Outline

Comparisons of Online and Traditional Education Essay Outline Thesis ment: Even though people prejudge online education before they give it a try, when a person has a lot of responsibilities or other obligations, online education is a better option.
I. Introduction
II. First main point: People have many misconceptions about online education.
a. Supporting details: Some still believe that traditional and in-class education is better and much more acceptable than online education.
i. Sub-details: Traditional education brings information to students in real-time (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 16).
ii. Sub-details: Many people, especially employers are still skeptical of the legitimacy and effectiveness of online education (Radovic-Markovic 297).
b. Supporting details: Most online courses are not handled or issued by authorized institutions or persons, making diplomas from online courses seem fraudulent.
i. Sub-details: Some online courses are not taught by actual teachers or diploma holders, but are instead done by experts or under-qualified faculty that do not present their credentials online (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 5, 434).
III. Second main point: Online education has many advantages over traditional education in certain aspects.
a. Supporting details: Online education saves a lot of resources for the student.
i. Sub-details: Students do not have to lose time from traveling, as well as waiting for long hours for lessons to start, since as long as there is an internet connection lessons can begin (Kirtman 105).
ii. Sub-details: There are no buildings to maintain, no maintenance costs, and no traveling fees, thus the student could save more money by studying online (Serlin 8).
b. Supporting details: It is easier for students to handle lessons because they could easily take their time in the learning process based on how fast they could learn.
i. Sub-details: Lessons are modular and course outlines are straightforward, so students can focus on one lesson without the need to study other unrelated information, saving time to be put to use for other things such as part-time work (Elearning Resources).
ii. Sub-details: There is a greater variety of learning methods for every student, reducing boredom and increasing lesson retention during the learning process (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 18).
IV. Third main point: Some disadvantages that could arise from online education may be rooted in the student’s circumstances and choices.
a. Supporting details: Some students are less receptive to online learning than others.
i. Sub-details: Some students prefer that the instructors are available for questions immediately so that answers can be given right away (Serlin 8).
ii. Sub-details: It would be hard for students with poor study habits or low levels of motivation to continue self-studies (Elearning Resources).
b. Supporting details: Studying in isolation can create negative effects to easily-affected students.
i. Sub-details: Lack of constant communication with other people could hamper the conversational skills of some students (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 228).
ii. Sub-details: Some skills which require hands-on work may be harder to simulate during self-studying as compared to an actual laboratory or workshop, and may not properly teach the student how to do things properly (Elearning Resources; Kirtman 113)
V. Fourth main point: In the future, it is expected that online education will get as much credit as regular and traditional education.
a. Supporting details: Many universities are offering distance or online learning courses for students, with good credentials and compliance to standards.
i. Sub-details: Online education is not limited to short term courses anymore, but also offered by reliable educational institutions (Kirtman 107).
ii. Sub-details: Globalization has made the evolution of online teaching and learning faster and better, by testing new ones and seeing the changes in the results (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 113).
b. Supporting details: Many companies are already open-minded enough with regards to the credibility of online learning.
i. Sub-details: Some companies do not discriminate between people that graduated from either a traditional or online course, giving better chances of being hired for those with an online diploma (Radovic-Markovic 297).
ii. Sub-details: Many companies give support to schools and facilities which have online learning services (Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read 96).
VI. Conclusion: For people who may not have enough time and money to go through traditional education, online education is a better option due to its many advantages. However, it might take a while before majority of the population gains to accept the validity of online learning. Still, the future of online education is still bright, especially with the increase of some members of the population that are open to the changes that studying online could bring to the learning process.
Works Cited
ELearning Companion. Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning. 2011. Web. 28 January 2013.
Kirtman, Lisa. ” Online Versus In-Class Courses: an examination of differences in learning outcomes.” Issues in Teacher Education (2009): 103-116. Print.
Radovic-Markovic, Mirjana. ” Advantages and disadvantages of e-learning in comparison to traditional forms of learning.” Annals of the University of Petrosani, Economics (2010): 289-298. Print.
Rudestam, Kjell Erik and Judith Schoenholtz-Read. Handbook of Online Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2009. Print.
Serlin, Richard. ” The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Courses.” August 2005. Advantages Disadvantages Online Courses. Web. 28 January 2013.