Thursday, July 1, 2010

“Online education can't match traditional experience” plus 1 more

“Online education can't match traditional experience” plus 1 more

Online education can't match traditional experience

Posted: 01 Jul 2010 05:41 AM PDT

Online classes are a recent phenomenon. When I started college in 2001, comprehensive courses available on the Web were not feasible because of technological limitations.

Broadband was in its infancy, and wireless Internet didn't exist on campus. There may have been a few online classes that were offered to students a decade ago, but the traditional method of teaching and learning reigned supreme.

Technology has come a long way, and today's universities and colleges not only offer a wide variety of courses over the Web, but also bestow advanced degrees through an entirely online curriculum.

I have mixed feelings about online education. On one hand, online classes allow nontraditional students to obtain a degree that would otherwise be out of reach. A single mom might not be able to attend a lecture on campus three days a week, but she can log on to her computer and complete daily assignments early in the morning or late at night.

And college is not and should not be just for 18 to 22-year-olds. Plenty of military veterans, second-career professionals, and for-
mer stay-at-home dads and moms are enrolling in schools across the country.

In order to accommodate these alternative students, universities such as Bowling Green State University are beginning to offer more classes that can be taken without ever stepping foot in a lecture hall.

User-friendly computer software programs permit professors to administer tests, grade homework, and create a virtual classroom via the Internet. Real-time dialogue is encouraged and moderated not from the professor at the podium, but from the professor who may be vacationing on an island in the South Pacific.

BGSU is at the forefront in providing online classes for a greater number of students. In May, BGSU opened the Nontraditional and Transfer Student Services (NTSS), a center that will cater to those who do not fit the typical college student stereotype.

Although I applaud my university for opening college to a larger demographic, I fear the consequences of post-secondary education becoming completely virtual.

Online courses are practical, but they can never replace the time-honored professor-student experience. Video instruction and discussion board threads can only go so far in fostering an inclusive learning environment.

A virtual caf may help facilitate a debate between students, but without ever meeting your classmates, the debates are hollow. The professor's role is so important that to relegate the teacher to an online administrator position does a disservice not only to the students, but to education in general.

We must embrace technology, but not at the expense of a tried-and-true method of instruction. The direct professor-student relationship has been around for thousands of years, and it is hard to argue with a concept that has been so effective in instilling knowledge.

Incorporate technology into the classroom, but understand that educational standards should not drop just because we move college into the digital age.

If you are contemplating enrolling in a university for a few credits, go ahead and look at the online option. If you want a degree, however, I would recommend attending class in a traditional lecture hall.

You may have to sacrifice at times, but the level of education you can obtain from sitting in uncomfortable chairs in a dingy basement classroom is far superior to what you can learn in your bathrobe at home.

The Blade will feature periodic columns from area college students as part of our new Campus Corner feature. David Morin is a doctoral student at Bowling Green State University.

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Online University Launches New Scholarship for Business Students

Posted: 01 Jul 2010 11:08 AM PDT

Posted on: Thursday, 1 July 2010, 10:35 CDT

Western Governors University Offers Scholarships Valued at Up to $3,000 for "Future Business Leaders"

SALT LAKE CITY, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University, www.wgu.edu, has created a new scholarship program aimed at helping business professionals prepare for leadership positions by completing their bachelor's degrees. The Future Business Leaders Scholarship, valued at up to $3,000 per recipient is open to candidates currently working in business fields who have completed at least 60 college credits. The online university will award up to 20 scholarships to qualified applicants.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081030/DC42901LOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081030/DC42901LOGO)

To qualify for this competitive scholarship, applicants must be employed and working to advance their business careers, possess an associate's degree or have completed 60 hours of college work with a GPA of 3.2 or better, and submit letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Scholarships will be credited toward WGU tuition at the rate of $600 per six-month term, renewable for up to five terms. For more information, go to www.wgu.edu/business_leaders or call 1-866-225-5948.

Eligible degree programs include:

  • B.S. in Business Management
  • B.S. Business--Information Technology Management
  • B.S. Business--Human Resource Management
  • B.S. Accounting
  • B.S. Marketing Management
  • B.S. Sales and Sales Management

WGU's online business degree programs are ideal for working adults who are motivated to advance their education. All online, the coursework is competency-based, which allows students to progress in their degree programs as they demonstrate their knowledge rather than earning credits for time spent in class. Course materials and learning resources are all design for independent study, so students can schedule their study time to fit their busy lives. Tuition at non-profit WGU is affordable, $2,890 per six-month term, and students who can commit additional time to their studies may be able to complete their degrees more quickly, reducing the overall cost of their education.

About Western Governors University (WGU)

"[WGU is] the best relatively cheap university you've never heard of."- TIME magazine

Recently featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, WGU is the only university in the U.S. offering competency-based degree programs and the only non-profit, fully online university in the country. WGU offers degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology, and Healthcare Professions, including Nursing. Since its inception in 1997, WGU has grown into a national institution, serving more than 19,000 students in all 50 states.

As a non-profit with a mission to make higher education accessible, WGU strives to keep tuition affordable--tuition for most undergraduate and graduate programs is less than $6,000 per year and has increased less than $200 in the past four years. WGU is self-sustaining on tuition, and does not rely on state or national support to fund its operations.

WGU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU's Teachers College is the first and only exclusively online provider of teacher education to receive accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). WGU nursing programs have been accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, Dell, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, HCA, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest, SunGard Higher Education, Sun Microsystems, American Express, and Zions Bank. More information is available at www.wgu.edu.

Contact for media inquiries: ---------------------------- Joan Mitchell - Director of PR 801-428-5463 jmitchell@wgu.edu Contact for enrollment information: ----------------------------------- 866-225-5948

SOURCE Western Governors University


Source: PR Newswire

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