Category: Online Learning

The Rise of Online Colleges

Online education exploded once the Internet became ubiquitous around 1993. As Internet connectivity rose in numbers and connection speeds became faster, online education became a viable platform for students around the world, especially in America where technology leadership took online education to new heights.

Online colleges rose to positions of viability, influence, and legitimacy because many universities poured considerable resources into putting the best educational materials out there for students. Well-known universities such as MIT and Harvard have entire courses and related classwork online for students to pursue learning at their own pace.

Prospective students who want to pursue an online education can go here and get much of the information they need in an easy to comprehend manner which will allow them to make informed decisions.

One reason why online colleges gained a huge following was because many eager students saw that online education gave them flexibility to set their own schedule and not depend on set hours and class schedules offered by traditional university programs.

Now, people from all walks of life—pregnant women, stay at home moms, people with day jobs, and others with disabilities such as sports-related injuries or other serious medical conditions—can pursue their education online.

Online colleges prospered because they offered flexibility and access to all, regardless of their personal or social situation. Online education will likely rise further in terms of student volume as well as number of courses offered as broadband connectivity improves Internet speeds. Additionally, rich multimedia content with audio visual capabilities makes online education a more attractive platform than ever before.

Advantages of Using a Virtual Team

Online collaboration tools such as IMs, email and video conferencing enables workers to team up with anyone globally. In order to gain success, all the virtual team members including the manager need to work in a meticulous way.


Essence of Trust
Three factors such as integrity, communication, and performance are the essence of trust. Using collaboration tools such as emails and Instant Messengers (IMs) the team members are not aware of each other’s intention due to the absence of visual and aural signs. At times, cultural differences may lead to conflicts at some point in time.


Online Collaborative Tools
Without the availability of proper tools, the project gets affected as there is a loss of communication. Not having a visual image of a person can lead to communication gaps. Video conferencing tools help in eliminating misunderstandings, as team members can see others.


Building Trust via Teamwork Training
It’s easy to build trust through effective teamwork training on using online collaboration techniques. Understanding the cultural differences provides a more amicable atmosphere in the virtual team. Those who do not have experience working in a virtual team before will not be familiar with using the most commonly used collaboration software such as instant messengers, video conferencing software etc. Certain people hesitate to learn anything new if they are resistant to change. Letting them know that the management will offer support for enabling them to adapt to anew and virtual work environment. This will help in eliminating any fear that the employees may have.


Advantages of Using a Virtual Team
Using online collaborative tools to build a virtual team is useful. Unlike traditional teams, virtual teams have a huge range of ideas and skills that can be utilized. Building an efficient and successful team consumes time and requires planning, efforts, and money. This ultimately brings good results.

The Ability to Collaborate with Other Students via Online Education

Online collaborative learning efforts were promised to provide everyone with access to the best teachers available. When the concept rolled around, digital learning was still a reasonably new idea, but the implications were far reaching. No longer were students limited to the teachers that populated their school of choice, making selection of a school the ultimate limiting device.

With digital collaboration, the best teachers from each discipline were available to the best and brightest students, who would presumably seek them out. And the system has delivered on the promise. Qualified students are now able to learn from a professor of Harvard rank, while they live in Lincoln, Nebraska, far from the hallowed ivy covered school’s buildings.

It is now possible for the best and brightest to remain in a comfortable and familiar home setting, retaining their own cultural flavor, while collaborating with folks of a similar caliber from across the nation. No longer does coming from an area as remote as Lincoln mean that one’s opportunities are limited to whatever is available in the Midwest. Now, the best minds in physics, for example, can come together and learn about one another’s regional differences as they problem solve. For example, the physicist from South Central Los Angeles and the physicist from Bloomfield, Indiana can now appreciate one another’s cultural nuances while still getting a project completed.

Successful projects and collaborations lead to further unions, and online learning resources such as elearners.com allow talent to reach across the nation. Video chats put your project partner right there in the room with you, so collaborative efforts are more convenient. After this fashion, the best minds quickly learn that remaining at the top of a field of study necessitates remaining amongst the best and brightest in that field. Whether it is in person or via technology, that is no longer relevant. Specific personal traits can also be sought, so the group remains cohesive and highly productive.