Education Center

What is online education Online education is rather a new concept of educational delivery that differs from traditional education. It does not require students to visit an actual classroom and listen to an instructor face-to-face. According to Dr. Stella Thompson, an online Assistant Professor of English at Prairie View A&M University, online education is "a classroom without walls, engaging in assisted, self-directed learning." Online education involves studying and learning information and materials with a computer and an internet connection. Many people today are getting better and higher paying jobs as a result of online educational opportunities that are available and are able to develop a higher level of personal confidence to fulfill their life-long dreams. Benefits of learning online Online education offers working adults the ability to earn higher degrees at their free time from their own home while managing their own families. Therefore, students need not quit their jobs or take time off from work to attend specific courses, or spend time in rush hour traffic driving to the nearest University. They also need not waste time unnecessarily looking for parking spaces or walking from class to class and need not find babysitters as well. How online education works Students can research for the best accredited institution and apply to one of the college's degree programs. Once they are accepted, they can sign up for appropriate courses. When registration process is completed students are accepted into the program. Thereafter, students can log in onto the Internet and can learn by reading assignments, asking questions, receiving instructor feedback etc. There are forums and chat rooms where students can gather, with or without the instructor, to discuss assignments. Finally, they are graded on homework assignments, final projects, and test scores. Mrs. Joanna Strong-Millsap, a high school distance learning instructor, uses a more sophisticated programme, ie. students are made to log in at the same time each day, microphones and headsets are set to communicate and the software program the school provides allows her to use white board, PowerPoint presentations, and film, video, and audio clips. Students can even pull up websites. All Courses Are Not Created Equally According to Dr. Thompson some courses are text and content-focused and some emphasize more technical skills and interaction with technology. Students should take time to understand how the courses are designed, by speaking with potential instructors, previous college students, or the computer tech department to get a better understanding of teaching methods and technology used. Because most online instructors, bring to their courses their personal experiences, teaching objectives, and preferred methodologies.