Online Education- A Growing Trend
Technology is growing by leaps and bounds. This has changed the nature of education. The traditional face-to-face method of learning has been replaced to a large extent by online education. The form of education which uses the internet to deliver and administer it to students is called online education. Online education can comprise hybrid courses which are partly online and exclusive online courses. Currently, 50% of all the universities in the world offer online courses and over six million students are taking up at least one of their courses online. These numbers are increasing day by day. The most popular courses that are taken up online are:
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Education
Online education has become popular because any student with a computer and internet connection can take up these courses from the comfort of their homes. This helps working adults and handicapped students especially.
Studying Education courses online
Many of the students who want to take up an education degree online may already be working as teachers. They might want to take up the online course to better their qualification and give them an edge over others in their profession. For these students, the best online education degree must be competent and flexible. The course must also be affordable for the student. Thus, these become the key criteria that decide the ranking of the online education courses. Keeping the expectation of the students in mind, the online education courses in the US can be ranked as given below:
- Ball State University
This university offers certificate programs, masters for education with a licensure. It is also one of the most affordable universities to obtain an education degree online.
- Western Governor”™s University
This university offers flexible coursework and is very affordable.
- American College of Education
They offer various masters and certificate programs along with an offer of licensure. It has the lowest tuition rate for education courses.
- Grand Canyon University
It was founded as a private, Christian teachers college and offers various courses at an affordable fee.
- Arizona State University
They offer courses through the Mary Lou Foulton Teacher”™s College. This adds value to their courses.
Studying Psychology courses online
A psychology degree can help students take jobs as counsellors, lab technicians and entrepreneurs. The degree helps students study about why humans act the way they do. Though to be a psychologist, the student has to continue his education till doctorate, the student has to start from the bachelor”™s degree. The ranking of the best online psychology degree programs is done considering affordability, flexibility and the number of specializations that they offer. Based on these, the online psychology courses are ranked as:
- Drexel University
The department of psychology of this university offers research in various fields in psychology. The B.S. in Psychology can be completed fully online.
- Penn State World Campus
It is a highly ranked university and offers two tracks in its B.S. Psychology program.
- Central Michigan University
The university is very affordable and lets the student tailor the course to their needs.
- Arizona State University
The classes are held in the interdisciplinary college and students are given overall knowledge about the course.
- Bellevue University
It offers both B.A. and B.S. programs and is one of the most affordable programs.
Career Options
Education:
Students who complete their course in education can take up jobs as teachers in elementary and secondary schools, as administrators, professors, secretaries and principal/vice principal of educational institutions. Online courses allow professionals to continue their studies while they are working.
Psychology:
There are various tracks in psychology which students can take up. These include areas such as:
- Clinical Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Occupational Psychology etc.
- They can also become teachers and therapists
Advantages of online learning:
The future of education is online education. Students can take up classes from their homes and study in their own time. Traditional classroom learning can be very structured and stressful. Handicapped students also find it very difficult to attend colleges. The advantages of online learning are:
- Online learning is convenient.
- Online learning is more flexible.
- It promotes life-long learning.
- Online learning is more affordable.
- Online learning connects millions of students worldwide.
- It lets students learn at their own pace.