Online Education Benefits Essay

Online Education Benefits
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Online Education Benefits

Online learning is a relatively new process that enables people to obtain a college degree. New technology has opened the doors to obtaining a college degree through online education programs. Obtaining a degree through an online education program is an alternative option to the traditional educational environment. The online learning environment is allowing more people throughout the world, a new opportunity to obtain a college degree, when they otherwise would not be able to through a traditional college environment. Without the introduction of the online learning environment, many individuals would be limited to traditional education, and in some cases would not be able to obtain a college degree. In addition to offering the option to attend school in an online environment, the programs have expanded. Since the introduction of the online learning environment, the programs have become more available and offer more options for students. There are many different online educational degrees and programs to choose from, and there are many different schools that will have programs which are considered unique to that school. Although online education has become increasingly popular, not all traditional schools offer online education. When considering online education, it is important to consider that not all schools have the same degree options, so it is a good idea to look at the different types of schools available to see which one has a degree program that is right for that individual. With the introduction of the online learning system, it is now possible for someone to be a stay-at-home mom while continuing to receiving an education. In fact, it would be impossible for some parents to continue to receive an education without the online learning environment. While online education is not for everyone, online education can be more convenient than traditional education, because it allows flexibility and eliminates the need for childcare.
One major advantage of attending college online is the flexibility that it offers. Attending school online allows flexibility in many different ways. For example, people who attend school online will not have to worry about class schedules interfering with work schedules. Individuals who have children will also not have to worry about missing out on after school activities or programs. When attending school online, a person is able make a customized schedule that will work around their needs, which makes the learning process more enjoyable, less stressful, and more easily attainable.
Another major benefit of attending college online is that it eliminates the need for childcare. When individuals have children, those individuals can suffer from a common issue, the inability to attend college in the traditional environment. One of the main reasons that many parents find it difficult to attend college at a traditional campus is because they often have a difficult time finding or affording childcare. However, there are plenty of reasons that childcare could cause a conflict with traditional campus class schedules. If most individuals had to rely on traditional campus education alone in order to obtain a college degree, it would not be impossible. In some cases people have multiple children, and a spouse is the only one working to support the entire household. So, in those cases if the individual had to rely on attending school at a traditional campus, it would be difficult to afford childcare while attending classes at a traditional campus. Not having to worry about childcare also allows parents to spend extra quality time with children. There are also some people who need to attend school in the evenings for a number of different reasons. This can cause a problem since most daycare programs close at five in the evening, and not everyone has reliable family or friends to watch those individuals’ children while the person goes to school.
There are some disadvantages that need to be considered when deciding which educational environment is right for an individual. Since online education offers people the flexibility to make a schedule, it takes a large amount of self-discipline and organization for someone to be successful in an online education program. It can become very easy to procrastinate while working on an assignment, or to even forget when an assignment is due.
A person who is considering online education needs to have a large amount of self-discipline since they will be learning much of the material in an independent environment. To effectively function in an online learning environment it is critical to ensure proper time management and discipline. In some ways, one could argue that the weakness of needing discipline can turn out to be strength in the end. Often times the workload can be heavier in an online educational environment versus a traditional college campus. Since online education requires individuals to learn much of the material independently, an individual might have to read and write much more than one would need to in a traditional classroom environment. Online educational programs also can be very confusing and intimidating to a person who is not very familiar with the use of computer technology and the Internet. A person considering online education should also be able to have daily access to the Internet, and have a backup plan in case the Internet at home fails to work.
In conclusion, although online education is not for everyone, online education is more convenient than traditional education for two main reasons. One of the reasons is that many people with children often times have problems with finding and paying for childcare in order to attend a traditional college campus, but the most important reason is the flexibility that online education has to offer. Although online learning has many advantages, people considering online education need to take all the pros and cons into consideration before deciding if online learning is right for that individual. If online education is a good option for certain individuals, it does not necessarily mean that is right for every individual. However, some individuals would not be able to attend college if online learning was not available. In many situations online learning may be a person’s only option for obtaining a college degree. Since technology has made online learning possible, more people with children and busy schedules will now have an opportunity to obtain a college degree when those individuals otherwise would not have had the opportunity to do so.