Online education is becoming a more popular way to get one’s degree today because it is more convenient to earn one’s degree from the comfort of his/her own home and at one’s own pace. The fast-paced lifestyle of today makes it more difficult for working adults, especially those with families, to take time out of their busy schedules and go to traditional classrooms on university campuses in order to obtain or upgrade their degrees.
However, online education is not the same as offline education in terms of how the classes are structured and how the material is taught.
There are many reasons why people fail online education:
1. The person is not used to working in an online classroom setting.
An online classroom is considerably different from a traditional classroom. There are rarely textbooks; most course material is presented online on web-pages, in downloadable reports, and in video and audio lectures.
In addition, you don’t sit in a traditional classroom with other people sitting next to you, behind you, or in front of you. Instead, they are on their computers at home or elsewhere, looking at the same course material you are, so you have no direct contact with them. You usually can “talk” to them via message boards or forums, making posts that anyone in the class can respond to, and vice versa.
In some rare instances, you might talk to them or your professor via the phone, but direct contact is not usually possible, and some students who are trying online education for the first time cannot overcome the lack of interaction and direct dialogue to complete the coursework and pass the course.
2. The person is not used to the rigorous expectations from a professor teaching an online course.
Online education is a new experience for professors as well, as this is a whole new medium for them to teach what they know. Some professors are more willing to embrace this new way of learning than others.
Some professors feel that they have to “make up” for the lack of interaction and direct dialogue that you would get in a traditional classroom setting, so they give you more assignments to complete than they would their traditional students, just to make sure that you are getting the education you should be getting because these professors are not confident or convinced that online education give you the same level of knowledge as traditional education does.
Some students cannot handle the extra workload and demands expected from some online professors, which is another reason why some students can’t complete online coursework.
3. The person is not able to deal with the extra distractions associated with online learning.
When you take an online course, you do so on your computer. Often, this is at home, where other distractions can affect some online students. This includes children and/or pets who are unruly and/or need constant care. Other worries regarding home life can also distract the online student from doing his/her very best, since he/she is still in the same environment even when he/she is “attending class.”
This can prove to be too much for some online students, resulting in them not completing online courses.
4. The person doesn’t have the computer skills necessary to complete the online courses.
For those who are trying to start a brand new career, especially one that is technically challenging, sometimes, the whole experience of working with computer software and programs that you have never used before can prevent students from doing well in their courses.
Not only do they have to try to learn the course material, but they also have to learn how to access the course material, how to ask for help when they need it via the message boards/forums, how to access the tests when they are ready to take them, etc.
For some online students, the experience is so overwhelming that they don’t succeed in completing their courses.
5. The person does not utilize good time management skills in order to keep up with the online coursework.
In order to be successful in the online classroom, you have to have good time management skills. After all, you’re the only one who decides when you “attend class,” when you take the tests (within reason; there is a time limit to complete the course, but you decide what days you take the tests, unlike the traditional classroom,) how much time you spend on the message board or in the forum, etc.
Some online students can’t designate their time between all the tasks required to complete online courses, as well as balance the rest of their lives.
It is suggested that online students stay current on their coursework as much as possible because once you fall behind, it’s very difficult to catch up, especially if you are not comfortable in an online classroom setting in the first place. Most experts suggest logging in at least once a day at least six days a week to give you the best chance of staying current on your coursework and giving you the best chance of completing your online courses.
By being aware of the reasons above, you can better prepare yourself to handle these challenges and give you a better chance of completing those online courses and your degree.

Online education has become a popular channel for many students to pursue their degree. The fact shows that most online students are successfully complete their degree program but 40% of them failed. Most of online students are pursuing their degree online because they are seeing many advantages of online education that can benefits them but the 40% that failed do not aware of the disadvantages of online education that cause their failure. In order to avoid you to become of one the statistic of failure in online education, you must first understand the pro and con of taking your degree online before you make up your decision to earn your degree through this online channel. Here are the major advantages and disadvantages of online education that you must know:

The Advantages of Online Education

In today’s busy lifestyle, most people have no time to go back to school even they have intention to get more degrees for career advancement, job promotion or simply to learning something new. This is where one of the advantages of online education will benefit these people. Online education is able to provide you with a flexible learning environment from any location as long as you are offered with internet connection.

