Education & Careers » online education

The Surge of Online Education in the Last 10 Years

Jenna Scaglione — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:18:35 +0000

Online Education has exploded in the last ten years and its allure is still on the rise. Why is online education so popular? For one, not only does it provide more flexibility for current students, but it also gives people who would otherwise reject the possibility of higher education a chance to learn and expand their knowledge base and further their careers.

According to a recent study by The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), online education plays a large role in colleges and universities across the country. From the year 2000 to 2008, there has been a 12% increase in the number of undergraduate students who took at least one online class, while the existence of 100% online degree programs increased from 2-4%. This number continues to climb as more schools provide online options and more full-time online schools surface.

According to the report, the benefits of online education are numerous:

Flexibility of studying from home without commuting

Students can attend the college of their choice even if they are not located in close proximity

Flexibility of completing studies on students’ schedules

Mature students who have families and job responsibilities find they can study on their own time and would not be able to attend school if it weren’t for the flexibility of online training.

According to a recent study by the NECS, Learning at a Distance: Undergraduate Enrollment in Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs, enrollment in distance education courses or degree programs is attractive to an older crowd.

The popularity of distance learning programs is highest in the “over 30” group.

Disabled students can attend classes without worrying about accessibility issues.

Distance Learning Preference

The former NECS report also pointed out that students were more likely to take advantage of distance learning if they were enrolled in specific degree programs. About 27% of students who enrolled in a computer science program took advantage of online learning, 7% more than the general student population. Additionally, about 24% of business majors enrolled in web-based courses.

University Expansion

Universities are also seeing a surge in the number of students who are enrolling in online classes. Rutgers University experienced a 17% increase in online enrollees between 2010 and 2011. According to Rutgers’ newspaper, the Daily Targum, the surge of online education participants has not increased their class size since the school continues to add more options for web-based classes. The average class size was 19 students in the fall of 2010 and this number actually decreased to 18 by the fall of 2011, even though online education participation has advanced.

Washington State University has also reported a larger audience for their web-based classes. The university is in the process of expanding its online programs to give out-of-state students who wish to attend the university the chance to participate in various studies at the school.

Into the Future

The popularity of online learning has only begun to expand and many academic officials believe this expansion will likely continue for the next ten years. According to a study performed by the Pew Research Center, 15% of college presidents polled stated that a majority of their students are enrolled in online classes. About 50% also stated that they believe over half of their students will enroll in web-based learning in the next ten years.

The results of these studies portray how online learning has and will continue to become a common thread in most colleges and universities. Though it is apparent that traditional face-to-face learning will always be available to the masses, for those who need more flexibility or even the opportunity to further their education, online education can provide the means to expand their horizons.

“Online education provides additional opportunities. It gives people greater opportunity for flexibility, for experiential learning, for illustrating things in multiple ways, such as visualization.” Diana G. Oblinger, president of Educause

Should Moms Really Go Back to School?

Lindsey Clair, Moms in School — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:15:41 +0000

As a mom that has gone back to school in the past and planning on returning in the future I can honestly say I have heard just a few negative comments regarding this decision. Not to myself directly but to moms in school in general. Here is one comment that made me cringe and may make you cringe as well. “Going back to college is selfish. You need to focus on your children and go back when they are grown.” In some cases this may be true especially if you decide to put your heart and soul into school (like going full time). I think moms with young children are smart enough to know that it would be too hard to pull off depending on their situation but every mom is different. It’s all in what they can handle. What do you think?

Would you believe that there are tips out there steering moms and other individuals away from the decision to go to school? Okay, so this may not be too surprising as there is so much information on the Internet that people read and mentally digest. People will believe just about anything. Here are some examples of a few tips (as mentioned at Spacebull Hubpages on hubpages.com) on reasons why you should NOT go to college:

Reasons NOT to go to college examined

Who needs college learning when there is an abundance of resources at our finger tips such as the library and Internet? Basically, you can just teach yourself what you need to know to survive in this world. Okay, in some cases this may reign true for many individuals, especially those who cannot afford college or feel that the college world is just simply not for them. But for moms wanting to better themselves and increase their pay, this route will most definitely not get them anywhere.
Learn from each other! Wow, really? Sure, you can obtain a wealth of knowledge from those who are educated but will that help you get a degree in the field you so desire like say becoming a nurse or a lawyer? I think not!
You can create your own career without the help of college. This may be true for some people that have endless creativity shooting through their brain but not everyone is lucky at building a career from scratch and becoming super successful!

