The Necessity of an Online Degree Program for Colorado Generic University

The past two decades have seen an almost exponential rise in the availability and popularity of online college classes and degree programs. Their pervasiveness begs the question as to the difference in a credit or degree earned in an online setting versus that of the traditional classroom. These two educational delivery systems will be compared from the perspectives of flexibility, the student experience, the impact of technology, and the issue of acceptability of online classes and degree programs. 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.

The success of people attending online courses opened up new opportunities for many people who find it difficult to continue their education in traditional colleges or universities (Mazoue, 2014). Traditional education and online education actually have a many similarities, but on the other hand, there are distinguishing factors that differentiate them from one another. Those factors are: transportation, housing, convenience, time, reduced distraction environment and social relationships good or bad - all this marks benefits and disadvantages essential to many when considering any educational system (Christensen & Eyring, 2011). Education is the premier investments an person can make toward a positive financial future. Making tuition a fundamental factor for selection for many undergraduates, time becomes a key factor for individuals seeking Masters level degree.

Now offered by reputable universities, online campuses make available quality education for the full time worker while the employer maintains a fully productive employee with escalating skill sets. Distance learning using today’s online capability provides high-quality education benefiting both employers and full time working students. Since the late eighteen hundreds, distance learning has made available higher learning to individuals who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to formally increase their skills. Early distance learning opportunities consisted of correspondence schools. These schools used the mail system to provide coursework.

There are also loans, grants, and other forms of financial help they can get to provide them with the tools they need to get started in an online class and with the computer training they must learn in an online class it can provide a leg up in the competitive job market. Online education could be the tool of the future to provide the young and the old with schooling and instruction. It provides a cheaper way of teaching while still giving the student the material necessary for the class. Students learn responsibility through online education and will give them a reason to work hard during the class. All in all online classes will help provide many students with the education they require.

Online education is growing in popularity for students requiring a flexible learning experience. In addition, this type of education is providing a process for working adults to obtain higher education while maintaining their occupational responsibilities. This opens up the academic world to individuals who in the past were not afforded the opportunity to attend a traditional brick and mortar institution. In an article written for the Huffington Post, Tom Snyder notes “Increasingly, colleges and university students now find themselves with other obligations beyond that of getting a degree. Jobs and family commitments make equal demands on their time.

The benefit of online classes’ flexibility is greatly outweighed by their high cost: the loss meaningful learning. Traditional classrooms are better sources of communication and knowledge that allow students to really absorb the material. One of the most prominent positives of traditional classrooms over online learning environments have is that they are much better for promoting communication between the professor and the students. In an online class, professors only know that students need help if the student directly asks them for clarification on material. In traditional classes, the unspoken communication of body language and facial expressions of students can give professors clues that their... ... middle of paper ... ...ceptions, behaviours and success online and face-to-face.

Online learning provides both students and instructors with opportun... ... middle of paper ... ...necessity to develop their classes to attain learning desired by adults (McAnally-Salas et al., 2010). Diffusion of innovations provides a perspective on what drives adoption of new innovations (Tabata & Johnsrud, 2008). Technology is a driving force in the process of diffusion due to its growth and the innovations that drive its increase of popularity and need (Soffer et al., 2010). The Internet reflects online learning in a convenient, attractive manner which leads to more adults pursuing online learning despite the diffusion process among online faculty members (Soffer et al., 2010). Influences, recommendations, and identification of barriers can help increase the rate of diffusion for online faculty within educational online opportunities.

An online computer science degree is one of the red-hot educational commodities in recent years. Computer science degree comprises many sub-disciplines and degree from associates in computer science degree to an engineering degree in computer science degree. With the advent of online degree programs, more and more potential students are able to take advantage of the growing job market for computer science degree graduates. Computer science degree programs have become very popular because it allows people to have a window of opportunity towards a better future. If we compare the amount of money that people end up spending on gathering the qualifications that is desired by the world to an online option, then the gap is very huge.

One of big changes technology made to a four year college education is online application. Online application is used by most of the four colleges around the country. Online applications allow students to upload their application directly to a website. It makes it easier for students to sent applications to colleges. Instead of sending college application through the mail, which takes longer and students have to send applications within enough time before the deadline so the application can get there on time.

An increasing number of universities and private companies are now offering free online college classes, many of which focus on computer science education. Technological advancements have enabled millions of students worldwide to participate in these free classes. This research paper will briefly describe the history of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), investigate the pros and cons of MOOCs as they relate to computer education and examine the potential ethical issues surrounding MOOCs. Free technical training and coursework, specifically MOOCs, provides the opportunity to bridge the higher educational divide and increase the technology skilled labor force but raise serious ethical concerns regarding intellectual property ownership and the privacy of personal information. The cost of a college education in the United States has increased 538% since 1985 (Jamrisko & Kolet, 2013).