Group Dynamics Online Education Implications on Students
Introduction
The onset of online education marked the end of an era and the beginning of new one that brought the world together and increased ideological sharing models which are currently shaping the consumerism and lifestyle patterns. Information Technology as economists emphasize, not only brings down the cost of major operations such as communication, but it creates a platform for higher efficiency between individuals and groups. It is from this consideration Holmberg (2005) argues that more people are increasingly turning to online education. However, a major rift on its efficacy appears to tear educationists into two schools with opposing view points based on the main resulting implications. It is from this consideration that this paper evaluates the impacts of online education to students in relation to group dynamics.
A brief Synopsis and Statistics of Online Education
Though online education can be traced back to mid 1980s as computer use intensified, it has largely been related to the onset and intensification of internet in mind1990s. However, during this time, its assimilation was greatly limited due to key uncertainty that dogged the new technology and usual resistance to change. However, onset of the 21st century as Yukiko (2009) explains, provided a sudden change towards online education as its benefits became more evident. By onset of the year 2005, Judith and Kjell (2009) reports that over 3.2 million students in the United States were taking either one or several courses online. While mostly assuming the name distance learning, governments are increasingly establishing different policies to support such initiatives. In Canada, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2008) reports that the government supports Independent Study Option Program (ISO) and The Teachers Mediated Option (TMO) to facilitate faster adoption of the new learning system.
Positive implications
Increased Scope of Operations by Students
According to Carla (2009), the definition of online education is perhaps a much simplified method of learning but applied in a more advanced model of interaction between learners and their teachers. Under the new system, students operations are not restricted to the traditional distance limits in their operations. The development of broadband technology has created a platform for students to interlink from all corners of the world in their learning. For instance, students are able to hold live discussions with their teachers and colleagues at different times with great efficacy. The impacts and roles of different students in their classes are therefore widely spread throughout the nation and therefore creating a room for wider outlook by the students (Holmberg, 2005).
Development of a Common Culture and Objectivity
Unlike it was previously expected, Judith and Kjell (2009) reports that online education has assimilated a special niche for the students as they seek to excel and therefore facilitated their ability to stick together. By the fact that they are far apart, at times even in different states, lack of immediate ties with the ordinary classmates invokes the need for a professionally constructed outlook. Under this consideration as Forsyth (2006) explains, a special and highly effective pattern of communication emerges and becomes the guiding platform towards assimilation of the key objectivity. Online researchers indicate that most online students are usually very prompt towards meeting the demands of the relationships amongst themselves and colleagues and teachers. At times, the intensity of communication is indeed much more compared to the conventional groups (Yukiko, 2009).
Development of a greater sense of identity and responsibility
Online education by its very nature calls for special association between teachers as well as their students at all levels of operations. Developing this form of association as online proponents agree has been centered on the understanding that cooperation is very critical for success to be achieved. As a result, Moore and Greg (2005) explain that all the programs are designed in a cohesive mode where identification and operations as groups is made a key requirement. With this crucial interlink between students and their colleagues being fostered at such an early stage, it fast develops into their main sense of identity. Indeed, in such an environment, achieving the main objective alone becomes almost impossible as programs are designed to incorporate group work. Therefore, with all members contribution being critical towards their own and groups success, Carla (2009) argues that they become more responsible through succinctness in their researches and focused consultations. It is perhaps from this consideration that this mode of learning appears to be very promising and its assimilation being adopted with speed.
Creation of a new setup for students operations
In his view of group dynamics, Kurt Lewin described groups as units that must be able to assimilate the demand for changes at different levels to improve on their operations (Gilman, Furlong and Scott, 2009). Online education under this consideration therefore presents the students with a highly dynamic scenario based on the notion of continuous improvement. Particularly, the learning setup of a group is seen to be more exciting and harmonic with peoples lifestyles. Though this modernistic setup has created a new debate of the effectiveness posted by online learning, Judith and Kjell (2009) argue that many students are able to make their contributions within their localized setting. Through the new setup, educationists have indicated that online education has created a niche that facilitates easier entrenchment of their local orientation towards the main objectivity of their education. As Yukiko (2009) points out, most students easily contributes maximally in the environment they are used to.
Negative Implications
Though online education has been cited to have key advantages to students, the overall objectivity of the system has been cited to have key negative implications. To begin with, there is poor control for the different groups and their operations. Unlike the conventional method where groups choose their leaders who can physically remind them on their responsibilities in their groups, the same consideration is indeed very hard to implement. Judith and Kjell (2009) explain that group leaders can only coordinate the activities of the group through online communication. However, this becomes very hard because the most of the students are based on their local setting. In addition, Judith and Kjell (2009) argue that it is even made harder for students operating from different time zones.
As Carla (2009) explains, online education has increasingly reduced the overall efficiency that can be assimilated by any group. As indicated earlier, students are spatial temporary separated from each other and therefore making it very hard to establish similar norms and values for their systems. As educationists generally agree, the differing environments like time zones present key disturbances to the group members (Moore and Greg, 2005). In groups operations, when students are subjected to different conditions, they may not be able to meet the expected high standards of a system.
One of the most important aspects of groups and their operations is their inherent dynamism. Notably, online group operations have a highly reduced ability to operate freely and the established members have to remain until the end of the course. In ordinary cases, groups and group operations are highly flexible in that members are close and can therefore easily address cases of misconduct in their group. However, Yukiko (2009) explains that this flexibility is absent as less hardworking and less committed group members are hard to identify which ultimately results to reducing the overall ability of the group to achieve higher grades.
According to Judith and Kjell (2009), online education results to poor motivation and relationship between students and their teachers. Notably, unlike in conventional learning where teachers are able to address various issues and provide further direct motivation, the same consideration is highly delimited in online education. Moore and Greg (2005) explain that the cooperation by students and their teachers appears to only be driven by their immediate objective. Consequently, there is lack of the direct motivation that students gather in ordinary groups where they invite teachers to give further motivation. This limitation is taken a step higher in that students at different regional settings may have variant obstructions that ultimately reduce their contribution.
Conclusion
It is from the above discussion that this paper concludes by supporting the thesis statement, the onset of online education marked the end of an era and the beginning of new one that brought the world together and increased ideological sharing models which are currently shaping the consumerism and lifestyle patterns. Online education came out as an important step that is increasingly being assimilated to reflect modernistic trends in the society. Through its expansive application, students shifting are able to operate in groups not delimited by administrative boundaries. However, it is critical that the sharp negative implications resulting its application and that reduces the overall efficacy are addressed to further improve the efficiency.
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