Numerous people find it difficult to imagine how the world would have been if there was no internet. Since the advent of the internet, education has experienced a tremendous change. Learning has effectively undergone transformation or change. Virtually, every aspect of education has been changed by the internet as numerous students engage in online courses on the website where they find more prospects to learn than ever before. There are also many educational materials on the internet which has facilitated learning compared to old methods.
The internet has brought a lot in the evolution and growth of education. Higher education has been transformed from face-to-face lectures to online courses, to professors giving lectures online and students submitting assignments online, and also video lectures. The internet has also led to the introduction of gamification which has helped students learn as teachers are capable of unifying gaming habits with education to attain good grades from students (Gee, 2008). Video games enhance the mental development of students. Statistics show that most students prefer online courses compared to the classroom lectures. Numerous universities like Harvard University, University of Virginia, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania are offering online courses and are extending to make their students more online based.
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The emerging world has benefited hugely from this change to modern education. Internet proliferation has allowed rural areas of the world such as the rural areas of India, China and more to come to access online learning. The internet has brought together schools, teachers, the market, and entrepreneurs and transformed the education system into institutions that produce non-disabled workers who can find jobs as well as work in positions that didn’t exist at the time they began at the time they started their studies.
One significant change brought about by the internet in higher education is the introduction of online courses. Online institutions of higher learning have seen a considerable increase in popularity to meet the increasing demand for flexible online course offerings. The benefits of online education generally stem from how online courses can leverage evolving technology as well as the aptitude of the progressively connected student population.
Online institutions have become quickly accepted as an alternative to brick-and-mortar education. This makes students education without technically attending schools. According to the 2011 annual report from the Sloan Consortium, over six million students in the U.S. are taking an online course, and the 10% of growth rate for online enrolments far surpasses the rate of growth of the total student population, which is less than 1%.
Most of the online learning institutions offer online courses for free. However, some institutions require the students to pay for the certificate. Online courses have shifted the business model of institutions where a professor lectures students to an interactive as well as a collaborative model (Topscott, 2018). There are several technology companies which offer technologies for online learning. Coursera, Udacity, and edX are one of the biggest companies which provide technology for free online courses (Topscott, 2018). The companies offer massive open learning courses (MOOCs) in union with numerous universities. This has helped millions of students to undertake various online courses.
The internet has also resulted in the growth of educational opportunities for geographically isolated as well as underprivileged students. Students in locations which are hard to reach, as students from the state of Alaska, can link with other virtual societies through “blended classes.” One such program is the American Indian Foundation’s Digital Equalizer. This program has helped students in India who are underprivileged to utilize the internet to improve marketable skills as well as boost social flexibility in caste societies.
However, this transformation to online courses will make students flock to online classes and abandon the classroom in the future. Students won’t be engaging in university experiences such as campus life, living in the hostels as well as hanging around with other students as Mr. Reif believes (Topscott, 2018). This is very significant as a student participates in classroom discussion with the lecturer as well as with other students. Practical subjects such as engineering courses require laboratory works and practical as well as facilities which are only available in institutions. The MOOCs are usually not accredited in numerous universities. However, some institutions are considering crediting MOOCs. This will make students flock to online courses. This will reduce the population of students undertaking face-to-face lectures.
It is evident that the internet has brought a lot of changes to higher education. Higher education has been transformed from class lectures to online courses, information database, and video modules. This has resulted in the growth of educational opportunities for underprivileged students as well as students from geographically isolated regions. There are also a lot of learning materials on the internet. Thus, the internet has transformed as well as improved higher education.
References
Gee, J. (2008). Big Thinkers: James Paus Gee on Grading with Games. [Online]. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/video/big-thinkers-james-paul-gee-grading-games . Accessed 5th Sept 2018.
Tapscott, D. (2018). The Week University (as we know it) ended. [Online]. Available at: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/the-week-university-as-we-know-it-ended/article7896507/ . Accessed 5th Sept 2018.
