Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Online education, supported by online resources such as e-mail, chat rooms, and Web-based instruction, is a rapidly growing area of tertiary/higher education that has been facilitated by increased usage of home computers and advances in the development of user-friendly interfaces (Christensen, Anakwe, and Kessler 2001). A range of positive outcomes has accompanied the growth of online education, including opportunities to support greater flexibility in the delivery of educational services, allowing students to choose the time and place of educational experiences (Huang 2002; Hewitt 2003); an increase in the number of nontraditional students who may be older than traditional students, employed full-time, or geographically isolated (Christensen, Anakwe, and Kessler 2001); and the chance to utilize the vast resources of information available via the Internet. In addition to these positive developments, however, concerns about the loss of face-to-face interactions between students and educators have emerged (DeBourgh 2003). Theories of adult education suggest that engaging learners by using a variety of media and sensory stimulation improves learning outcomes (Svinicki and Dixon 1987; Felder and Silverman 1988). However, online education characterized by e-mail, discussion pages, and other communication tools is predominately static, visual, and writing-based. Additionally, researchers have reported the lack of "connectedness " as a problem area for online students. Zielinski (2000)
Authors: Lyn Barnes, Sheila Scutter, Janette Young
Language: English
Topic: Online and Blended Learning
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Funder: Nova Southeastern University
OpenAlex ID: W239890788