Introduction
Information technology has brought a new wave to our education system. This availability has changed the education system in such a way that people do not have to be physically present in school to learn. The availability of number of online classes and schools has also increased lately and there is an availability of various subjects. The online education programs are popular today and currently serve various sections of the population. As it is fairly new, it still undergoes change in policies and course structures. Importantly, the roles of teachers have also changed as teaching in an actual class is no longer mandatory and online classes are significantly different in communication, interaction and tools.
Summary of the Study
The case study, “Online Education and Organizational Change,” authored by Regina Mitchell examined the perceptions of administrators and faculty on the context of affects incurred by e-learning in suburban and large community collages. The findings of this study were to present the perception of the different groups about this new way of learning in collages (Mitchell, 2009). In this context it would be relevant to mention that LECC is a community college which implemented its first online education in 1998 and at that time it had eighty students and four faculties who had certification of online teaching. It was found that by the end of 2008, that number was increased to 210 online students and there were 11 hybrid courses on offer. It is certain that there has been a shift from traditional way of teaching to this new way of teaching. However, it could be stated that it is difficult for online teaching to be a traditional part of the education system in collages as it requires a wide variety of aspects like as student services, academic departments, academic administration and high involvement of technology
There was a common misconception that online courses actually require more commitment and interaction amongst classmates and the facilitator. It was found that in the early days of distance education there was hardly any change in the context of traditional teaching methods. However, in the new model of online classes more emphasis is given to activities like group –projects, assignments and collaborative discussions among students and faculties. Thus, as a result, it has been found that there is an increased involvement and excelled interaction between students and faculties than before. It indicates that through online classes the students are required to be more responsible. In the context of teaching, it should be remembered that online instructions require trainings and the faculties accountable for online classes are to compete a course of six week training period before becoming eligible to take up the responsibility of the online classes.
Conclusion
There are several advantages of online classes and students like them because they are flexible in nature and widely accessible to students even with bad health. Students who opted for home schooling is now more interested in online classes and it is much more cost effective against traditional learning system and there is equal priority and attention of the authorities on these courses (Fullan, 2001). However, it should be noted that there is also a problem. Wenglisky (2005) indicated that there is a chance of misuse of this technology and thus teachers should be thoroughly trained (Wenglisky 2005).
References
Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change (3rd ed). New York: Teachers College Press.
Mitchell, R.L.G. (2009). Online Education and Organizational Change. NY: Community College Review.
Wenglinsky,H. (2005). Using Technology Wisely. New York: Teachers College Press.