Technology is moving ahead so rapidly that for most people it can be hard to keep up with. Most people see this the most with the consumer products they purchase. However, in the world of college and education, technology is also moving ahead very quickly, and is also making a huge difference. It’s changing the way that people get degrees, the work they do along the way, and more, and it’s a very exciting time.
Online learning is certainly the most obvious and major impact of technology on college education. Online programs used to be somewhat of an oddity, and it took awhile for them to get off the ground a bit. But now, they offer rich and full learning environments, and are extremely powerful and capable. They are better than ever, and only will continue to improve.
Some might argue that online programs offer a more complete learning experience than a traditional on campus program if you really wanted to compare them. This is because of all of the technology and tools that you’ll have at your disposal at all times, and the ways that they are all integrated together.
That might seem hard to believe, but take a minute to imagine the possibilities. So you’re in an online program, and you’re sitting down to get some work down. You sign online and you view a full-length video lecture from your professor. While you view the lecture and see what he’s saying, you also bring up his PowerPoint presentation, and follow along with notes and slides as you go.
Now, in the midst of that lecture, you can pause to take time to go back and really dive into a subject you need to understand. Pull up related videos and extra demonstrations, search your classroom discussions for more explanations or helpful material, go to the online version of your textbook and look up a term or read a guide, and more. Then chat with your fellow classmates through Skype or other online video chatting services, and review material and work together.
Work on the same document at the same time with online meeting software, and when you’re done, turn it in with just the click of your mouse. You can schedule a time to chat with your professor during his online office hours, and meet face to face with a video chat. All of this is made possible with technology, and you’d be hard pressed to argue that this isn’t at least on par with traditional programs, if not well ahead of it.
All of this and more is possible thanks to the way technology is being used with online education. But also think about the benefits it provides to you. You don’t have to move to a new location to study from that university, or you don’t have to commute back and forth each day. You can study from your own home or wherever you want, you can create a schedule that fits into your existing life, and you can enjoy a rich, convenient, flexible and powerful learning environment.
Clearly, technology has had a huge impact on college and education, and it’s been a very positive and beneficial impact at that. Just imagining what else might come up in the future is an extremely exciting prospect, and the present is already quite amazing thanks to technology’s role in college.
