- Published: January 15, 2022
- Updated: January 15, 2022
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 4
Presentations I. Introduction a. Distance learning has been growing in popularity with the growth of the internet
b. Distance learning offers numerous direct advantages to the student
c. Distance learning offers numerous indirect advantages to the student
II. Body 1 – increasing availability and quality
a. Availability of classes – recognizing the greater reach of online courses, many colleges and universities are offering online courses in a variety of fields and disciplines
b. Availability for students – as computers become more integrated with daily living, more and more students are gaining the access necessary to fully participate in online learning courses
c. Quality – many of the high quality universities and colleges now offer online learning options with course content that equals that available in the classroom.
III. Body 2 – Direct advantages for the student
a. Convenience
i. Course availability – students can take classes when they want to instead of waiting for it to be offered again on the next college catalog
ii. Flexibility – students can attend class when and where it’s convenient for them, reducing travel time and easily working around work, family and social schedules.
iii. Self-paced – students are able to work more at their own pace rather than trying to keep up with an overwhelming college schedule or wasting time waiting for classmates to catch up.
b. Interaction
i. With classmates – with improved technology, students are able to communicate with classmates on many levels, including phone calls, email, instant messaging and discussion boards
ii. New perspectives – rather than simply gaining the perspectives of fellow students that share the same demographic and geographic knowledge, students are able to obtain a more broadly-based consensus on various topics as they attend class with other students from across the country or around the world.
iii. With instructor – students have easy and direct access to their instructor through email, phone, instant messaging and discussion boards, giving them the opportunity to ask questions or request clarification at any time of the day or night and allowing the instructor to also answer at their convenience.
IV. Body 3 – Indirect advantages for the student
a. Cost – because there is less overhead for the college to fund these courses and no classroom space necessary for most, tuition costs can be lower in online distance learning courses
b. Travel expenses – students don’t need to live right next to the campus to save money on gas, train fare or other expenses just to get to and from school
c. Time – Because students can participate in classes wherever they have an internet connection, there is a significant reduction in the amount of time the student spends in preparing for and getting to class.
d. Career – students attending online classes can continue to pursue their career with little to no interruption while they are attending classes thanks to the flexible time schedule afforded.
V. Conclusion
a. The growth of the internet and computer use among the average citizen has fostered a growth in the availability of online courses and ability of students to access these courses
b. Students can gain several personal, direct advantages by participating in online courses
c. There are also several indirect advantages offered to the student through participation in online courses.
Students who are nervous about taking online classes are typically nervous about it because they can’t envision the advantages they will receive or because they are concerned about the quality of the education they will get. For this reason, I structured my presentation to address these two major issues in a way that points out to potential students how the industry has changed in recent years to bring online education up to the standards of brick and mortar education.
Since many students considering online learning are non-traditional students, meaning that they have other responsibilities in their lives, I felt it was important to address these issues most strongly. For this reason, there is a heavy emphasis on the convenience, cost and time savings available in obtaining an education through online sources and pointing out the ways in which online learning has been working to overcome some of its inherent disadvantages, such as interaction among students and teachers.
References
Bodain, Yan & Robert, Jean-Marc. (2000). “ Investigating Distance Learning on the Internet.” Internet Society of Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2006 from < http://www. isoc. org/inet2000/cdproceedings/6a/6a_4. htm> Hansen, Randall. (2006). “ Distance Learning Pros and Cons.” Quintessential Careers. Retrieved July 2, 2006 from < http://www. quintcareers. com/distance_learning_pros-cons. html>