Colleges and Universities Offering of Online Degrees

Technological Advancements in Education

Technological advancements in the Internet have revolutionized the way things are done in the modern world. From banking, shopping, authorities services to education, online digital platforms are the modern-day trends as opposed to traditionally guide approaches. Comparing to the conventional educational systems, the sector is certainly one that has been most impacted by the online wave. Many colleges and establishments of higher learning have embraced the concept of on-line courses, which allows students to pursue education from any section of the world at their convenience and comfort, provided they have access to an web enabled computer or device. The concept has been hailed by many as a revolutionary approach that has brought education and learning closer to millions of people, who would otherwise, have been locked out by the requirement to be physically present in conventional classrooms. However, critics argue that offering online degrees has eroded the quality of education and its outcomes therein. Concerns have been raised over the ability of online degree holders to meet the requirements of the job markets. While some courses can partially be pursued online, offering entire degree programs online may not achieve the required educational and training outcomes. This essay will argue against offering entire degree programs online by reviewing the shortcomings that could emanate for the practice.

Lack of Practical Skills

Even though offering online degrees has numerous advantages, some skills cannot be affectively acquired remotely. Some courses require hands on skills that can only be attained through practical experiences. For instance, technical courses such as engineering and medical courses demand students to carry out practical activities during course work and examinations (Arkorful and Abaidoo 35). This equips learners with the necessary skills required to achieve certification. Examiners and tutors offer guidance and can effectively tell if skill and training needs have been achieved to the recommended levels. Considering this, offering such online degrees means that students would only learn skills theoretically with no practical approaches. This does not only render them as under-qualified, but may also result in challenges in the job market. The need to physically have students in campuses is not only important for technical degrees. This applies to other courses as well. The contact with tutors allows them to evaluate students based on what they can see and know about individual students. The same cannot be said about full online degrees. Even though there are mechanisms of evaluating student achievements, the degree of certainty by tutors and examiners is significantly jeopardized by the physical absence of the student. Given that some recruiters and employers have raised red flags over the quality of graduates who have done partial online courses, offering full online degrees programs would only worsen the situation.

Limitations in Interpersonal Skills and Ethical Competence

The aim of education should not be solely to achieve academic excellence, but to produce all round graduates with effective communication skills, interpersonal skills, and ethical competence among other important traits (Carr). However, this is significantly jeopardized by online degrees. Interaction between tutors and others students is limited. While students may acquire excellent academic qualifications, they may lack other important skills that are pivotal in real life. For instance, such students may lack interpersonal skills required when negotiation for an employment opportunity. Interpersonal skills gained through contact with fellow students in different courses also equip students with interaction skills, and provides opportunities for personal growth (Ni 201). Offering online degrees entirely eliminates this critical interaction platform and prevents students from learning from each other. Most on-campus programs have integrated programs that require students to work to together in their coursework. In this regard, full online degrees deny students this important opportunity, which not only enhances academic skills but teamwork and collaboration skills as well. Ethical conduct is also jeopardized due to high instances of cheating and plagiarism associated with e-learning (Ni 202). Even with mechanism to minimize the incidences of cheating and unethical academic conduct, offering online degrees requires high levels of self discipline in order to avoid these negative aspects.

Disadvantages of Full Online Degrees

Online learning has evolved from a mere educational support platform to fully offering online degrees without attending on campus sessions. Proponents of the approach argue that the world is advancing towards the online direction in almost every aspect and education should not be left behind. Offering full online degree courses has some perceived advantages as well. For instance, it reduces the costs of acquiring degrees, gives learners the opportunity to learn at their convenience, and allows millions of students to acquire degrees while working or carrying out other life activities. Some proponents also argue that offering online degrees gives students an opportunity to study at any institution of choice regardless of their physical locations. While these benefits may be true, the disadvantages of offering fully online degrees are clear and cannot be ignored. Quality, competence, ethics and interpersonal skills which are critical after graduating are all jeopardized by the practice. These important elements should not be compromised for the sake of convenience which is advocated for by proponents of full online degrees.

Works cited

Arkorful, Valentina, and Nelly Abaidoo. "The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in higher education." International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning 12.1 (2015): 29-42.

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" 2008. The Atlantic Daily​. 3 December 2017 <https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/>.

Ni, Anna Ya. "Comparing the effectiveness of classroom and online learning: Teaching research methods." Journal of Public Affairs Education (2013): 199-215.

Riedel, Chris. "10 Major Technology Trends in Education." 2014. The Journal. 3 December 2017 <https://thejournal.com/Articles/2014/02/03/10-Major-Technology-Trends-in-Education.aspx?Page=1>.