Online courses

Subin Lee



While the criticism for online courses in higher education institution increases, researchers recognize online courses as an innovative form of schooling with a great potential. Particularly, online courses provide fair opportunities for everyone to be educated in any situation and by embracing with the technology present online courses are building the base for the future advanced online educational system.

Online or e-learning courses are growing rapidly; according to Billie Wahlstrom, a vice provost on technology issue the University of Minnesota-Twin cities, “In the five years, the acceleration has been amazing.”

Perhaps, the best reason for getting popularities by students would be the flexibility of online courses. Students can have class in anywhere and at anytime. It is often the case that students miss the lecture, quizzes, or tests due to inevitable situations. With online courses, students can easily access to class if they have internet.

Online courses allow professors to judge students fairly, because they usually make the class participation as a high percentage of the class grade. In opposition to the traditional classes, where only few students participate or dominate the class activities due to time constraints, online courses let shy students due to their physical presence to be active in text, since their face is unseen. Moreover, while traditional courses have limited number of students in one lecture, online courses can have as many students as the computer server can hold.

Lastly, according to Jane Hancock of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities’ continuing education program “It’s important for students to realize that lots of options are available.” This is just start of the possible future education program. Technology is developing rapidly, correspondingly online courses is expanding as well.