Abstract
It seems unimaginable in the twenty-first century, even in today’s world, not everyone talented enough can attend tertiary education. There are still obstacles to attend University education, no matter in which part of the world one lives. Barriers for higher education can be geographical, monetary, or societal. Online programs can fill this gap and provide opportunities for people currently deprived of higher education. In developing countries, with proliferation of Internet access across rural areas, online programs can have a target audience so far out of reach of higher education. In industrialized countries, online education may be the choice for people working full-time and/or having childcare duties, which does not allow them to attend on campus studies. In this paper, the author describes based on her personal experience, how online programs can unlock opportunities, allowing coexistence of traditional work/life models with higher education. The online program came with the challenge of self-discipline, required a thoroughly structured week and a good priority management to meet deadlines. But it also came with the flexibility of taking breaks in between modules if the work/life situations required it. The virtual multinational classroom enhanced the experience and provided added value to discussions. With the number of higher education students worldwide projected to double between 2012 and 2025, online programs can target different audiences than traditional Universities. They can fill a gap, providing higher education to people not able to pursue traditional on campus studies. A barrier for online education might be employers' lack of acceptance of online degrees. Also, the risk is that higher education online degrees will be diluted by massive open online courses (MOOCs).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
AAI. (2015). State of education in Africa Report 2015. Available http://www.aaionline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/AAI-SOE-report-2015-final.pdf. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2013). Changing course: Ten years of tracking online education in the United States. Available http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Asunka, S. (2008). Online learning in higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Ghanaian University students’ experiences and perceptions. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 9(3). Available http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ815764.pdf. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Bates, T. (2016, March 23). A national survey of university online and distance learning in Canada. Available http://www.tonybates.ca/2016/03/23/a-national-survey-of-university-online-and-distance-learning-in-canada/. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Cook, D. A. (2007). Web-based learning: Pros, cons and controversies. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians, 7(1), 37–42. Available http://www.tau.ac.il/medicine/cme/pituach/240210/4.pdf Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Coughlan, S. (2016, January 20). India is top target for online universities. BBC News – Business. Available http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35296872. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Dutton, J., Dutton, M., & Perry, J. (2002). How do online students differ from lecture students? Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), 6(1), 1–20. Available http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/sites/default/files/v6n1_dutton_1.pdf Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
EU Business. (2016, December 19). 4 countries that are leading the charge in online education. Available http://www.eubusiness.com/focus/16-12-192/. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
ICEF. (2012, June 28). 8 countries leading the way in online education. Available http://monitor.icef.com/2012/06/8-countries-leading-the-way-in-online-education/. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Maslen, G. (2012). Worldwide student numbers forecast to double by 2025. University World News. Available http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120216105739999. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
University of Oxford. (2015). International trends in higher education 2015. Available https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/International%20Trends%20in%20Higher%20Education%202015.pdf. Accessed 29 Dec 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Haller, T. (2018). Online Program Unlocks Opportunities Which Are Not Possible In Traditional Work Models. In: Khare, A., Hurst, D. (eds) On the Line. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62776-2_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62776-2_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62775-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62776-2
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)