, but eventually students will start moving in that path. Personally, I love the online courses offered by De Paul. In fact, I was upset when I heard that I can only take a maximum of 6 online courses. The amount of learning is the same, or even more in some cases and it also allows the flexibility to listen to lectures at your own pace. The only area that I think might be challenging is when the nature of the course involves constant group projects and interaction. But with video conferencing and other technological advances, even all those issues will be taken care of. With the many advantages that come with online learning, I definitely see colleges offering more and more online course and degree options in the future.

  9. While I think there are a lot of pros to utilizing the Internet for online courses, there are a lot of cons that must be kept in mind. Because of the lack of face time during an online course, students are required to be a lot more proactive than in a traditional classroom. I’ve taken a number of online graduate level courses and the main difference comes with the ability to interact and ask questions. All of my online lectures were posted as videos that I could watch at my leisure; however, I had to write an email or call a classmate any time I had a question. It also takes away from the social nature of the classroom. While I think this is definitely a great open for cutting costs, I do not believe all academic institutions will embrace this modern way of teaching/learning in the future.

  10. I believe finding another way to increase our children education is good. Todays children are nothing like how I grew up. I used to play outside, go to the park,play in dirt and all that stuff, for today’s kids they only text on the phone or play video games all day in which they think that is fun, so if research shows that teaching online is a better way to invest in the fucture, than go for it. I am going into my last year here at depaul with a major in managment and i am scared as heck for what the real world as to offer me (job wise)

  11. If we consider the youth already deprived of social iterations and who prefer to communicate over SMS, tweets and blogs, this will just make the situation worse. Youth need to learn how to master social skills, how to read body language and cues, how to behave socially in the collective world and leave their own cocoons.
    The problem here is fundamental, education is targeted to a academic curriculum that does not reflect reality needs, put together by people who do not live the outside their own academic world and reality. Undergrad and Grad majors and minors should be targeted to the specific needs and shortages of the businesses and industries around their communities, preparing professionals to stay local and work on local jobs offered by the local businesses and industries.
    Companies spend millions of US$ annually recruiting and hiring professionals for their open positions and if instead, this money could be used to sponsor tuitions, schools and universities where the students would be prepared already early on to take on defined positions once they graduate it would make it a win-win-win-win so student-company-community-government all benefit from such initiative.
    Courses, classes and curriculums should be aligned for the local real needs and not based on what was needed and good way back when…

  12. I think that online degrees will become more popular and more acceptable over time. They will not take over tradition classroom degrees because the classroom setting is a better teaching tool than an online course with little teacher-student interaction. Online classes do drastically decrease the cost of overhead at a school and allow the student to learn at his/her pace but most students still prefer to attend a classroom and the social interactions that occur in that classroom. Schools would be wise to increase online class availability because of the cheap overhead and continued growth in the future.

  13. This particular topic strikes a chord with me as I work for an educational products and services company. Over the last several years, we’ve seen a huge shift in the industry due to lack of student funds as well as state budget cuts. However, what seems to drive the shift even more so is the TYPE of student now taking college courses. Current students are very tech savvy but their abilities are all over the map. I agree that not all students would thrive in an online course, just as I would say some students would definitely thrive having that option. The shift is toward personalized learning; offering tools that allow each student to learn at their own pace. Students now are expecting a customized learning experience that fits their needs rather than having to participate in a class where everyone moves along at the same pace. Based on this, I think you’ll find more and more online courses and tools becoming available to cater to this expectation.

  14. I agree with you that kids now are very tech savy. In fact, my high school now gives out free laptops to every Freshmen. However, when it comes to online schooling, I feel that it’s much different. Online classes are okay but to do your whole degree online is unimaginable for me. I feel that you actually have to be in a classroom and have the professor talk to you in order for you to fully benefit from your classes and become a better professional.

  15. I hear what everyone says in this forum but I simply cannot agree with the idea of getting a degree from an online university. While it is true that an online university does provide the significant number of options at discount pricing, I think that this looses the overall picture of why a classroom environment is successful and provides a significant number of benefits beyond that of an online university. One of the large disadvantages presented by an online school is the complete lack of direct interaction. When you are in a classroom setting, the professor is better able to directly judge through feedback from students regarding their teaching styles and need to either slow down or increase the pace of the class. This is an incredibly difficult judgment to make when you cannot directly see the student. Simply put, if you loose the attention of your audience, the gains that they can potentially gain from the class are significantly diminished.

    Another consideration to be taken into account are the connections that are made within a graduate or undergraduate setting. While it may be convenient to log into a classroom, you simply will not make the life long friendships and connections that you could potentially make when direct interaction is introduced into the equation. These individuals will in many ways either make or break your career through either direct help in advancing or through providing the drive to increase your own potential. A perfect example is seeing your connection reach a new level within a firm and this competition makes you work even harder to make that jump as well.

  16. Great and interesting post! Online Masters programs don’t strike me as something that will takeover but it is a cheaper alternative. I think the choice of schools for a lot of people lies within the name regardless of the price. There are plenty of students that go to well respected colleges for a degree with that organizations name on it,and will go into serious debt to do so. I think it is a great idea and an affordable alternative, but I don’t think it will ever dominate the market regardless of the constant growth of technology.

