Forget those uncomfortable, plastic classroom chairs and their 12-inch, fold-down, wannabe-desk extensions. Today, personal computers and fast expansion of broadband Internet access has turbocharged the distance learning revolution. Millions of college students around the country attend class from living-room sofas, kitchen tables, home offices and even park benches - part of an ever-escalating trend of attending school online.
Want a degree but don’t have the time? Like studying but cant’ see yourself giving up your full-time job? Don’t fret! More students are signing up for courses, especially at the post-graduate and professional level, as schools broaden their menu of distance education offerings. Today more and more off-campus students consider upgrading their qualifications and improving their career prospects.
There is nothing revolutionary about teaching students beyond the traditional classroom setting. Correspondence or print media courses have been an accepted post-secondary learning staple for years for those with the motivation to stay with it. Later, instructional television, videotapes, audio and video conferences have connected students at home, work, or in remote locations.
At this point, most U.S. colleges offer at least some of their courses online, and an estimated 100 schools operate exclusively online. Beyond convenience, online schools aim to offer value: They routinely rely on adjunct faculty and charge less than half as much per credit hour as traditional universities do.
The trend is being set largely by community colleges, with their propensity for nontraditional students who need an easier, more flexible way to earn degrees. And though many courses are being taught online with few or no face-to-face class sessions, there are also a plethora of hybrid courses sprouting up - a sign that more instructors are welcoming the forums and online course supplement as valuable teaching tools.
Students taking online courses don't have to show up in class -- or even be on campus. With the spread of broadband technology and improved online teaching tools, students and teachers are finding online classes to be a more fluid and rewarding experience. Students often read lecture outlines online, or download audio video files of a specific lecture. In addition, they read books on their own time, ask questions via e-mail, and complete assignments without much supervision.
Online education has become an increasingly convenient way to get a college education, especially for students with jobs and families to support. Nearly 3.5 million students enrolled in online classes during the fall of 2006-07, according to the 2007 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, which surveyed more than 2,500 schools. Over the past five years online enrollments have grown by an annual average of 21.5% while 20% of the USA's 17 million college students say they have taken at least one course online.
Another study reveals that a large percentage of middle and high school students are interested in taking courses online that aren't offered at their schools. This holds true for 47 percent of high school students and 32 percent of students in grades six to eight, according to the study by Project Tomorrow, a nonprofit education organization, for Blackboard, a provider of education software and services.
Online degrees are growing more common among today’s new job seekers. 10 percent of new employees completed some or all of their course work online. Of those online students, many have been in the military, or had resumed their educations after a break.
The cost of an online community college class tends to be comparable to on-campus counterparts. But it might be difficult for a student to earn a two-year degree entirely online, considering that class offerings tend to be sparser.
Going to school online isn't the virtual world one might imagine (though a few university professors are already taking online instruction to that level). Discussion boards, reading material, e-mail and audio lectures usually characterize Web-based courses at community colleges.
Fine Art Online
Did you know that there are online classes in traditional fine-art media, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking? At the Art Institute Online, run by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, one may either read the lesson or, by clicking on the menu, hear it read by a professional narrator. The online classroom participation consists of offering an evaluation, or critique, of other students' work and a discussion of one's own, as well as responding to questions posed by the instructor. The quality of classroom participation and the artwork itself are the basis of any grades or credit offered.
The cost of an online course at an art school or college is likely to be the same as for a traditional studio class, although the material can often be covered in fewer weeks online. Make sure to browse through the many prospect offered on this site and make your pick towards a fulfilling education and career!