The Cost Effectiveness of Online Education

1542 Words4 Pages

Many people think online education can be more expensive than a traditional school setting. Previous generations did not have the option for online learning experience, so why should we start now? An interesting point about online education is that LeBaron (2010) states, “The largest school in the U.S. is the University of Phoenix Online, with a whopping 380,232 students. That’s over 5x more than the largest public school, Arizona State University, which has 68,064 students” (para. 7). Despite the cost effectiveness, distance education is becoming the educational model of the future. As the economy has changed in the last ten years so has the schools budgets and they are looking for ways to keep costs down. There is much evidence that distance education can be more cost effective than traditional education. Everyone can save a substantial amount of money by going with an online education because schools would not need facilities and equipment. Schools would also save money by not needing to provide services and programs to students. Students would save by not needing to drive to and from school, buy school supplies, and they can earn a degree in half the time than a traditional school setting. First, with an online education, the traditional school system for grade schools and colleges or universities can save money because there would be no need for facilities and equipment. The University of Florida predicts that there will be several grade schools taking on online learning in the next ten years that mean students will improve academically, and schools can save money (Lansford, 2009). Lawrence (2012) stated, “A recent study out of the University of Texas shows that universities can gain operating savings of as much as 50% by ... ... middle of paper ... ...roski, E. (2012). 10 advantages to taking online classes. Retrieved from http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/10-advantages-to-taking-online-classes/ LaBaron, J. (2010) 10 staggering facts about education in America. Retrieved from http://degreesearch.org/blog/10-staggering-facts-about-education-in-america/ Lansford, L. (2009). Online classes can save schools money; expand learning time for k-12 students. Retrieved from http://news.ufl.edu/2009/05/18/online-learning/ Lawrence, J. (2012). Will online learning help colleges save money? Retrieved from http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/will-online¬-learning-help-colleges-save-money/ Quinton, S. (2013, April). How online education saves everyone money. National Journal, Retrieved from ProQuest Central. Van Beek, M. (2010). Online learning can improve Michigan public education. Retrieved from http://www.mackinac.org/12511

Open Document