Online students received better grades than classmates in a traditional setting

       How do online courses differ from a correspondence school?

When you take a course from a correspondence school, you typically receive printed course materials in the mail on a regular basis. These materials generally consist of reading assignments, practice exercises, etc., and you are expected to complete them at your convenience. Once you are finished, you send your completed work back to an instructor for review. This dialog between student and instructor can be rewarding and it allows you to complete a course of study at your own pace, but it lacks the community of fellow students and faculty that you would find in a traditional classroom at a college or university.

In contrast, our online, web-based instruction techniques offer the benefits of both worlds. Online courses at Concordia are first and foremost discussion based learning experiences. As a student in one of our online courses, you have the convenience of being able to study when your schedule permits, and you are one of a group of students who are constantly in contact with each another (and with your instructor) via the online classroom. You will be required to complete weekly assignments on time, meet milestones and deadlines, and keep pace with your classmates, just as you would in a traditional on-ground course, but you can do this at night, and in your pajamas if you like!

The discussion groups for each class are there for you to work through problems with your classmates. The instructor helps guide the discussion by introducing relevant topics and maintaining a focused dialog. Building a 'community of learners' is a goal in each of our online courses at Concordia.

E-mail is also used for private correspondence with instructors and fellow students.

The opportunity to communicate with other students is perhaps the most valuable aspect of any education. With today’s online education technology, there is no reason to forfeit community just because you are unable to attend a traditional classroom-style school.

            How do online courses compare to traditional courses in terms of grades and student comprehension?

Although there are no conclusive studies as yet comparing the two methods, preliminary evidence has suggested there is “no significant difference” between the two.

Recent research on distance learning programs that use web technologies has had positive findings. Several studies indicate that students taking distance learning courses have similar attitudes, grades and test scores as those students in traditional classrooms. For example, a three-year study of more than 2006 students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology suggests that students perceive they are learning at least as much as they would in a traditional class. Fifty-eight percent said Net learning increased the quality of their education. The same study showed no significant difference in grades.

            How does online learning compare to traditional learning?

Many of the same proven instructional strategies that provide a rich context for learning in a traditional classroom have online counterparts. While the form of interaction and engagement may be different, the same principles apply. In addition, many would argue that a technology mediated learning environment can provide a more rich level of learner-to-learner interaction and learner-to-instructor interaction.

Traditional Class	Online Class
In a classroom at a campus	Anywhere there is a computer
Reading, writing, small groups, discussion, videos, research	Reading, writing, small groups, discussion, videos, research
Professor directs instruction	Professor directs instruction
Regular interaction with instructor and other students	Regular interaction with instructor and other students

Article Source:http://www.cu-portland.edu/

Benefit From Free Online Education, It's Great!

Have you heard about free online education? Well, if you search the Internet, you can come across many online schools and institutes offering free online education. You can sit back in your comfy home and get a degree that you are looking for long. The most important part is that you do not have to spend hefty sum when you are going for online education.

Online Learning serves all your needs

Online education can be categorized in two categories. You can go for free online learning as a part of self study or may be as assistance to your regular course. This may be part of your assignment or a school project. Another facet of free online education is when you get yourself enrolled for a degree or a certificate course through an online institute. In every case, free online education is a great help for many people today.

Learning made easy with free online education

For those who cannot quit their jobs for studying further, online education is a great solution. And when it comes free of cost, it becomes all the more easily to get. There are number of good universities and colleges that let you get free online education. The education online has solved the problems of those who want to continue their education but cannot go for regular colleges due to restrictions of time and money. When you take up any course online you have full assistance of the teachers and professors. So you do not lack any kind of teaching help when you go for free education online. The online institutes have developed virtual class rooms that are great to help you learn fast. With the assistance of online aids like e books, audio video tutorials, you will not find it hard to grasp things. You can interact with other students who are studying the similar course via forums and question answer sections on the college web site. All this helps you to get the clear picture of the subject matter of the online course.

Free online education via universities

A great news for those who are looking for free online education is that many reputed universities such as the Boston University and the University of Massachusetts has a lot of free course materials over the Internet. These sources are reliable, so there is no harm in getting free online education through them. But one of the biggest problems with free online education is that there is no one who can evaluate you as such. You have to evaluate yourself to know how much you are gaining from the online education. If you have the ability to evaluate yourself then there is no harm in going for these online courses. Many people are not able to make it with the online education as they lack competition while learning which is there when you go for class room study.

Free online education is great for those who cannot afford to get education at good centres. You can get good education in the privacy of your home and without spending a good sum. With little caution, you can get advantage of these online learning programs.

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Benefits of Online Education

Online education has become a recent trend that has allowed many people to attend school that could not before. No matter what the age, location or interest there are online universities that will help someone earn their degree. Online education has specifically been beneficial for teachers, or other professions, who are going back to school to receive their masters or doctorate. Now, more then 75% of all colleges have an online education program of some kind. In a time when education is the key to moving up in the world, the impact of online education has become substantial.

The largest benefit of online education is the availability. For the first time, students have the opportunity to enroll in a college that meets all of their expectations and offers a degree that matches what they want to do. Many times, at traditional schools, a student chooses a major that is as close as possible, but it isn't want they really want to do. With online universities, prospective students do not have to factor in location when applying for school. This results in students really focusing on their degree choice and their intended career path. Sometimes, the amount of school choices is overwhelming; however, 360 Education Solutions is partnered with a vast amount of online universities to help people, such as teachers, find the school that is right for them. For teachers who are returning to school to earn a graduate degree, they can choose a school that is all the way across the country and still continue to teach and learn in the state they live in. The availability of online programs allows students to find the best education that fits their lifestyle.

Another great perk of doing online education is moving through classes at different speeds, or "asynchronous" learning. Students can choose when to do their work whenever they please. If students are like most adult learners, have a job or a family, they can do their work when it is convenient for them. All of the lectures and class work are online 24 hours a day; therefore, a student could do their class work at night and go to work during the day. Also, for people who may be slower at learning, they can their time learning the material to ensure that they do well on tests. By working at one's own pace, it is possible that they can earn their degree in a shorter amount of time. A master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at a traditional university may take over two years to complete; however, through online schooling, a student could earn his or her degree in 18 months. This benefit has helped many people go back to school to get a higher education, which was not possible before.

A third advantage includes learning how to become computer literate. Because all of the courses are taken on the computer, it is imperative that students know how to use a computer correctly. Also, with online courses come different learning methods. Many courses use discussion boards frequently. This feature lets students talk to each other and get any questions they may have answered. This also leads to countless networking opportunities through peers. Most online courses have students that live all across the country; so many connections are made through their classes. Networking allows teachers from all over the nation to communicate about education. A teacher in California is able to create a friendship through an online course with a teacher from New York, which most likely would have never happened if it wasn't for the class. E-mail is an important factor in online education as well. Students learn "netiquette" which allows them to better communicate through the internet.

 With all the benefits that online education offers, it is no wonder that this trend has swept the nation. Not only can students be flexible with their schedules, choose a school based on the degree and become computer literate, but they can also save thousands of dollars. Online tuition is usually a lot cheaper to begin with; however, students are saving costs by not having to travel to school, buy textbooks, pay for living expenses and pay for extra university fees. Online education is the ultimate way to earn a higher education for students who don't think that traditional schools are the way to go.

Article Source:http://goarticles.com