Online education

Pro's
        1.Require no or little commuting which saves time and money. Less time in car means less gas burned and less car maintenance.
        2.Allow you to complete course work when it is convenient for you. Do work where and when you want to.
        3.Taken from home means savings in child car costs.
        4.Are learner centered. Pacing, sequencing, style of the learning experience are left up to you.
        5.Offer easy access to learning resources. The teacher, other students, library are only a click away.
        6.Allow learners to access enrichment content of personal interest.
        7.Lead to an advanced degree that will result in increased career salaries.
        8.Directly address physical accessibility issues such as access to buildings, sitting in uncomfortable chairs.
        9.Are great equalizers. You will work with fellow class members without regard for appearance, race, sex, ethnicity, or other common prejudices.
        10.Allows a broader perspective by interacting with people from other parts of the world.
        11.Will teach you project management along with distance collaboration skills. These skills will help you work on virtual teams on your jobs.
12.Convenience -- take online courses when you need them, not based on some college’s annual or semester schedule. A course is as close as a computer with an Internet connection.

13.Flexibility -- with no set class times, you decide when to complete your assignments and readings. You set the pace. In some programs, you can even design your own degree plan.

14.Availability -- distance-learning opportunities have exploded over the past few years, with many accredited and reputable programs.

15.Cost -- prices are often cheaper for online courses than traditional college and trade courses -- with no housing or meals plans to worry about.

16.Self-Directed -- you set your own pace and schedule, so you control the learning environment.

17.Time Spent in Classroom -- now you can take a course on just about any subject without ever having to be in -- or travel to -- a classroom so you have very little wasted time. Note, however, that some distance-education programs still do have an in-class component.

18.Accessibility -- with an online course, you can work on the course just about anywhere you have computer access.

19.Better for Some Learners -- distance-education courses are often better for people who learn through visual cues and experiential exercises and those that require more time, are language-challenged, or introverted.

20.No Travel Expenses -- you may never even have to leave your house to take an online course, and certainly there are no relocation costs.

21.No Interrupting Job/Career -- because distance learning courses are located in cyberspace and controlled by your pace, there is no need to quit your current job -- or even take a leave of absence -- to go back to school.




Con's
1.Isolate the student. Societal interaction can be limited, unless technology and class assignments encourage interaction.

2.Allow students to fall through cracks more easily.

3.Require that the student is disciplined enough to be able to work independently.

4.Require that students are highly motivated.

5.Require good writing skills.

6.Require that the student has a high degree of comfort with the Internet.

7.Join students and teachers who often have little in common in terms of background and day-to-day experience. It can take longer for class rapport to build.

8.The instructional technology delivery systems, if it is new to the student or seems complicated to use, can greatly inhibit class communication and cohesion.

9.Require as much time as attending classes and completing assignments for campus courses. Do not offer motivational factors arising from contact and competition from others.

10.Require basic computer skills with word processing, Internet browser and e-mail software.
11.No Instructor Face Time -- if your learning style is one where you like personalized attention from your teachers, then online education will probably not work for you.

12.Perceptions/Reputation -- while slowly changing as more and more mainstream colleges and universities embrace distance learning, there still is a stigma attached to distance education.

13.Requires New Skills/Technologies -- if you’re not computer-savvy or are afraid of change or new technologies, then online education will probably not work for you.

14.No Social Interaction -- while you often interact with classmates via email, chat rooms, or discussion groups, there are no parties or offline get-togethers.

15.Making Time -- if you are a procrastinator or one of those people who always needs an extra push to complete work, you may have a hard time making time for your online classes.

16.Little Support -- students are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments and exams, which is empowering for some, but daunting for others.

17.No Campus Atmosphere -- part of the traditional college experience, of course, is the beauty of the campus, the college spirit -- but you have none of that with distance-education courses.