Healthcare Informatics Issue: Distance Education Alyssa Bilger NUR 515: Healthcare Informatics Missouri State University Introduction Education that is provided at a distance is being improved daily. But what is distance education? According to the California Distance Learning Project (DLP) distance education is an instructional delivery system that connects learners with educational resources. Distance education provides access to education for students that are not enrolled in traditional face-to-face educational formats. The learner works alone or in a group at a location geographically separate from the instructor. Communication between the learner and the instructor can occur in a variety of formats, such as through e-mail …show more content…
Currently, 96% of the universities in the United States offer some sort of distance education (Straighter Line, 2012). As the internet grows and technologies continue to grow, the prevalence of distance education will continue to soar. History of Distance …show more content…
This section of the paper will discuss the advantages of distance education. One of the biggest advantages to completing a distance education course is the flexibility that it offers. 71% of students believe that virtual learning provides increased flexibility to take classes (CDW-G, 2011). With distance education, students can complete their education anywhere that has a computer and internet connection. This is especially important for learners that live in rural areas that may not have a university close-by. Another advantage to distance education is the convenience that it offers. Distance education allows the learner to participate in learning activities when the learner chooses. This is especially vital for learners that work a full time job or have a family. In addition to the flexibility and convenience that distance education offers, it is can also be cost-effective, depending on the university and the course taken. For example, at Georgia Perimeter College distance learners pay about 70 percent of what traditional students pay in tuition and fees per credit hour if they qualify for in-state tuition (Thompson, 2014). Online courses that allow the individual to complete their coursework from home help also cut down on various costs, such as commuting or hiring a babysitter. Distance education can also help to decrease the costs
In his article, “Can You Be Education from a Distance?”, James Barszcz effectively weighs the pros and cons of online education compared to the traditional method, while effectively supporting his position with factual information and statistics. While distance education proves to be convenient for students, Barszcz asserts that it eliminates valuable experiences necessary in order to get the most out of the material being learned.
Balancing the Penn Foster College Veterinary Technology curriculum with work and family is often challenging for me. Distance learning is so much different from a conventional classroom. There is no opportunity to exchange ideas with another classmate face-to-face, or have personal contact with a teacher to ask questions and get clarification on a given assignment. Yes, there is the student forum for posting questions, as well as e-mail and the telephone, but they are not the same.
Distance education dates back to the early 1700s; however, over the years distance education has transformed and moved to different delivery methods (Shelly 519). In fact, most education institutions refer to distance education today as courses that are primarily taught using the Internet and that deliver Internet-based courses in many different forms or modalities (Shelly 519). A virtual school is a school that is offered over the World Wide Web. This method of teaching is offered to students in high school as well as college students. What makes these classes unique is that they are convenient, flexible, and accessible from any location. The online classes are accessed over the Internet or through a school network where a student can get class assignments, take tests, read bulletins; work on team projects, and read grades. Some students decide to take a class online because of their location to a physical school, like a student in a rural area and some students decide to take a course online because of disability or because they are homebound due to illness. Online schools also offer credit recovery. Credit Recovery is defined as a means to regain credit toward graduation for a course that a student was unsuccessful in earning in academic credit previously. The focus of credit recovery programs is providing students a way to stay in school and graduate on time (Shelly 520).
Distance learning, sometimes called e-learning, is a formalized teaching and learning system specifically designed to be carried out remotely by using electronic communication. People could find out distance learning on the internet or searching form the school, sometimes teachers would introduce the best or the most credibility distance learning web. Such as class.com and University of Phoenix, etc. Distance learning is less expensive and is not constrained by geographic considerations; it offers opportunities in situations where traditional education has difficulty operating. Students with scheduling or distance problems can benefit, as can employees, because distance education can be more flexible in terms of time and can be delivered virtually anywhere. Under the unified leadership of the distance learning education, the modern distance learning education work gradual increase the number of school has now reached a certain scale. However, not every school or any distance learning education has clear idea for the modern education. Many people have differences understandings and it formed a big deviation. It can be said, for the purpose of developing the distance learning education and the hopes has not formed a consensus, which leads to very often difficult to form in the actual work force.
In a K-12 setting, distance learning or traditional learning requires careful planning that must take place in order for the educational process to work for the students. When we look at both forms of education there are still pros and cons to both. Although online learning has made a major impact in the world of education, many people have not accepted this form of education. One of the reason for their concerns is that students cannot get fast answers to their questions about the assignment from the teacher. Another concern is that the students cannot perform effectively in a group collaboration that is taking place online. Also, students may not effectively do their homework from an online program. Lastly, some families do not have the technology at home for online learning.
