There is a lot to be said for a good college education, however actually going to college can have its pitfalls. Students must compete for accommodation, get on with their peers, take care of their basic needs (often for the first time in their life), make friends, and on top of that, master complex and sometimes lofty academic ideas. Why is society still putting students through this ordeal when they can get their degrees online?
Picture the situation, a student gets good grades and secures a place on a course in a college they hopefully like. But do they really like the course they accepted? Sometimes students don’t get their first choice and go through a list of different courses before they get accepted. This seems to promote the idea that academic vocations are fleeting things or impermanent.
How many students are doing a course that wasn’t their first choice? or have given up on that dream course they truly desired? If a student truly wants to engage with a subject or has an actual vocation, they should consider doing their courses exclusively online. This would give them the freedom to pursue academic interests and not exhaust themselves trying to cope with the incessant demands of going to college daily. They should not have to settle for second best or do a course just because that’s the best offer, they got. If a student believes they have an academic vocation they should pursue it.
When the student arrives at college, they must get accommodation and sometimes live with people they do not like. How is living with unpleasant strangers supposed to develop social skills? Of course, some students go to college in their own city. They may be staying with friends from secondary school. But, if their social group is limited to their High School circle, are they developing new social skills? Will they even socialize with anyone outside that circle of friends?
When doing online courses, the student would have access to their classmates, tutors and people who are interested in the subject. They would have to engage with other students on an intellectual level, and possibly learn about other cultural ideas. They would not have to get up at ridiculous hours to commute, and may have time to reflect on their studies, or even themselves. They would have their home comforts and more importantly, their assignments would be completed. Online there is no forgetting deadlines or getting distracted as everything is on the screen before them.
In an online learning community, students can be themselves. Shy students who would find the ideas of speaking or asking questions in a large lecture theatre or even in a tutorial group can find their voice in an online community. It creates a safe space for students to participate in education. This can lead to confidence in the real world too.
Of course, going to college can be a great experience for many people. Some students have the capacity to embrace college life and reap the benefits. Traditional college offers the rewards of meeting other people, being opened to different cultures and beliefs and at the same time engaging successfully with academia. However, this is not the reality of a lot of students. They struggle with finances, poor accommodation, unpleasant flat mates, and a poor quality of life. A lot of people go to college expecting it to be an idyllic scene like movies with a collegiate background, ‘Circle of Friends’ for example. But this can be far from reality, this reality shift can be quite shocking to some. Students would be far better off doing their studies exclusively online and engaging with college in a pure academic environment online, that way students can successfully go to college without ‘going to’ college.
Links: https://linktr.ee/dr.johnjennings