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Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education pp 1226–1231Cite as

Online Classes and Sustainability

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Definition

People born after 1990 have never known life without the Internet, and so the Internet is integral to learning as it is to their social lives (Crow 2013). The Internet is now a platform for education through what is popularly called online learning or courses called online courses. Online courses are those in which at least 80% of the course content is delivered online (Allen and Seaman 2013).

Introduction

Before the Internet, how were people getting an education? by enrolling in a college/school/university. The classroom was basically a physical space where there was physical contact between teacher and student. But now, people can sit in a digital classroom and obtain an education. Reports show that online enrollments have increased at rates far in excess of those of overall higher education (Allen and Seaman 2008, 2010, 2013). An important element of online courses is increased access to students – like access to those living in isolated areas or studying later in life....

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

    Glory Ikponmwosa Edwards

Authors
  1. Glory Ikponmwosa Edwards
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Correspondence to Glory Ikponmwosa Edwards .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Section Editor information

  1. Democritus University of Thrace, Thrace, Greece

    Evangelos Manolas

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Edwards, G.I. (2019). Online Classes and Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11352-0_179

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