Research Proposal

Impacts of Online Learning on Higher Education

Background

It is important to evaluate the value and lifetime warranty of things, which we possess in our life. The answer is simple. We can measure value or guarantee of material things but there are also good and valuable possessions in life, which have the lifetime warranty. According to intellectuals, the principles we learn for raising our capabilities and achievements have the quality to rise with time. Our learning and education are things that grow with the passage of time and stay with us. That’s why; more stress is given to learning and education throughout the life. Online education is a kind of learning methods that aims to facilitate learning for people in any stage of their life. Online education got popularity during the last decade of the twentieth century. There is a growing need for online education in the present time because emerging technologies and advanced level communication make this kind of learning as an educational practice. Complete understanding of the phenomenon is important for getting full advantage from this education method. There prevail misconceptions about its nature and way of working. A thorough understanding is necessary for taking full advantage from online education (Long, 2013). Online education is beneficial for students who cannot appear physically in classrooms. They have certain reasons for this physical absence in classrooms. For this purpose, online course is designed to fulfill learning needs of the students. Hybrid and blended course is usually designed for online education. Before new technology of the worldwide web, the system of the past is used for communication among administrations and students. Technological inventions in the field of communication make the process of online learning easy and affordable to everyone.

Statement of Purpose

Literature related education highlights the importance of higher education, its needs and requirements, scope, quality of education, governance and its impacts on learning behaviors of students. Online higher education has played an immense role to increase the literacy rate in the country. But at the same time, it raises the question that whether the quality of online higher education matches the traditional modes of teaching? Or online higher education is for all students having same capabilities and aptitude? Are assessment criteria of online higher education valid and reliable? These are series of some questions which bound us to explore the impacts of online higher education on students and compare them to students who participate in a traditional classroom for learning. It is not denied to the fact it is an easy mode of education and provides faculties to adults. It gives students flexible choices about the courses taught in an educational program. It saves transportation cost of students who economically are not capable. At the same time, online course is less costly and save the time of students. Students enrolled in online education have the opportunity to schedule their time according to their ease. Online education has its importance in communities in which updated educational facilities are not available. Time duration and the possibility of having a job during course increase its credibility and importance in the present times (Mead, 2010). Thus, the primary objective of this research proposal is to explore the learning differences between students who enrolled in an online course and students who attend regular classes. Further, this study will recommend some policy changes at institutional and governmental level.

Significance

A survey conducted by census bureau of the USA asserted that employees having the high level of education or degrees can earn more money as compared to a student graduating from high schools. Thus, higher education plays important role in both economic and social life of an individual. The matter of the fact is that changing scenario of higher education, i.e. online higher education opens new grounds of debate. Online education serves students in many ways like peer-reviewed education, easy access and changing pedagogy practices, which support learning. But at the same time, online higher education has some disadvantages as well. The learning abilities of students are not same. Every student has some kind difficulties in learning the process. So, some students are not being capable of attending online higher learning. They need the individual attention of the teacher. On the other hand, online higher education does not provide practical skills or knowledge to students. This limitation of online higher education implies the possibility that many firms cannot acknowledge online degree. These limitations or disadvantages of online higher education provide the notion that it can facilitate fewer students or participants. Thus, this research proposal will serve as a guideline some suggestions which bring changes in online higher education and eradicate its deficiencies.

Description

The primary goal of this paper is to explore the differences between learning experiences or perceptions of students enroll in an online course and students enroll in a regular class. Therefore, the researcher will design a survey paper in which questions are designed related to strengths of both modes of education. Thus, the comparison between strengths of both modes of education, we will identify missing advantages of online learning. Further, many books regarding online learning and research journals will be used to present data which support my argument that online higher education must improve in some ways. Thus, the survey information and academic material will be the sources of data for this research.

Methodology

In this section of the proposal, the proposed method of argument evaluation and the whole process of evaluation will be described. According to scope and needs of my main research questions, proposal arguments better fit as a framework to evaluate this argument. Proposal argument has superiority over another style of arguments because it requires an action after researcher convinced one’s audience. Thus, this type of argument allows audience an opportunity to measure all pros and cons of proposed results and to act accordingly. First of all, the researcher will select total 30 students, fifteen enrolled in the regular class and other enrolled in the online course, as participants of the study. These students will have to fulfill a survey form in which they both declare positive impacts of their respective mode of education. Thus, the comparison between strengths of two modes of education, points will identify which are absent in online learning process at higher education. Another source of data collection will be books and research articles regarding online and traditional classroom approach in higher education. After reviewing, the relevant data, the researcher will compare results of the survey with them. The existence of flaws in online learning at higher education, the researcher will suggest some suggestions to make online learning as a powerful mode of education.

Research Problems

The first hurdle the researcher encounter will be to limit the scope of the proposal because effects of online learning could be measured in different areas like management, policy development and structural aspect of education as well. Thus, review of literature will help out researcher to narrow the scope of the proposal to draws of online learning as compared to traditional classroom education. Next, the issue will also rise during the development of the survey tool. It will prove complicated and difficult for the researcher to focus some aspects of the educational process. Therefore, the researcher will select assessment practices, available resources, student-teacher relationship and learning performance as criteria to measure strengths of each method of education. As mentioned above, this topic is vast therefore; in future it will create problems to suggest some recommendations to solve drawbacks of online learning in higher education. These are some possible hurdles, which have potential to affect quality of the current proposal.

Work Cited:

Long, C. (2013). The changing face of higher education: the future of the traditional university experience. Harvard Kennedy’s School Review, , pp. 58-62.

Mead, R. (2010, 06 07). Learning By Degrees. The New Yorker.

Working Bibliography:

Heller, D. E. (2013). The States and Public Higher Education Policy: Affordability, Access, and Accountability. Maryland: JHU Press, .

John R. Bourne, J. C. (2004). Elements of Quality Online Education: Into the Mainstream. Needham: Olin College.

Long, C. (2013). The changing face of higher education: the future of the traditional university experience. Harvard Kennedy’s School Review, , pp. 58-62.

Maki, P. L. (2012). Assessing for Learning: Building a Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution. Stylus Publishing, LLC.,.

Mead, R. (2010, 06 07). Learning By Degrees. The New Yorker .

Michael N. Bastedo, P. G. (2016). American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges. Maryland: JHU Press, .

Newburger, J. C. (2002). The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings. UNESCO.

Ross, A. M. (1973). The Role of Higher Education Institutions in National Development. Higher Education , pp. 103-108.

Roth, M. S. (2014). Beyond the University: In Defense of Liberal Education,. New Heavens: Yale University Press, New Haven,.

Scheg, A. G. (2014). Reforming Teacher Education for Online Pedagogy Development. Pennsylvania: ISI Global.

Trinkle, D. S. (2011, 02 07). The Changing Landscape of Higher Education. EDUCAUSE Review .