What do you think of that? Do you feel discouraged at the thought of returning to school after reading those negative tips? Hopefully, it has inspired you to want to return to college and prove those pessimists out there wrong doesn’t it? I know that it frustrates me to a degree to think that there are many out there that think it’s all a joke or that all knowledge comes at a cheap price or no price at all. I know, it would be great to earn our education at a very low price but it’s just not reality.

Upon further research of those out there determined to steer people away from the doors of higher education, I was surprised to find that Forbes by Forbes Staff has a brief section on “5 Reasons not to go to College.” Are you ready for this? Here are those reasons:

Kiss four years of solid working skills goodbye!
You won’t earn less money.
Invest your tuition! Really? This is advised to do in order to make more money. Wow!
You can learn just as much outside a classroom, so who needs it?
Bill Gates and others did just fine without a college education. Though this may be true, do you think they wish that they did get some sort of college education?

I am seriously just blown away by all of this and not in a good way. I understand that there are many individuals out there that will do just fine without college but I feel that having a college education is like carrying gold in your pocket. At least you know that you are marketable when it comes to a college degree than those who do not possess one. I also understand it’s all dependent on the economy too.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you think that there are too many anti-education alarmists out there on the fast track to discourage people from their dreams? Okay, so this may seem a little harsh and exaggerated but it sure feels like it when you type in the search engine about going back to college but instead seeing ”reasons why you should not go to college.”

Should moms return to school? Share your thoughts and/or opinions, I would love to hear from you.

If you are a mom bound and determined to return to school to earn your degree, check out our list of online schools here on classesandcareers.com.

How to Make Good Study Habits Stick

Lindsey Clair, Moms in School — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:08:27 +0000

As a mom in school, how would you rate your study habits? Maybe your study habits were excellent before children but have found it to be a challenge now that you are a mom. It’s okay, this is very normal but also manageable. There are ways to get those study habits back but there is also a way to make them stick. Even if you didn’t have good study habits before having children there are tips to help you stay on top of the game so to speak but you have to be consistent and diligent in your studies in order for it to work.

Before I was a mom, I can honestly say that I had excellent study habits. I was very diligent as I wanted to make top grades, and who wouldn’t right? I guess it’s all about discipline and motivation. When I had children, it was a whole other story. I was never motivated to study and just didn’t seem to care as much as before because I was just so darn tired. I had to learn how to balance and prioritize my schooling along with all the other major demands in life. Here are a few study tips, much like the ones mentioned on lifehack.org, that I adopted along the way that I think may be beneficial to you.

Study Habit Tips

As soon as you create the study schedule that works for you, stick with it until it becomes a habit. They say it takes 21 to 30 days to make a habit. After you push through this window, most likely you will find it easier to study and stay motivated.
Be consistent with your schedule every day. If you are not consistent then the habit you created will not stick and you will end up taking two steps backwards.
Work your way up to your goal. A good window for successful studying is about two hours a day. If you find that this is very difficult for you to do, try at least 45 minutes a day and then add 5 minutes a day to that schedule until you achieve at least two hours a day.
Post-It notes may need to become your best friend for those reminders to study. Stick a note in places that you look at every day like the bathroom mirror, the fridge, etc.
Get yourself a study buddy. Some moms may find this as a distraction but others thrive on having a study buddy to make it more interesting.
Establish some sort of ritual that will trigger you to automatically get into your study hot spot. A good example would be to study after dinnertime every day.
Moms aren’t perfect. Be prepared that it will take motivation and discipline and slip ups until you are able to establish a solid study routine.
Use positive language like “I can do this.” If you are always saying “I can’t do this” then your plans to succeed will be hindered and you will most likely fail in your attempts to achieve stellar study habits.
Remove all distractions from your study area to avoid any temptations. Try to study in a place that does not have a TV, etc.

Having study habits that stick not only help you become successful in school, they help you to become a better person because it is teaching you discipline and dedication. This can be very hard to achieve if not practiced regularly.

For more tips on how to make your study habits stick, check out study guides and strategies on studygs.net.

If you are a mom looking to make a positive change in life, school may be the just the ticket. Check out our online list of schools here on classesandcareers.com.