For Higher Learning, online courses are a more beneficial option than universities

I will begin by going over my opponent’s cases, and then move on to the rebuttals towards my cases. C1. The College ExperienceCollege relationships are a small stepping-stone towards developing interaction in the workplace. After all, we go to school to prepare us for our careers, right? Well, experience in the workplace is more integral to career building than experience in a boarding setting. Online courses promote educating oneself and building work experience at the same time. Many companies operate on their own personal motto's and expectancies tailored to the advancement in that field. Interaction with employees is usually structured around some sort of managerial concept. Balancing competition with camaraderie is a skill that can be practiced in many job atmospheres. College side-jobs are usually laid-back and don’t have much to do with ones career of choice, due to universities being the full-time responsibility, therefore not preparing the student towards expectancies of companies in a given field. C2. The Classroom ExperienceOnline classrooms have their own unique experience that many respond well to. The National Survey of Student Engagement, surveying freshman and senior college students across the country in 2008, shows that online students were more likely than in-class students to: Participate in course activities that challenged them intellectually Participate in discussions that enhanced of different cultures Discuss important topics within their major Have more deep approaches to learning in their coursework [1]C3. Greater interaction with professors. Professors of online courses often require the same credentials as universities. Therefore, interaction with online professors can be just as engaging, albeit different, as universities. There are online counselors and advisers to help the students as well. Online teaching can be done through chat room and emails. Because of this, communication is more detailed to compensate for the lack of bodily clues. A student can read through the course material and take time to think about what questions they need to ask the teacher. Because of this, teaching can be more personal, as the professor has the time to respond to each persons inquiries, rather than being limited to discussing only that which will fit in the time crunch of a typical class. Because everything is done on the computer, a student can go back and re-read the course as much as it takes to sink in. No need for quick note taking which might miss key points. Professors are still available to give references, letters of recommendation, and life advice to the students. P1. CostFinancial aid will work with any accredited college. This includes online college courses. [2] The competition of online colleges are driving the prices further and further down. Lamar University is offering education for just $ 413 a course. [3] For an average 121 credit degree, at 3 credits a course, this is a total of just $ 16,644. This price is already much cheaper than the average public University degree. But this is just the tip of the iceberg! The actual cost of college spans far beyond that of a tuition fee. Room & board, campus fees, books, gas, and a plethora of small-scale costs attribute to a person’s education expenses. Many of these can be eliminated with online courses. Many students opt for room and board. The price varies according to college and plan, but can usually cost over $ 5,000 per semester for in-state students and more for out-of-state students. Even if a student opts for off-campus living, finding a place near the campus can cost just as much if not more when utilities are added. On-Campus living or not, gas is still an issue. Gas prices are at a critical high, and transporting to and fro can be taxing on the wallet. Even for someone living on campus, prices of traveling back to home can be costly. Meanwhile, online courses have no extra living expenses. You can access your class from home or anywhere that you can access a computer. P2. Time EfficiencyTaking classes part time at an actual institution can be very stressful. A person would have to take their school supplies with them to work, and then transport from work to school before going home. Online courses can be taken anywhere; such as at home after work by the persons convenience. Because of this convenience, online courses are said to be on average completed faster than their in-time counterparts. Accelerated online courses are available which make the class even than much more time efficient. The credits and criteria remain the same, while the course is completed 5 to 9 weeks quicker. [4] Condensed classes mean a quicker degree. Many online colleges offer accelerated courses. P3. Option AdvantageI agree that it is not common for students to pile on classes due to the stress load, but that was beside the point. Universities are paid by semester so slow-pacing as you go along is not an option. An undecided major can take more effort and money to accommodate in a university. P4. ExperienceI’ve already discussed work experience in this post, but would like to add another statement pertaining to online courses and experience. Actually, with online courses, work experience can give you credits. An “experiential learning portfolio” can be written to apply credits from past experiences, provided that you show that the experience taught you the particular courses objective. This option is not available through regular universities. I would like to add one more case about overall convenience. I have touched on this briefly here and there, but it is worth expressing once again. Online courses give the ability to educate yourself from anywhere. You can take a class in your pajamas in bed. You can browse through as many universities as you want without having to travel to them. You can do your work anywhere that has a computer. You can even go to class while taking a vacation! Your education does not have to be put on hold. Everything is done on your own time. No rushing, no missed ideas. Convenience is the key. I will leave you with one last tidbit about education of the future. Online education is education of the future. Because of internet access, there are universities opening up for free! University of The People is an online school that has certain bachelors and associates degree programs without a tuition cost. The only cost is a one-time $10 admission fee. This school is not yet accredited, but is in the process of becoming accredited. [5] Many other online colleges offer their courses for free with no added degree. With enough advancements like these, education is becoming more readily available. The world can become a place where being educated is not looked down upon by the masses, but accepted as standard. Sources:1. . http://nsse.iub.edu...2. . http://www.educationconnection.com...3. . http://www.usnews.com...4. . http://www.onlinecollege.org...5. . http://www.uopeople.org...