What do UEL Students think about the Future of University Education Assignment

What do UEL Students think about the Future of University Education and Why - Assignment Example Because of the many concepts identified through research the study could not develop a workable hypothesis based on initial findings, the study took an inductive approach whereby the literature review was used to model questions for use in the primary study (Price 2011). The aim of the study based on the findings in the initial review of literature was to develop new models or explanations and understandings about the future of education through the lens of university students; an exploratory research approach. Initial research studies identified many different arguments about the future of education, including structural changes to the classroom, distance learning through e-systems, increasing tuition costs and even more interactive tools and instruments based on changing curriculum in-line with business evolution. The most common theme identified was the presence of e-learning as a foundation for the future of university education. Because of the enormous volume of literature on th e subject, e-learning became the focus of this primary study. Literature review E-learning is the use of various electronic applications and systems to promote educational learning. These include â€Å"web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom development and digital collaborations† all delivered through Internet, satellite television, CD-ROM and intranet systems. (Manochehr 2004: 10). According to a recent report published by the Sloan Foundation, e-learning systems have achieved a 12-14 percent growth rate since 2006 (Mihai, Sanciu and Aleca 2011). In the United States alone, as one example, there are currently 3.5 million students using online education systems within higher education environments (Mihai, et al.). It is forecasted that e-learning will, by 2014, be in 81 percent of global universities (Mihai, et al.). Another recent study with a sample population of 289 respondents, 189 of which were from higher education environments and 100 from corpo rations, identified current usage of electronic learning. In the study, 44 percent of respondents used blogs to teach, 53 percent video podcasts, 71 percent online courses, 56 percent social networks, 66 percent text messaging and 49 percent mobile broadband (The Economist 2008). What significantly supports the notion that e-learning could represent the future of university education is that this study consisted of respondents from Europe, The United States, Asia and other international countries (The Economist). There is significant growth in usership of e-learning systems both in universities and the business environment. According to Clark (1999) students who use distance learning via the Internet have similar performance levels to that of students taught in the physical university environment. The researcher conducted a study of student performances from 1928 to 1999 after cataloguing 355 different research reports during this 69 year period and discovered equal achievement with both types of learning (Clark). High achievement in distance learning via the Internet continues to make this teaching system an incentive for universities around the globe. Further, there is also significant growth rate in the use of social networking and video sharing sites on the Internet. According to the Copyright Clearance Center (2009), there were 12.7 billion Internet users that viewed videos in 2008, an increase of 34 percent from 2007. Video sites allow the instructor to post their lectures online at a low cost, thus providing education for users not only in Europe but around the globe. Sanborn, Santos,