Online Education Blog

Distance learning programs have been providing quality learning to complicated schedules for over a decade. People that demand flexibility in their education, such as members of the Armed Forces, performers, and frequent travelers, have been able to enjoy the same accredited education provided on a campus. People that live in remote regions and otherwise would not have access to such a large classroom setting get to experience interaction with their fellow students on online forums. One of the other qualities of distance education that is often overlooked, however, is its integral role in providing schooling to people that are ill, or to people that are avoiding illness in a time of crisis.

When the swine flu was reported as an outbreak, 300 schools were shutdown to prevent students from potentially catching sickness. Supporters of online education pointed out to schools that did not offer learning alternatives that there was an obvious need for educational reform; if schools were prepared to provide a distance learning option to their students, even if only during a critical time like the outbreak of illness, learning would not have to come to an abrupt halt for days, weeks at a time.

One distance learning professor discusses how accessible online teaching credentials are  for traditional campus professors, allowing them to expand their teaching options beyond the classroom when the need demands it. Preparing for outbreaks like swine flu does not take much effort, but can provide an essential fallback plan when a fallback is necessary. Corporations are offering remote working options for their employees; are schools prepared to do the same?

There’s a whole list that goes over why online education is not only convenient for the student, it is safe; but even for students that attend traditional campuses, to have an online option available at all schools could allow education to continue uninterrupted, regardless of if one person is sick, or if sickness is spreading across the country.