Monthly Archives: December 2017

The Importance of Education

It might seem like a no-brainer that education prepares individuals to be integrated into society as a contributing member and society give much stock to education, believing those who have gone through it to be more refined or civilized. One’s accomplishments are a distinction between classes; a farmer’s boy very rarely has the insights of a well-traveled and knowledgeable mind.

However, there are also certain things to consider aside from seeming well bred. Education is passing on necessary knowledge, from simply surviving to absolutely thriving. There are pockets of civilization scattered in undeveloped areas who do not understand even the importance of hygiene, leading to many health problems. According to UNICEF, “nearly five children die every hour due to poor hygiene conditions” in Tanzania alone.

This is why many organizations flock to third world countries in an attempt to impart knowledge to the natives of the land. It is an effort not only to give those who are less privileged a chance at a more comfortable life, it is also important on a global scale.

The mentality that we should not care about what happens elsewhere is a fool’s errand; the world is connected and ‘elsewhere’ is part of the same planet. Overpopulation, pollution, and by-products of an underdeveloped country affect the entire ecosystem.

During industrial times, smog and soot caused many to perish in London. However, thanks to the emerging technologies that used cleaner energies, the crisis was rectified. While pollution is still an on-going problem, scientists and innovators are hard at work in an attempt to reduce greenhouse emissions through environmentally friendly motor vehicles.

This is why it is important that stellar education reaches every corner of the world. Rather than sending the least proficient or skilled teachers, what these struggling societies need is the best to catch up with the rest. It is rather futile to combat one problem when just across the ocean; new developments are arising with the same problems that we faced in the past. As the proverb goes: a wise man learns from his mistakes, but an even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others. It is our responsibility not to allow the errors of history to be repeated.

On the flip side, education nowadays has become much segregated, but widely available thanks to technology. It has enabled volunteers to take a flight to underprivileged areas and educating the people in regards to staying clean, filtering water and even farming.

The internet has become a more effective teacher in developed countries. One of the problems in education is associated with an excessive amount of homework, leading students often seeking help outside their educational establishments from an assignment expert. Cyberspace has changed the landscape of achieving information and every user is limited only by their imagination, interest, and dedication.

It allows individuals to shape new perspectives and learning how to make informed and intellectual opinions. The world would not be so diluted with information if that was not the case and education also allows for people to weed out what is misinformation or blatant lies. Remedying ignorance with credible information is the only way for human growth as a whole.

Why E-learning is Becoming Increasingly Popular

Online learning (or e-learning) has now become a popular way of learning a wide range of disciplines. Online courses are available to anyone with adequate access to the Internet and the right motivation to follow their passions. The rise in the popularity of online course solutions cannot be explained without concluding that they actually provide advantages and values that traditional learning institutions do not provide. The benefits of online learning can be summarized into the three following findings:   

Students learn more

According to a study from IBM, students that pursue online courses learn five times more materials than students who follow traditional methods of face-to-face learning. A major advantage of the online learning is that students can determine the learning pace by themselves. Overall, students studying online are more motivated to work through the stages of an online course than they are in other classical forms of learning. The higher degree of freedom enabled by online education means that students can progress more rapidly in the stages covering the areas they feel most comfortable with while they can choose to pause more in other online chapters that require a more in-depth learning.     

It requires a low time investment

The substantial time the traditional face-to-face courses require has turned them into unwise solutions when compared with online courses. In the later learning solutions, students do not have to wait for other students to physically arrive at a certain point in order for them to start the learning process. Also, there is no need to travel in and around the town in order to be present for certain classes or to meet with class tutors. A report from Brandon Hall that considered online learning within companies concluded that this form of learning required about 40-60 percent less employee time than its traditional counterpart. Online courses are more time efficient also during the stages of material learning. Managing the required time to master the materials offered by the course is easier online than it is in a classroom setting since the decision on when to study rests in the hands of the students.

High retention rates

Traditional course providers have significant difficulties in retaining students throughout the entire length of the course. This has not been an issue with online learning. In fact, according to a finding from the Research Institute of America (as reported by Forbes), online courses have increased student retention rates by 25 to 60 percent. This is remarkable when compared with the retention rates of only 8 to 10 percent reported in offline learning or training. The reasons for high rates of retention in e-learning can be explained by the less cases of classes clashing with other engagements and more control on how students choose to study the selected materials.

Quality over quantity

Despite the previously mentioned benefits, online courses have still a lot to improve in terms of quality and human capital gains. Furthermore, the e-learning market is so plentiful with online courses offering that it makes it very competitive. The only way for online courses to remain attractive is to differentiate themselves from other offerings. In addition, online courses such as online certified scrum product owner training are opening up new and disruptive e-learning opportunities. Software giants such as IBM are also revolutionizing the field with courses such as IBM’s Big Data University. Yet, it is up to the aspiring students to decide on their own way of learning.