Online Education vs. Traditional Education (Essay Sample)

Online Education vs. Traditional Education
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Online Education vs. Traditional Education
Is An Online Education Just As Legitimate As A Traditional Education? Why Or Why Not?
Online education is one of the most common modes of acquiring knowledge and proper academic credentials that can propel an individual to success (Redpath, 2012). The rise of online education has elicited concerns among educationists about its legitimacy vis-à-vis that of traditional education. This essay compares online education with traditional education in order to determine whether online education is legitimate. Legitimacy refers to the legality of the institutions of learning, accreditation, and the quality of their education.
Traditional education has been in existence since the beginning of formal education and has been able to gain trust of the public as the most viable form of learning. It is easier for education authorities and the public to monitor, access, and control the learning environment in traditional schools. This makes it easy to regulate the quality of education and maintain high standards through accreditation of learning institutions. Proper regulatory frameworks help to ensure that traditional brick and mortar institutions provide the best education (Redpath, 2012).
The first concern about legitimacy of online education is accreditation. This is the official recognition or endorsement of learning institutions. While most of the traditional schools are accredited, there is concern about accreditation of online schools. However, the truth is that online education is also accredited (Gibson, Harris, & Colaric, 2008). Some of the best online education comes from traditional brick and mortar institutions as part of their distance learning programs. These institutions have accreditation to offer online courses concurrently with their traditional courses. The question of legality of academic certificates from online course offered in these schools, therefore, does not arise. While there are many other schools offering online education, prospective students have to conduct prior research to determine accreditation of the institutions before admission or enrollment. The same procedure also applies to traditional schools.
The other concern about legitimacy is the quality of education. There is very little difference between the quality of online education and traditional education. This is because both have the same requirements, use the same course materials, and rely on highly qualified professional teachers and professors. Requirements in an online faculty are similar to those in traditional resident faculty. In some cases, the same tutors and professors in traditional schools may be called upon to moderate online course in their institutions. In fact, online students have more time to access more information on the internet during their classes and discussion forums. This makes the quality of online education even better.
Another legitimacy concern about online education is the value of online certificates. More employers are becoming open to accepting certificates from online schools because of the high quality of online education. Contemporary lifestyles have made individuals busier than before making it difficult for most people to attend classes in traditional schools. Online education provides flexibility and affordability for many students (Moore & Bourne, 2005). Many people in the society, therefore, continue to attach greater value on online education than traditional education.
In conclusion, online education is legitimate. Online education continues to grow and ex...