It's no secret that more and more people are looking to the

internet for a convenient way to further their education. Online

classes are a great way to obtain an accredited college degree

from home and continue to work a full time job. Many times a

student can attend classes from their computer and schedule those

classes around their job. Some schools allow the student to login

to a class at their convenience. Imagine taking a class from the

comfort of your own home and not having to deal with parking

problems, child care, lunch, or transportation expenses.

You can also get an online degree from top, accredited online

colleges and online schools that may not be available in your

local area. An online education is also a great option for non-

traditional students, the handicapped, people in remote areas,

and people with a full-time job or a schedule that doesn’t allow

for a traditional education.

Distance education can be delivered in several ways. We will

examine two of the many ways education can be delivered via the

internet.

One of the most common is through live media. In this type of

online classroom, students typically login to a chat room type

environment that allows not only for text chat but also live

audio chat, similar to many of the popular “instant messaging”

programs that are widely used today. The lecture can be heard

through the computer speakers or through a set of headphones.

The students communicate with the teacher and other students by

text chat or simply by talking into a PC microphone. The teacher

can also allow students to view him/her in a smaller window on

the monitor via a webcam. The lecture can also be recorded and

posted to the school website to allow students to listen to the

lecture and review the material at a later time according to

their schedule, and as many times as necessary. This type of

online class makes it necessary to be at the computer at a

scheduled time each day.

One advantage to this type of online college classroom

environment is the student receives live instruction with

structured classes. It is well known that students working within

in a structured setting have a higher probability of success of

finishing their degree. An obvious disadvantage would be lack of

scheduling flexibility.

Another variation of the online classroom setting involves text

messages such as email and message boards. Each class may share a

group mailbox or a message board system, which becomes the

"electronic classroom". The instructor generally posts lectures

on the topic of study, posts the assignments, and provides

discussion questions related to the topic. The student can view

lectures, notes from the instructor and other students, and

assigned projects. The student can also post messages or

questions to the instructor and other students.

One advantage of this system is 24 hour access to course

materials and the ability to work at one's own pace without

regard to scheduling. A disadvantage would be lack of direct

contact with the instructor.

In both scenarios students are expected to logon to the class

site a certain number of days per week. Students also can

contact the instructor via e-mail to ask questions or receive

answers. When assignments are due, students send them to the

instructor online or by email, where they are graded and

returned. Students may also have access to their individual

performance reports by logging in to a website where that

information is posted. Test may also be taken online. Typically,

online classes last five to six weeks.

Although the degree of difficulty is the same for the online

classroom as in a traditional setting, the internet has broken

down many barriers and is providing educational opportunities for

people worldwide that were not previously thought possible.