With a proper time management, you can easily plan your online learning sessions to fit into your busy schedule and follow your own pace of study to complete your degree program. Another key advantage of online education is you can attend the online classes from your comfort home or any location that you find convenient to you. This also means that you can enroll into any online degree program offered by any universities around the world as long as they make their degree program online. With that in mind, you do not need to worry about unable to find a degree that can’t meet your career or lifestyle requirement.

In general, you can complete a degree online in shorter period of time if compare to the same courses offer in campus-based programs. Unless you purposely delay your courses due to fail to proper manage your time. In term of tuition fee, although it’s not always true, but in general, online degree programs cost less then campus-based degree programs as most of learning materials are in downloadable format and the credit hours required to complete an online degree program is comparatively less. Hence, you could save some money by taking your degree online.

The Disadvantages of Online Education

The advantages of online education can become the disadvantages if you are not the right candidate for online education. The flexibility of planning your own schedule in online education could be the disadvantages for you if you are a type of person that can’t manage your time probably between your work, family and study. If you are this kind of person, a pre-plan schedule may fit you well, letting yourself to study at your own pace with your own schedule may causes you fail to complete your degree program.

As most of online learning materials are in text format, if you are not comfortable with this format and prefer to listen to the lecture instead of reading it. Then, it will become the disadvantage for you and you need to reconsider your decision before you choose online education to be your degree pursuing channel.

Are you able to communicate well through chats and discussion forum? You must understand that these media are the key communication channels in online learning environment and you must be able to adapt to it else it will become a disadvantage for you.

Summary

By understanding the advantages and the disadvantages of online education, you will have a better understanding on how these factors will affect you if you choose to pursue your degree online.

With every New Year, we’re given a clean slate upon which to draw a brand new future. Along with New Year’s resolutions to exercise your body, perhaps it’s time to consider exercising your mind as well.
Now is the perfect time to continue your education. Of course the big question is, how do you fit one more thing into your already insanely busy schedule?
If you’ve ever hesitated to pursue further education because you couldn’t handle the rigors of a traditional campus program, it may be time to consider the relatively new, but rapidly growing area of online education.
Whether you’re a housewife ready to take on a new career, a mid-level boomer ready for another challenge, or just a person who loves to learn, online education can give you the boost you need.
Online education, also known as distance learning, is rapidly gaining popularity as a convenient, efficient and often lower-cost way to improve your mind, your life and your career opportunities.
According to “Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States in 2006″, a report that has been tracking the annual changes in the online educational system in the United States for several years, more than 800,000 students signed up for some form of online education in 2006.
In addition to the new 800,000 students, “Making the Grade” reports that more than 3.2 million people are turning to online education as a way to fill in their educational gaps, improve their lives, and enhance their employment and career choices. It is easier than ever to locate an appropriate, accredited school with online degrees and certificates.
In addition, getting federal financial aid for online education has recently changed, making it easier for schools and students to obtain funding.
There are opportunities available for almost everyone. Whether seeking a college degree, a career change, or a new trade, there are a multitude of choices being offered by numerous schools. Some are well-known brick and mortar institutions offering off-site, distance learning or “limited residence requirements” programs to meet every student’s need. Additionally there are numerous accredited online education programs that meet the criteria for financial aid.
Searching for the right online education program for you, your child, or your company can be a lengthy, time-consuming process. There are many things to consider, such as area of study, finances, and of course, which school to attend. It’s important to make sure that your chosen distance education program is accredited by the appropriate agencies. This will insure a better chance at financial aid, as well as better opportunities after graduation.
Make this a year to remember with new attitudes and new goals. Online education can help you improve your self-worth, net-worth and your bottom line.