Online education growing trend among those seeking flexibility
Vickie Perez
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: News
Since the convenience of online education has become popular in the past few years, many have questioned its effectiveness in comparison to conventional community colleges and universities.
The convenience of online classes has allowed more students with families and full time jobs to go back to school to complete their degrees.
More and more colleges are doing what they can to add additional online classes to their schedule in an effort to allow more fexibility for students.
Francis Velasco, a full-time student taking internet courses, believes that the internet is helping education by allowing students to work full-time while going to school.
"Online classes allow students to go to school and let school revolve around their schedule instead of them having to re-arrange their day for one or two classes," Velasco said.
Paul Valach, a Computer Information Systems instructor agrees that the Internet is allowing students to obtain an education if they have to work full-time.
"I think it is helping education, because with so many people now working more than one job, it's really hard to come to school and sometimes it makes it impossible…It's easier for someone taking online classes to do their work at any time," Valach said.
The Internet may also be hurting education by allowing students who plagiarize to get a hold of work that is not theirs.
When asked if he is worried about more plagiarism due to the Internet, Valach said that he is not worried about it.
"I can take your paper and say I don't think this person wrote this…Google is very good at finding anything on the Internet that needs to be found," Valach said.
The only thing that concerned him is the loss of personal interaction with other students.
The convenience of online classes has allowed more students with families and full time jobs to go back to school to complete their degrees.
More and more colleges are doing what they can to add additional online classes to their schedule in an effort to allow more fexibility for students.
Francis Velasco, a full-time student taking internet courses, believes that the internet is helping education by allowing students to work full-time while going to school.
"Online classes allow students to go to school and let school revolve around their schedule instead of them having to re-arrange their day for one or two classes," Velasco said.
Paul Valach, a Computer Information Systems instructor agrees that the Internet is allowing students to obtain an education if they have to work full-time.
"I think it is helping education, because with so many people now working more than one job, it's really hard to come to school and sometimes it makes it impossible…It's easier for someone taking online classes to do their work at any time," Valach said.
The Internet may also be hurting education by allowing students who plagiarize to get a hold of work that is not theirs.
When asked if he is worried about more plagiarism due to the Internet, Valach said that he is not worried about it.
"I can take your paper and say I don't think this person wrote this…Google is very good at finding anything on the Internet that needs to be found," Valach said.
The only thing that concerned him is the loss of personal interaction with other students.
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