Education has undergone the changes of time. With each decade
passing by, education experiences a new change. Besides, the arrival of the new
media or the internet has helped revolutionise education massively. The fact
that the arrival of any new media marks a revolutionising effect on education
just like the internet has helped give birth to online education is now
accepted globally. Even the teaching methods have changed as compared to the preaching
concepts adopted during the time of legends like Aristotle and Socrates.
Online learning in the UK
In this age of technology students are becoming more used to
participating in 1-2-1 tutorials, attending webinars, personal dashboards, webcasts
and much more. The change has apparently taken over the globe and people seem
quite happy to accept the revolutionized approach to study. In UK the new academic
discipline has been in existence since quite some time. However this current
educational approach has been started to boost interest amongst most UK
citizens since the year 2011.
In recent years, the UK Government has formed its Online
Learning Task Force which recommends a massive £100 million investment in
online learning with an aim to accomplish the following:
- Helping the nation create its own brand
- Developing stronger and improved resources for online education
- Becoming the leader in the distance learning sphere
(Source: monitor.icef.com/2012/06/8-countries-leading-the-way-in-online-education/)
The funding proposal has come as a response after UK’s
academic system demanded an increase in the costs of education. Surprisingly
the hike has only drifted students from seeking higher education. These days
the government is working out on newer academic trends that will cost much low
yet be effective in imparting knowledge. Seeking a UK university qualification has become much of an ordeal for
students. It has now become a widespread fact that the increase fees have led
to dissatisfaction among students. As
per reports that were published after a study was conducted in the year 2006, 29%
pupils believed that their courses did not offer them the desired value.
A surging number of distance learning courses
With the popularity of distance learning reaching the
pinnacle, universities are finding this new approach a growth area. In recent
times, Higher Education Academy has shown the results of 8 flexible pathfinder
projects financed by the Higher Education Funding Council of England whereby it
was revealed that employers preferred distance education as a route to deliver
career-oriented study.
It has been found that distance learning courses have been
designed to attract working
professionals looking forward to developing skills that will help them play authoritative
roles in different areas such as business, law, banking, finance and even
nursing.
Today, major universities in UK like Oxford, Cambridge and
more are offering a host of online courses which are designed by combining innovative
teaching and learning techniques entailing interaction between tutors and
students. On enrolling into highly rewarding courses students can not only
achieve skills and a highly endorsable degree, they can also experience the
convenience of learning from anywhere, at any point of time and of course at
their own will.
