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Compare and contrast online vs traditional learning
Advantages and disadvantages of online learning
Advantages and disadvantages of online learning
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Colorado State University Global Campus (CSU-Global) offers students the opportunity to earn their degree online employing asynchronous interactions between students and professors. Asynchronous learning affords a learner a flexible learning environment (Simandan, 2010). There are several advantages to this type of learning; students can take the time to think about information, processing their thoughts before they respond, students do not have to meet at a specific time to take part in the learning process, and students are not confronted with the pressure of social settings (Simandan, 2010). This paper will evaluate asynchronous interactions associated with learning at CSU-Global.
Assignments
Asynchronous learning does not need to occur in real time or in same time for both the student and learner (Driscoll, 2002). This point is highly important to students who work full-time, have families, or other obligations that require flexibility with their learning opportunities. From experience, CSU Global assignments are generally asynchronous. The assignments typically include deadlines that the objectives need to be completed by, but students are not required to tune in at any specific time other than reaching the submission deadline. The majority of assignments have been critical assessments of the information assigned for the week. Assignments on rare occasions have included reflective thoughts about past experiences related to the material and direct attention to relevant material that adult learners desire from their learning experience (Driscoll, 2002).
CSU however, does not allow students to control at what order they submit assignments for the course nor in the majority of cases do students see a great deal of ...
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...nstructors, but they will find equality and encouragement in their learning environment at CSU. This can present a challenge to students who need faculty references or additional assistance, but knowing they control a great deal of the learning process can help to make up for any cons of asynchronous learning at CSU.
Works Cited
Driscoll, M. (2002). Web-based training (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Simandan, V. M. (2010). Asynchronous vs. synchronous interaction in education. Retrieved from http://www.simandan.com/?p=682
Vonderwell, S., Laing, X., & Alderman, K. (2007). Asynchronous discussions and assessment in online learning. Journal of Research Technology in Education, 39(3), 309-328.
Merriam S. B., Caffarella, R, S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007b). Social cognitive orientation. Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide, 287-291. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Adults are self-motivated. They learn best by building on what they already know and when they are actively engaged (Lindeman, 2010). The approach of adult education revolves around non-vocational ideals and is based on experience rather than subjects (Lindeman, 2010). It helps adults gain knowledge about their powers, capacities, and limitations (Funnell et al, 2012).
Mirriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A
One theorist that is relevant to this study is Malcolm Knowles’s theory of adult learning. Though Malcom Knowles may not be the first one to introduce adult learning, he was the one that introduced andragogy in North America. (McEwen and Wills 2014). Andragogy means adult learning. The core concept of Knowles’s Adult learning theory is to create a learning environment or awareness for adults to understand why they learn .Knowles developed six main assumptions of adult learners. Those assumptions are the need to know, self- concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and motivation. (McEwen and Wills, 2014)
...se situations, cooperative learning should be a strong presence in every classroom and in every subject and can serve to improve not only student achievement, but students’ attitudes about school as well.
College students have to balance work, family, and college activists and any delaying behavior from within can cause an unbalance. This behavior is called procrastinating and it can lead to problems in many areas of a student’s life. College students are the worst hit by this type of behavior because they have many different activities to focus on instead of studying. These activities can cause students to study when they have time which often is usually too short amount of time. There is a time and place to relax and enjoy life, but if students focus on playing around instead of getting their assignments done, college life will be stressful.
Analysis: having been through the adult learning experience I have realised the roll of learner and teacher in this approach. An effective teacher can facilitate the development of independence, self confidence, learning satisfaction and help students (the learner) to critical think. This experience has taught me that there are different styles of learning and teaching that I can adopt in my future.
Everyone has daily burdens and responsibilities that they would prefer to avoid rather than begin. For college students that burden becomes anything relating to college academics, from homework assignments, to essays due next week, or projects. However, by delaying the time necessary to complete an assignment or to write a well and comprehensible essay. Students are putting their physical well being at risk.
High school and university assignments are demanding on different levels. High school assignments are not as demanding, they can be very simple and do not require much effort; and most of the assignments can be done in a short period of time. Some of them can be done during
Within the andragogical model described by Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2015), adults need learning experiences that are different than those found in the pedagogical model. Instead of waiting for experiences that are directed and controlled by a teacher, adults need to have a clear rationale and understanding for the learning, feel past experiences are valuable, and have a developed internal system for motivation in order to help a learning experience be successful. The connection and orientation to the learning task, the readiness to learn, and self-concept are other important ideas to adult learning.
Online education, while offering clear advantages such as supporting a self-paced learning experience by allowing learning on an on-demand basis rather than a strict class schedule, also has significant drawbacks. Students in an online only course may struggle with structure and content without hands-on instruction, which can help motivate students who otherwise may be distracted or have difficulty working independently. The traditional structure of classroom education is effective, but also comes with a set of obstacles, particularly for nontraditional students. The best way to bridge this gap is hybrid education, which combines technology and personal interaction to support efficiency and self-paced learning while keeping students motivated, social, and connected to their professors and their peers through face to face interactions. While this newer learning model is still under investigation, there is evidence to prove that hybrid courses can lead to academic success.
Pearcy, Mark. “Student, Teacher, Professor: Three Perspectives on Online Education.” History Teacher 27.2 (2014): 169-185. Education Research Complete. Web. 2 April 2014.
Keep students on track through intermediate deadlines, progress reports, and helping students overcome obstacles that might derail
Adult learning does not occur in a vacuum. What one needs or wants to learn, what opportunities are available, the manner in which one learns-all are to a large extent determined by the society in which one lives. Whenever adults are asked about their learning, they most often mention education and training programs sponsored by the workplace, colleges and universities, public schools, and other formal organizations. They first picture classrooms with “students” learning and “teachers” teaching in a highly structured format. Yet when we ask these same adults about what they have learned informally over the last year, they typically respond with descriptions of learning activities outside these formal settings. They discuss, for example, remodeling a house, which has involved everything form reading and talking...
In the undergraduate educational setting, student proficiency and comfort with technology are stressed, but the essential mission of most undergraduate institutions (especially, liberal arts institutions such as Dartmouth) is on the development of the individual. The nurturing and supportive environment of most undergraduate institutions helps students mature and develop. The rave and fad of online undergraduate learning causes students to miss out on too many intangibles of an on-campus education. Our current theory on education hasn’t adequately dealt with the intricacies of a web-based education, and therefore the effectiveness of such is highly questionable.