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Sunday, February 6, 2011

onlinelearning-a boon

                        21st century education has undergone a drastic change due to the technological improvements made.Normally in a class we come across quick performers, medium doers and late bloomers.Online learning provides optimum benefit for all type of learners. 
                       The education system we have today was created in the 19th century to serve a different time with different needs. Educators borrowed the concept of uniformity and processed students in batches. The teachers could teach "the same subjects, in the same way, and at the same pace" to all students in the classroom.
                       Now that we ask more students to master higher-order knowledge and skills, this arrangement falls short. If the goal is to educate every student to the highest potential, the education system needs to be transformed from the present-day model where time is fixed and learning is variable into a student-centric model with a modular design that enables affordable mass customization so that time becomes the variable and learning can be the constant.
                       With education taking place online, students could learn "any time, any place, any path, any pace". Online education is not without pitfalls. Impersonal Communication, Time and Energy Drain, Technology, Learning Style, Financial Cost are some of the challenges faced by online learners. Since most communication take place via written messages,  writing skills and the ability to put thoughts into words are paramount. Without this competence, the students experience significant frustration. 
                        On the other hand online learning allows flexibility which is important for students with other commitments in pursuing university course work. Here we will analyse the promises, problems, and the future possibilities in online learning.