  17. I agree with this post. Education should be available to those do remotely. While I personally do not agree with getting your degree in whatever level of education online, there are some who have circumstances that can only do so. I would never do this and would not allow any of my family members to because I see the value of an in person education far superior and value creating then one online. The value of creating a great network comes with in person education, mentorshop and socializing is crucial to fostering of education.

  18. I think a huge part of physically going to class is the interaction ranging from the professor to the other students. I think it’s beneficial to hear personal and real life stories from an expert in which happens to be the professor. I do agree online courses may work for specific subjects, such as learning languages. However, I do not believe an online degree has the equivalent weight as a traditional degree.

  19. Say what? You can get a masters degree online now??? WOW! I’ve suddenly grown more optimistic about my future in school. Unfortunately, school has become very expensive. Especially for the kids who aren’t fortunate enough to get that four year degree in exactly 4 years. My deepest concern would be the connections with the professors. In a college classroom, at least the student gets the opportunity to know their professor face to face. In an online environment, would that be possible? Does it really matter at that level of schooling?

  20. Online education is not same as in class experience. I understand that it is impossible for any university to be competitive if they don’t offer online education. In my opinion i find it difficult to believe that the quality of online education is better than in-class education. How do you experience chemistry or physics experiment. Video is not even a close alternative to experiential learning.

  21. I find it very interesting in regards to an online option for a masters program. I think it’s capable of being successful in regards to allowing more individuals to complete the curriculum at a lower cost. But depending on the masters program, are the students getting everything out of the program as they normally would in a classroom? I do think other factors, such as group projects and webinars could help to enhance the online experience, things I have done with online classes at DePaul. I like the movement towards more individuals being able to participate in higher education since costs are continuing to grow for college tuition.

  22. One of the disadvantages right now with online school is that they are often not held to the same standard as other Universities. Traditional universities is considered more prestigious by the public in my opinion. This is because employers know that certified and professional educators are teaching the information to the students. Online schooling poses the question of exactly who is teaching these classes sometimes.
    As a college student myself, I would love to do online classes, especially if they cost less. To make the online schooling movement happen, I think we as a society need to be more open and accepting of using technology to get a degree. A degree is a degree, whether it was obtained by going to class or by staring at a computer.

  23. Yes, we live in a world where technology rules our lives. I don’t see anyone on the train or walking down the street without a phone in their hand, but does that necessarily mean that we need to adapt it into all aspects of our life? How does the professor know that a student is sitting there listening to a podcast or a lecture from their personal computer at home, or if they just have the screen up while watching TV? Participating in class and discussing the material not only with the professor, but also with fellow students is an extremely important part of academia. I agree with the comments above that it is a personal decision and one has to take a lot of factors into consideration, especially finances, but I think the majority of students, masters students especially, would rather sit down in a classroom than sit on the couch at home and take an online class.

  24. I agreed that the cost of obtaining an online degree is very attractive compare to a traditional degree. However, I don’t think I can ignore one of the main reason why I would pay that much for a traditional classroom sitting degree. The reason behind it is that I believe the outcome of a traditional degree can be much greater than an online degree. Maybe I am paying 4 times more than a online degree; however, what good does a online degree do to me if there no employer would take my online education seriously?

  25. Personally, I prefer traditional schooling versus online schooling. However, my belief is that both options have their pros and cons. Yes, traditional schooling can definitely put people in debt, but the student-to-student dialogue and ability to ask questions on the spot can’t quite be replicated through a digital screen. On the other hand, online schooling allows a larger audience to have the possibility in gaining an education on their own time. For me, the sole impact of an education lies completely on the teaching ability of the professor as well as the student’s willingness to learn. The environment of the classroom, whether a home or university building, can be less relevant if you have a passionate and a professor who loves his/her job.

  26. Only online schooling will come at a cost. Perhaps it is cheaper built is the quality of the education truly the same as traditional schooling? That question can be answered by the saying that, “Everything comes at a cost.” Aside from the quality, the reputation of online schooling has yet to be strong enough. As a finance major I know if I were to have done online schooling it would be 10 times harder to find a job as investment banks do not take online schooling to be a credible means of receiving an education. Until that stigma changes, I do not see a major shift from traditional schooling to online schooling.

  27. This is a great article because it addresses the topic most students have likely thought about before/during/after attending a traditional brick-and-mortar college/university. Because computers and internet have become so readily available, and people using them everyday so common, it is only logical that education would take steps to move online and do it for a cheaper price than traditional universities. Additionally, students and the rest of the public for the matter, have become increasingly more aware of their debt, credit, and finances since the 2008 recession crisis so it makes sense that an affordable alternative to $100,000’s of debt of typical graduate school would arise. The emergence of an online university giving graduate level degrees for no more than $7000 is certainly an issue for the very profitable brick-and-mortar universities but it doesn’t appear to be an issue for anybody else. Because of the vast variety in colleges, universities, and online programs students have the choice of choosing from, I predict the increasingly-competitive market will simply absorb this low-cost university and perhaps even adjust current rates to compete for student tuition.

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