The popularity and availability of online schooling, also referred to as virtual schools, cyber schools, e-learning, and distance learning, is growing rapidly throughout the U.S. I think the idea of virtual schools is wonderful, especially for those who are home bound or have medical conditions. Students at virtual schools can learn at any time and any place about any number of subjects, which is quite convenient. Students from rural areas can have the wide selection of courses usually only available to students in large suburban or urban schools.
Rovai, A. (2002). Internet and higher education. A practical framework for evaluating online distance educational programs, Retrieved from http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/pdf/eng/doc15455/doc15455-contenido.pdf
One of the major advantages of an online degree program is the flexibility it provides to someone working a demanding job, living geographically removed from a college campus, or that simply finds it most convenient for a host of other reasons. These challenges of the modern workforce have in fact been the big driver behind the exponential rise in online degree programs over the past decade. Furthermore, the flexibility provided by an online degree program enables tailoring a program matched to personal learning style and pace.
Technology is restructuring many aspects of education. An example of this phenomenon is distance education. Distance learning is defined as " the practice of educating learners who are separated from the teacher or trainer and each other by space, time, or both" (Moller 115). Distance education occurs in a non-classroom setting when students participate in course discussions, exercises, and receive assessment from the instructor by utilizing technology such as video conferencing, audiographics, CD-ROM, and Web-based media (Welsh 41). Furthermore distance learning programs are becoming increasingly popular at academic institutions and corporations. Most importantly these programs are offering learning opportunities for people that are normally restricted by class time and space (McHenry & Bozik 21).
As the economy has changed in the last ten years so has the schools budgets and they are looking for ways to keep costs down. There is much evidence that distance education can be more cost effective than traditional education. Everyone can save a substantial amount of money by going with an online education because schools would not need facilities and equipment. Schools would also save money by not needing to provide services and programs to students. Students would save by not needing to drive to and from school, buy school supplies, and they can earn a degree in half the time than a traditional school setting.
Distance Learning is a system of pondering in which lessons are announced or classes are executed by correspondence or over the internet. Distance learning has become very popular for older adults who wish to go back to school and complete their education or increase their education, but it can be beneficial to many students. Online learning allows flexibility which gives you the opportunity to continue your daily routine or commitments. Many courses can be completed in a shorter amount of time, and you do not have to stay on campus or commute daily with online courses. It is a great way to obtain a higher education.
important. A lot of significant developments has occurred in e-Learning over the past ten (10)
People have a lot of options in educating themselves online in today’s time and technology. Online education has improved a lot in the past twenty years. Even though it has had its setbacks, it continues to show promising results. Online education has many benefits with little to no disadvantages. It provides flexibility in scheduling and offers various options in educational online programs. In the past decade, education has evolved into a more technological-driven world.
Is technology helping or hurting people learn? Technology is increasing every day, and is soon going to be a big part of everyday life. The change of teaching students on online class is way different to what they are used to, and will take awhile to get used to. There are disadvantages, advantages, opportunities, and challenges in the technology in education. The role that teachers play now will change in the future when the major demand for the use of technology hits. There is a big change in the way that students are learning with this new online learning. Technology is changing the learning of students in a big way. Some ways are positive, and some are negative but either way there is a big impact on the way students learn. Sometimes it just depends on the student’s way of learning. Those kind of students should have the choice of what they would rather use a book, or a computer. Students need to be able to decide the type of learning that they want to do to help them learn. Students need to know which way it is that they learn the best. Each person has to find out which way they learn the best to better themselves. Find out the best way that they learn so that it can benefit them in life.
Online learning, also known as distance learning or online learning, has become a new and successful means of receiving an education in a highly technologically enhanced environment (Regan, Evmenova, Baker, Jerome, Spencer, Lawson, & Werner, 2012). Kaymak and Horzum (2013) defined online learning as using Internet technology to gain knowledge and skills through the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools. Allen and Seaman (2013) stated that about 6.7 million students attending colleges and universities across the United States were successfully enrolled in at least one online course in 2011. There is an increased interest in online learning that continues to grow as a result of the amplified demands from the work place and the escalating availability of nontraditional educational options and providers (Allen & Seaman, 2008).