Traditional Institution Essay Example for Free

Traditional Institution Essay Education has evolved tremendously over the past centuries. With its history deeply rooted in the need for one to gain as much knowledge and insight into everything that surrounds and interests him, we can say that there is no person on this planet who does not want to have a solid educational foundation. Unfortunately, life is not easy and survival is a priority for most people. This is why when the choice boils down to work or completing an education, work usually wins out. But, with the advent of the internet and along with it, the emergence of high quality distance education, one no longer has to make the difficult choice between work and studies. Now, everybody has the option to do both. Such an opportunity did not exist during the era when attending traditional educational institutions was the only acceptable method of earning a college degree. To begin with, distance education proves to be the less stressful alternative to attending a regular university. Due to the fact that distance learning institutions are available online, a student can access his classes at his most convenient time during the week. I can personally attest to the way my student needs have been very well served by distance education. For instance, it has removed the hassles that I experienced while attending a traditional institution. I no longer have to leave work as early as possible, drive through traffic, find a parking spot, and then run to class before the final bell rings. Now, all I have to do is drive home after my designated work hours, have a good meal, rest and relax, before finally turning on my computer and logging into my open schedule classes. Indeed, distance education has changed the way I view the completion of a college education. These days, when I hear or meet someone who has not managed to complete his degree because of â€Å"work† or â€Å"family† related reasons, I immediately point out to the person that if he really wants to, there is no reason for him to not complete his degree. I believe that is precisely because of those flimsy excuses that distance education was invented and made to be so convenient for anybody to attend. Distance education has also allowed me to access a finite amount of information regarding my lessons because of the readily available internet access during class hours. I find that because of the vast array of knowledge and information available to me with just a few taps of my fingertips, I am able to ask proper and pertinent questions of my lecturer. I also have the benefit of being able to present my own findings during class discussions that help provide for a wider range of discussion between the online student and the lecturer. In a traditional institution, such would not be possible because the discussion will be limited to the textbooks provided for use in the class. In contrast to a traditional institution, distance education allows me to expand my horizons beyond the classroom setting. I have had people trying to convince me that distance education learning is not a conducive way to study because a distance education student is on his own during class. They believe it removes the social interactivity that is always present when attending regular classes at a regular school. As this is the very activity that makes school fun for most people, I am often asked if I do not miss having classmates to talk to and hang out with before and after class. Do I not look for people to compare notes and exam results with? Indeed, these are experiences that make traditional education unique. But these days, people have to mix education and work more than half the time. It is a very delicate balance that has to be achieved by simply concentrating on the most important aspect of education, that is learning. From personal experience, I find that I learn more from the distance education process because I am free from the typical classroom distractions such as classmates who insist on chatting while the class is ongoing, the rude interruptions caused by the entrance of a classmate who is late for class, or the noise from the hallway that seeps in when the door to the classroom is accidentally left open. I am able to concentrate on my task of learning more through distance education because the only worry I have is if there is a blackout in my area and my laptop battery does not hold out until the online class ends. As for interaction between the teacher and the student, I find that I do not need to be in the physical presence of my classmates or teacher in order to learn. Distance classes work the same way as regular classes and, in the event that the professor requires an oral interaction with the students, we simply turn on our web cams and plug in the microphone and viola! We have a simile of physical classroom interaction. Due to the aforementioned reasons, I am of the firm belief that distance education makes more practical sense than that of attending a traditional educational institution. Technology of the 21st century has eliminated the need for people like me, who do not have much time to spend during the day attending classes, to attend a regular school. I can get the very same, if not even more advanced education through distance education. I have come to the realization that distance education is the best, stress free way of completing a college degree. Now, I am able to learn at my own pace and without spending too much on the incidental fees such as transportation and student fees that makes attending a traditional educational institution so expensive. I used to think that there was no way I would be able to complete my college education because I have a family to maintain and a job to keep, distance education offered me an opportunity to achieve my dream of completing my education without sacrificing my family or my job. At the end of everything, I see no reason to choose a traditional educational institution just because it allows for interaction between teachers and students. If that is the only reason to choose a traditional educational institution over distance education, I say that tradition has a lot of catching up to do with regards to the educational needs of the modern man. Prewriting Main Points: 1. Distance education is less stressful for the student because of the open schedule 2. Distance education allows undergraduates and high school graduates to complete a college education without having to quit their regular jobs. 3. Allows for more freedom in the learning process. 4. It gets boring and lonely to attend distance education classes.