Online learning has no doubt changed the facade of modern education. It will not amount to exaggeration if one is to state that online education has brought about a revolution in our education system. It has widened the horizon of education, transcending boundaries and age limits.
Online learning is open to everyone: students, professionals, part-timers, and so on. Everyone who has enrolled in an online course finds it convenient and comfortable. You need not go to college, but study at home, and that too during your free time. Students can opt for a part time job during the day and study during the evening. Similarly, working people can study after office hour without disturbing their office hour.
Another notion that online education brought to the fore is online community———a community of people who share a common agenda and who are connected through the Internet. Since online learning do not require you or to be precise, do not offer classroom lectures, and that you will be learning on your own though with the help of an instructor, you certainly miss those classroom discussions, debates, and all sorts of academic activities that happen in a classroom. This is where online community comes into the picture and tries to fill the void successfully, at least to some extent.
Some of the colleges have online learning community sites. In other words, joining an online learning community is more or less mandatory in these colleges. This is seen as an effort to bring together all those who have enrolled in online courses under a common e-platform where they discuss and exchange ideas. Such activities go a long way in helping them foster their educational career while sustaining interest in out-of-classroom activities.
The US Federal Government while encouraging online education also favors the development of active online communities. The US Department of Education, since 1999, has provided more than 170 million dollars to schools as well as community organizations that are seeking to bring together education and technology in the country. It also supports programs and researches to study and increase the effectiveness of online communities. The online environment is carefully structured and tended so as to foster productive dialogue and aid learning.
Online technology is not only helpful to students enrolled in online courses but also to teachers. Teachers’ online community can foster collaborative discussions among educators in addition to encouraging community building and mentoring relationship. As in case of other online learning communities, the main advantage of this community is that it brings together a group of people who share the same profession under a common platform where they can hold discussions and where exchange of ideas is possible. It is also cost-effective, saves time, and last but not the least bridges the physical gaps among people.
There are also programs that are designed to help prepare online professional development specialists. Other features associated with online community include activities such as series of online workshops and forums.
Today online communities are not limited to academics alone. Many portals have developed such communities where all sorts of topics are shared and exchange by members all across the globe.
The author is a senior editor at http://www.keydegree.com. You can read more articles from him on the KeyDegree website. Do try the services of KeyDegree for online education information, loan requirements etc.
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