Web-based learning is on the rise, with approximately 5.8 million students enrolled in online courses in 2015 (up 4% from the prior year). Additionally, the evidence is showing that online education proves equal to its physical counterpart.
How Can Online Classes Be Better?
In physical classrooms, students may often feel too intimidated to establish meaningful relationships with the professor or with other students. In comparison, a virtual classroom offers several approachable methods for establishing interpersonal connection between students and professors. Classroom blogs, student surveys, classroom Twitter accounts, Google Hangouts, and Skype video chats are all ways that technology can be thoughtfully implemented in the classroom in order to facilitate deeper student-to-student connections. These connections will eventually lead to stronger alumni networks and future opportunities.
Additionally, unlike with physical textbooks, technology can be easy customizable to specific coursework. For example, science students in rural parts of the world can connect online and view live NASA spaceship launches. Afterward, they can discuss the launch with students in other cities who are following the same event. As another example, students in rural cities who are earning an online Masters degree program in City Planning can work collaboratively together to design a hypothetical new subway system for a large urban city such as Los Angeles.
Are Online Educations Just As Valid As Physical Degrees?
Students using online classes to supplement their physical courses will be pleased to know that leading universities are spearheading the usage of web-based learning, with 71% of academic leaders reporting that online learning is critical to their institution’s long term strategy (up from 49% in 2014). Additionally, in 2015, 71% of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes from online courses as the same quality or superior to those from face-to-face classrooms.
Surveyed hiring managers say that the number of job candidates with online degrees has increased rapidly in the last few years, lending the concept further credibility. Some recruiters even say that an online education can be seen as an advantage for some industries, as it shows the student’s ambition and ability to juggle multiple commitments while simultaneously earning a degree.
Furthermore, a recent NYU study published data showing that employers’ perceptions of job candidates with online educations are always higher if the employer has had experience with web-based learning themselves. As more people utilize online Bachelor degree programs and online Masters degree programs over time, the number of online education graduates sitting on the hiring side of the desk will increase, leading to an ever more favorable treatment of online university graduates.
Whether a potential student is looking to save money, time, or both, they should consider earning an online degree at a non-profit institution. Faulkner University is proud to offer a holistic educational experience within a high-quality, consistent, and Christian environment.
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