Older students dread returning to college or other types of education, simply because they are older. Sure, they can learn as well as anyone else in that class and they paid the same tuition. They may even have had the same dreams that the other students have had at one time or another in their lifetimes. But, for many older students it is a shock to look around the room and see all of the fresh-faced youths around them. It may be impossible for them not to feel that they just somehow do not belong there. In an online education, the older student can feel just as welcome as anyone else because distance learning can be the great equalizer.
An online education ends the designation of not only age, but gender, religion, race and other factors that can color a classroom-based education. In many of the distance learning situations, your interactions with other students will be limited and you will base responses on their answers to questions posed by the instructor, not on any of their personal attributes or other identifiers.
In the online education, the older student can put aside the apprehensions and fears of returning to school after a long absence and focus on the main purpose for being there: their education. In a classroom-based setting, surrounded by other people, it is hard to ignore the social aspects which can prove to be awkward especially if you are the lone senior in the room. As the younger students form giggling cliques and race off for lunches and other classes, it is hard not to feel out of place. The online system effectively eliminates this.
Older students do well in an online education setting for other reasons as well. They are usually more focused on their success and will work hard to attain their goals. They tend to be more driven not only to get a degree but to get the job afterward. It is not just a sense of purpose that drives the older student, but a sense of family obligation as well. The older student is also more focused because it is typically themselves who are responsible for paying for their education. It is easier to fool around in a class and fail when it is your parents that are paying the bill and much more difficult to do when you realize that you are only cheating yourself.
Finally, older students do well because they have better time management skills. A younger student may blow off homework thinking that they will have plenty of time "tomorrow" but the next day will dawn with perfect beach weather and off they will go. When it is time to turn in their assignment, they will panic and turn in something they hurriedly cobbled together. The older student will smugly have turned theirs in, days before!
By Carey Dover
An online education ends the designation of not only age, but gender, religion, race and other factors that can color a classroom-based education. In many of the distance learning situations, your interactions with other students will be limited and you will base responses on their answers to questions posed by the instructor, not on any of their personal attributes or other identifiers.
In the online education, the older student can put aside the apprehensions and fears of returning to school after a long absence and focus on the main purpose for being there: their education. In a classroom-based setting, surrounded by other people, it is hard to ignore the social aspects which can prove to be awkward especially if you are the lone senior in the room. As the younger students form giggling cliques and race off for lunches and other classes, it is hard not to feel out of place. The online system effectively eliminates this.
Older students do well in an online education setting for other reasons as well. They are usually more focused on their success and will work hard to attain their goals. They tend to be more driven not only to get a degree but to get the job afterward. It is not just a sense of purpose that drives the older student, but a sense of family obligation as well. The older student is also more focused because it is typically themselves who are responsible for paying for their education. It is easier to fool around in a class and fail when it is your parents that are paying the bill and much more difficult to do when you realize that you are only cheating yourself.
Finally, older students do well because they have better time management skills. A younger student may blow off homework thinking that they will have plenty of time "tomorrow" but the next day will dawn with perfect beach weather and off they will go. When it is time to turn in their assignment, they will panic and turn in something they hurriedly cobbled together. The older student will smugly have turned theirs in, days before!
By Carey Dover
Post a Comment