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More and more young individuals are choosing non-traditional education to start and advance in their careers while completing and furthering their formal education. "Typical distance students are people who don't have access to programs, workers who work during scheduled class hours, homebound individuals, self-motivated individuals who want to take courses for self-knowledge or advancement, or people that are reluctant or unable to attend class" (Charp, 2000, p.

Three important elements surround the online student: technology, curriculum, and instructor (Bedore, Bedore, & Bedore. These elements have to be keenly integrated into one smoothly and operationally functional delivery tool. While an online method of education could be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature student, it's an improper learning environment for learners.

Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience, and enables flexibility of study schedules for non traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student. In order to successfully participate in an online application, student has to be well arranged, self-motivated, and also have a high level of time management skills to be able to keep up with the pace of the course. For these reasons, online education or e-learning is not suitable for younger students (i.e. Elementary or secondary school age), and other students that are dependent learners and have troubleassuming responsibilities required by the online paradigm.

Millions of students utilize e-learning solutions in over 140 countries: corporations such as Kodak and Toyota and education suppliers like ExecuTrain, New Horizons, the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS), Phoenix University amongst the countless universities and colleges. Studies have shown student retention to be up to 250% better online learning than with classroom courses. Several recent ones have helped frame the debate. The Sloan Consortium published a widely distributed report titled "Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States in 2005" that examined the growing prevalence of online education across U.S. Institutions.

In addition, a study conducted by the Boston-based consulting company Eduventures discovered that, while about half of institutions and over 60 percent of companies typically accept the premium quality of online learning, students perceptions differ. Only about 33 percent of prospective online learners stated that they perceive the quality of online education to be "as good as or better than" face-to-face education. Ironically, 36 percent of prospective students cited concern about companies acceptance of online education as a reason for their reluctance to enrol in online courses.

However, what really drives quality? A March 2006 report released by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education describes six quality indicators: mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student and academic services, planning for sustainability and expansion, and evaluation and assessment. The debate rages on whether the Pros and Cons of Online Adult Education for today's international students are constantly examined to determine if this sort of education platform can deliver predictable and measurable results. The Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) is one institution which uses this type of delivery system. ENOCIS enhances their learning experience by providing several other "value added", cost reducing benefits to students.

Online pupils are able to apply for scholarships offered to students of excellence and other financial aid programs like the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), with attractive interest rates. They also offer convenient payment facilities, on line banking, Western Union Quick Collect, bank cards and also a student who is granted financing can start repaying it once two months if they have a guarantor. Experts of Online Education. The important advantages of the online education experience are briefly explained below.1. Cheaper: Online courses might be less expensive than those offered at colleges or trade schools. You can also save on transportation costs like gas, bus passes, and parking permits because you don't have to commute to school and there are no home or food plans to worry about because you do not have to reside on or near a school campus.

Home and other costs associated with living expenditures are the most expensive aspects of a university education, so by taking an online course you can save quite a bit of money. The best part of online education is the absence of traveling and immigration problems. Some students might prefer not to pursue traditional on campus education, as it entails travel to attend lectures. With online education, an applicant does not have to travel. Courses need accessing the internet to be able to begin the learning process.2. More Convenient: By taking courses online, you're ready to decide when you study and for how long.

You are also able to schedule analyzing around your work or social schedule. Since you're not bound to a classroom, you will do your work wherever you have access to a computer and the web. You'll be able to establish your own tempo and choose how fast you want to cover the material.4. Perceptions/Reputation: while slowly changing as and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to space education to the pupil's interaction in the online education. Some of the students believe that, there are just a few chances with regards to face-to-face interactions and opinions.5.

No Instructor Face Time: If your learning style is one where you enjoy personalized attention from your instructors, then online education will not work for you.6. Support: students are expected to find their own sources for completing assignments and exams, that can be empowering for some, but daunting to others. There is support and guidelines that are limited provided in online education system. Online students are expected to search as per their own imaginations for completing exams and assignments.7. Lacking Social Interaction: While you frequently interact with classmates through email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are not any parties or offline get-togethers.

If you love meeting new people and also understand better if you're interacting with other people, you might choose to reconsider online education.8. No more Campus Atmosphere: part of the traditional school experience, naturally, is the beauty of the campus, the school soul, but you have none of this with distance-education courses. Since you're not on school or at classes, you might lack opportunities to meet other students. You won't have many chances to socialize face-to-face with your professors, so they might not have a real sense of who you are as a person.9. Making Time: In case you are a procrastinator or one of those folks who needs an excess push to finish work, you might have a hard making time to your online classes.

On line learning requires new skills and responsibilities from students.10. Academic honesty of online learners: requires a new outlook to online assessment. Most education experts agree that rote memory testing is not the best measure of learning from almost any environment and measurement and evaluation tools are now evolving.11. Types and efficacy of assessments: The value of outcomes in online learning cannot be over emphasized. Does the application have measurable results? Are students learning what you say they should be learning? Then there are institutional outputs: course completion rates, job placement rates (if that's the aim of the institution), graduation rates, student achievement on third-party tests, and student satisfaction scores.

These factors, either the pros and cons, contribute significantly to creating an educated decision about the direction of your career path and how you are going to achieve your aims: on line, at the classroom or some combination of both. Institutions and businesses which utilize continuing education to meet their requirements face similar decisions. Institutions that deliver online education are confronted with a string of challenges, including the search for faculty, use of technology, and provision of adequate student services. The Sloan Consortium report "Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States at 2005" found that 64 percent of chief academic officers and faculty believe that it takes more discipline for a student to be successful in an online course than it does at a face-to-face course.

An increasing number of important business and industry is turning to on line continuing education as a source for training its own personnel. Hilton Hotel has 380 resorts worldwide and has been represented in 66 countries. When you consider the benefits and advantages of on line adult continuing education the cost of study and flexibility of scheduling tip the scales of programs like the Enoch Olinga College, Capella and Phoenix University's distance learning curriculum on line adult continuing education is becoming a world wide respected type of education.

However, as with any situation, there are pros and cons with the concept of online education and the benefits of the virtual or global classroom. You might choose to evaluate both before you settle on an online education plan. By examining the advantages and disadvantages, you are going to be able to make a decision. However, at the conclusion of the day, online is independent learning. A whole lot of construction has been placed into online programs, but it still comes down to your student sitting in front of a computer by herself or him. The knowledge you get or the benefits it may create either in development of self respect or increasing earning capability will depend only upon you the student.

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