The Effectiveness of an Online Education and its Similarities and Differences to the Traditional Campus/Classroom Education Model

Throughout the entire school system, the typical classroom setting involves a relatively quiet classroom where students are taking notes as a professor lectures. This set up is also applied in a university setting. This style of education works for a large group of people, yet there are still a vast number who cannot incorporate this rigid education into their lives. So what about these people, the ones who have to support more lives than just their own, whose hardworking parents still cannot afford an expensive education, and whose university does not offer their intended major and field of study? Do they just fall through the cracks and never receive a full education? This is the issue that online education aims to solve. People who don't fit the mold of a traditional university education have caused traditional campus/classroom education to face competition as online education becomes more popular and valued in society.

Online education is a great option for parents of a non-nuclear family who are still seeking to complete their education. The single mother who couldn't finish high school, the working, single father that can't find time to get a degree, or the girl that made a mistake one lonely night all deserve an education as well. They deserve a chance at a degree in order to to better their lives and employment status for themselves and for their child/children. Online education gives these people a wonderful chance at an education that is also a more affordable and flexible option to fit their busy and tight budgeted schedules.

Online education is also a great option for individuals or families that are struggling financially. In some family's cases, after high school it's time to pull your own weight and get a job; however, due to societal standards, it's nearly impossible to climb the workforce ladder without a college degree. Not everyone has $50,000 or more to shell out for themselves or for their children to go to college. An online education provides them with the foundation they need to grow in order to become an employee with the potential to become a CEO or found their own company. Online education not only improves the careers of individuals but also the overall quality of the workforce by providing more educated employees that can better serve their companies.

Colleges offer a variety of degree programs, but they do not offer every degree possible at any location. To settle for a school where you will be for four or more years where you will have to commit to a program you're not interested in seems like too big of a compromise. My personal story poses this very issue: Baylor University offered me a scholarship to play soccer under their program and it was an offer I couldn't refuse. However, Baylor doesn't offer a Fire Science degree, a degree which I have wished to pursue since age eleven. In order to combine my two dreams. I am currently a student athlete at Baylor University majoring in Political Science. While also taking classes online in Fire Science to work towards my BA degree. Without online schooling as an option, I'm not sure what my plan would be as far as pursuing my future career as a firefighter and the schooling associated with it as well as maximizing my athletic career.

Online education bridges the gap for those who may otherwise fall through the cracks in the traditional education system. Completing their education, even online. Creates opportunities for these people to better their lives and set themselves up for success down the road. Online education is convenient, financially reasonable, and more time flexible for those who need their education to accommodate those areas in their life. Based on the common trends of today. Online education will continue to meet the needs of the students in our society.

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