The majority of human endeavors have either completely moved online or at least have a major online presence. Higher education is no different. There are thousands of online options for college programs, graduate schools, MBAs, law schools, and even medical professions. Is this a good thing? Should we be cautious about moving education completely online? Are there limits to what you can learn online? These and many other questions will be answered in our article today.
As we ponder these questions, it’s important to ask ourselves one important question: why do we pursue education in the first place? Why do millions of students each year go through the rigors of applying to higher education programs, writing admissions essays, looking for recommendations, working on their extracurriculars, attending difficult interviews, and trying to stand out as desirable applicants? Why do millions of people spend time, money, and energy on higher education?
We can give many answers to these questions: some people simply want to climb the career ladder. Some people want to look cool by attending an Ivy League school. Some do it because their parents insist on it!
But the truth is, we love to learn. Human beings have inquisitive minds. It doesn’t matter what it is – we love new information; we love the feeling of learning something that blows our minds! Whether it’s celebrity gossip, the secrets of ancient civilizations, geometry theorems, or quantum mechanics, we love new information that feeds our imagination and helps us understand the world and ourselves.
But does online education help in this endeavor? Let’s find out.
Pros of Education Online
Before we can form an opinion on these matters, let’s consider the pros of accessing education digitally. Here are the top advantages of accessing education online:
Flexibility and Convenience: Online programs offer unmatched flexibility. Students can learn at their own pace, rewind lectures for better understanding, and accommodate their studies around personal and professional commitments, such as extracurriculars, part-time jobs, and family obligations. For working professionals, this means they can upgrade their qualifications without taking a break from their jobs. Furthermore, online education breaks down international boundaries. International students can attend colleges in the US and Canada even if they live on the other side of the world!
Cost-Effectiveness: Traditional education often comes with hidden costs like commuting, accommodation, and campus fees. Studying online can significantly reduce these expenditures. Moreover, many online programs are priced more affordably than their in-person counterparts.
Diverse Course Selection: As already mentioned, digital education is not confined by geographical boundaries. This means international students have access to courses from universities like Harvard or Stanford, which might not have been feasible in a traditional setting. Someone in Asia can a law school from a reputed institution in North America without relocating.
Networking Opportunities: Online programs often consist of a diverse cohort of students from different regions and professional backgrounds. This creates a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives, offering students broader networking opportunities.
Innovative Learning Tools: Online education harnesses the power of multimedia. Lectures can be supplemented with videos, interactive quizzes, and virtual simulations. For instance, medical students can benefit from virtual labs or 3D anatomical models, offering an immersive learning experience.
Self-Discipline and Responsibility: The online learning model inherently requires students to be proactive, instilling qualities of self-discipline, time management, and responsibility—crucial traits for any professional. The demands of online learning can really hone these valuable qualities.
Adaptability to Digital Trends: As sectors like law and medicine increasingly rely on digital tools, online students become adept at using advanced technological platforms, giving them an edge in their professions.
Real-time Updates: Unlike traditional textbooks, which might take years to get a new edition, online content can be updated in real time, ensuring students are learning the most current and relevant information in their field.
Customized Learning Environment: Whether it’s a quiet corner at home or a local café, students can choose their ideal learning environment, which can enhance concentration and efficiency.
Safety and Accessibility: Especially in uncertain times, like during a pandemic, online education ensures continuous learning from the safety of one’s home. It also ensures that education is accessible to those who might have physical limitations or other constraints.
Cons of Digital Learning
Now that we have looked at the pros of online learning, let’s consider some of its shortcomings:
Lack of Hands-on Experience: Particularly in fields like medicine, hands-on practical experience is paramount. Virtual simulations can’t fully replicate the tactile experience of performing a medical procedure or the real-time decision-making process during patient care.
Limited Interpersonal Interaction: Law, for instance, requires mastering the art of argumentation, debate, and courtroom presence, skills honed through face-to-face interactions. Online models can sometimes lack these vital interpersonal dynamics.
Networking Constraints: While online programs might offer global exposure, they often lack the depth of local professional networks that traditional campuses provide. Face-to-face events, seminars, and spontaneous discussions forge strong bonds, crucial for professional growth.
Technical Issues: Not every student has access to high-speed internet or advanced tech gadgets. Technical glitches can disrupt the flow of lessons, leading to fragmented learning experiences.
Quality Concerns: The boom of online programs means a vast range of quality. While some institutions offer excellent courses, others might lack rigor and depth, diluting the value of a degree.
Self-Motivation Challenges: The flexibility of online learning can be a double-edged sword. Without a structured environment, some students might struggle with procrastination or lack the discipline to keep up with coursework.
Limited Campus Experience: Campus life is a significant aspect of traditional education—offering extracurricular activities, social interactions, and holistic development opportunities—that purely online students might miss out on.
Accreditation and Recognition Issues: Especially for professional courses like medicine or law, not all online degrees are universally recognized or accredited, potentially impacting job prospects.
Lack of Immediate Feedback: Traditional classroom settings often allow for spontaneous doubts and immediate feedback. In contrast, online models, unless they’re live, can sometimes cause delays in clarifications, hindering the learning process.
And finally…
Over-reliance on Technology: For professions that need robust analytical thinking or in-depth research, there’s a risk of over-dependence on digital tools, potentially impacting the depth and breadth of one’s understanding.
This last one is probably the most harmful to the main purpose of pursuing education that we established earlier in this article. There is no doubt that digital learning opens many new doors in the pursuit of knowledge and greatly contributes to the overall cause of learning. But we must be careful to allow it to do the learning for us. It must remain a tool that helps us learn, not the subject doing the learning. We must still advance our own skills and abilities. Otherwise, there will be no purpose to education and learning!
In our pursuit of progress, we mustn’t strip the human touch from learning and from professions fundamentally rooted in human interaction. Can medical students truly grasp patient care through online clinical rotations? Medicine, at its core, is about the person, not just the process. Similarly, can lawyers sharpen their analytical and communication prowess without real human engagement? Law thrives on human discourse. As we advance, we must remember that human progress must remain deeply human. No offense to online learning, but our essence and the purpose of education lies in our humanity.
