The world of education is changing in a new and exciting way. No longer will students be confined to physical campuses and classrooms. Even now many college students are able to take courses from the comfort of their homes by way of the Internet. All you need is a computer, a connection, and an Internet service provider.
Whether taking classes to support skills useful to a job,
for personal pleasure, or in pursuit of a higher degree, E-learning (Electronic
learning) is a viable and accommodating approach.
Firsthand Experience
Upon choosing to pursue a master’s degree in library and
information sciences from the University
of North Texas, I chose to
take my first fifteen hours online.
Since I lived four hundred miles from school, I felt this was the most
cost effective choice. Being computer
literate, having a cable modem (which a professor emphasized as necessary for
online classes), and having an Internet connection, the process was easy. I was able to register for classes, pay
tuition, and order books through the school.Since this was my first experience taking online courses, I
was a little unsure what to expect.
Thankfully, it was easy. The software
used by the university for distance education was created by a company called
WebCT. Each course was well defined,
easy to follow, and had ample help instructions.
Throughout my first semester I had a course organizer and
calendar to keep me on track in each course.
I knew what was due and when it was due.
Turning in assignments was easy by uploading files. Each course required posting to discussions,
thus one was able to correspond with instructors and fellow students. Overall, there were no major problems. Except...