Not being wealthy (oddly it’s not something writers are known for) and not being overly prepared, I offered my kids one thing when it came to going to college: if they attended a local school, they would have a place to stay, rent-free or darn close.
Not one of them took me up on it. I have one more chance though. My son is 14. Education has also changed. So maybe, just maybe, I have a chance. No matter what school he chooses, he can still attend while living at home. Enter the world of online education.
Online Education is not New
Ever since Devry, University of Phoenix, and other for-profit schools began offering their classes online, people have been taking that option for a number of reasons. The problem with online classes is they were horrible, for the most part. They consisted of lectures, online tests, and included very little interaction with professors or other students. Online schooling saves time, effort, energy and even your money and yet you were learning, you can check for the codecademy review for 2021 in this website.
Educators knew the lecture hall format was a horrible way for most students to learn, and a distance format of the same style did nothing to improve it. Large numbers of Pell grant and student loan recipients never graduated. Even those that did often never worked in their chosen field and online learning got a really bad reputation.
Enter the New Correspondence School
As technology evolved, more colleges and universities began to see the potential of online education. Arizona State University was one of the pioneers. “We decided to create a second realm of our engagement: digital immersion, online, technology enhanced,” said Michael Crow, President of ASU in an address at the GSV summit this year in San Diego. “This is where we now have 20,000 fully admitted, qualified to attend the university, degree-seeking students, engaged in more than 100 online degree programs.”
Private universities joined the movement online as well. Regis College, a private school located in Massachusetts was on the verge of bankruptcy a decade ago, but took their nursing program online, and began to refocus on appealing to a global audience with classes that emphasized STEM and appealed to a number of learning styles. Over the past decade, undergraduate enrollment has jumped more than 40 percent to about 1,100; graduate students have tripled to nearly 900; and annual revenues have quadrupled to $48 million says the Boston Globe. If you want to be familiar on STEM education, you can look for Kamau Bobb, Google’s Director of STEM Education Strategy.
It’s not just about recorded lectures anymore, but about using interactive tools and games to teach students, something my son will be fully into, and tailoring an education to a variety of learning styles. Almost every public and private university of significance now offers Advantage Orientation sessions to make the transition from high school to college easier. They also offer classes or degree programs online, from English to medical assistant program, Online CPC Classes and even engineering.
It’s Not Just for Non-Traditional Students
Initially, much of the talk about online education was about nontraditional students: dad’s and mom’s headed back to school, retirees looking for a second career, all people who didn’t have time to attend traditional classes, or needed flexible schedules that worked around their day job and family responsibilities.
But a whole new generation of digital natives are getting ready to attend college, and the traditional classroom does not work well for them either. It does not fit their learning style, and they won’t settle for less than the latest in technology and innovation. They are looking for a fully immersive experience.
This immersive experience is new to most universities. When talking about using gamification, Crow says this: “In this realm, those students will be able to pass any tests in chemistry, physics, or biology, just taking that subject by playing the game, and the test is not a part of the game. The game is based on the logic of people like Howard Gardner and others that understand human beings learn best by activating all of their intelligences, by engaging them in something other than just the interactive teacher-student learning modality. They learn through exploration.”
Appealing to how kids actually learn results in better outcomes, larger retention and graduation rates, and a better prepared workforce.
Courtesy Flckr
Going Places without Going Places
A friend recently moved to a city he did not like for a job that was less than ideal. Why? That’s where his daughter is going to college. With the opportunities in online learning, it does not have to be that way.
From public to private colleges, there are a number of choices and a number of majors to choose from. No longer is my son, or any prospective college student, limited to local colleges if they want to stay at home while attending school.
Online education used to come with a stigma attached: inferior education offered by expensive institutions where almost anyone could get a degree, but it was often one less valued by employers.
Besides being a legitimate alternative, online education is becoming more popular. “The spike in popularity goes beyond basic appeals like convenience and affordability,” says an article titled Why Millions of Students Prefer Online Learning. “It’s about an emerging preference for online learning platforms. In fact, the majority of students report that they are more engaged by course materials, faculty members, and other students in online programs. For many, it’s just a better learning experience.”
I hope the same is true for my son. I’d like to see him going places, but without the need to wander too far from home.