Submit, feedback, links, virtual, Internet, community, means, quiz, tasks, resources

Hi Jean,

My online course is brilliant. We use Moodle which is VLE software – that means (1) … learning environment. You get to know the other student well even though the web’s our only (2) … of communication. I really feel I’m part of an online (3) … .

It’s also great as you don’t have to go to the library – all the readings and other (4) … are online and there are (5) … to them in Moodle – just click and you have got them. We work in groups – the teacher sets various collaborative (6) … and then provides (7) … on our work. We have to take a (8) … every week, but it’s just a set assignment. Anyway, it’s really fun.

Ellen.

Task 9. Read the following netiquette rules for effective online communication. Discuss with your partner if you use them. Add your own tips for online communication.

• Reread your message before hitting send.

• Use an appropriate subject header.

• In a mailing list “lurk before you leap”, i.e. observe the conventions others use before joining a discussion yourself.

• Obey the KISS principle (Keep it Short and Simple).

• Don’t flame other posters.

Writing

1. Read the article and say why more people nowadays prefer to study online.

2. Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph.

3. Write a summary for the article. The future of online education

by Tonya Troka

Distance education has been around from the 1800s. Correspondence courses helped people learn trades in their own free time, while radio and taped television courses later educated students in remote areas. Now, with the rapid expansion and evolution of the internet, online education has become commonplace. It’s now possible to earn a degree from an accredited college without ever setting foot on campus, and more people enroll every year. According to the Sloan Consortium’s report “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States,” more than 6.7 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students over the previous year.

Higher education, in general, has grown significantly. In 1975, 21.9% of Americans had a Bachelor’s degree. In 2011, 38.7% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 had earned a two- or four-year college degree. The main driver behind the increase in higher education is the huge change in the overall economy of the U.S. over the last fifty years. Most workers are now employed by the service sector, where more specialized skills are often a necessary requirement for finding a job.

As a result, some post-secondary education is now seen as critical for workplace viability by a majority of the population.

And the majority of the population is now online. In 1997, less than 20% of U.S. households had internet access. By 2011, that percentage had grown to 71.7%. As with music, television, and newspapers, higher education needs to move to where the people are if it wants to expand its user base. Also, traditional campuses are having trouble maintaining facilities that meet the growing college population’s needs. While the cost savings of running an online degree program aren’t tremendous, it’s generally easier for colleges to move programs online than it is for them to build extensions to their campuses.

The Sloan Consortium’s findings reveal that many institutions expect more working adults to turn to continuing education online to build new skills or enhance existing ones to better their chances in the job marketplace, and also to avoid paying higher fuel costs as commuter students. Every year has seen an increase in the proportion of total enrollments that are online, starting at 11.7% in 2003 and increasing to 32% in 2011. The convenience of being able to complete a degree at a reduced impact to personal and professional life makes online education attractive to working adults. As adults strive to continue earning, they’ll want to continue learning. And they’ll continue gravitating to ways that fit their lifestyle.