Open education: what it has and what it is .. and what benefit from it as a university student
With the increasing burden of life and the quest for sufficient money to secure a decent life, the demand for education has increased considerably as the best way to secure it. The need to find alternatives to relieve pressure on universities and regular institutions, including the open education system, has emerged.
This has created a crisis for business owners who are always looking for excellent employees who are able to do the best job. They look at the quality of education more than the certificate itself, which has cast a heavy shadow on the graduates of open education to add to the wrong practices of some owners The decision towards this pattern and its students.
What is open education? What are its negative aspects? What are the problems of his students? This is what we will try to explain in this article.
What is open education?
There are many concepts of open education, all of which are all in one concept that combines them, and we will remember from those definitions:
Is a learning method that aims at acquiring knowledge by relying on educational sources, technologies and online gatherings to allow students to identify their own cultural identity.
Is a way of creating and facilitating access to learning and making it accessible to everyone, using special tools and resources, to promote knowledge sharing among the public.
This definition includes three dimensions:
First: open education deals with equal opportunities to receive high quality educational contexts without any form of institutional obstacles or financial requirements.
Second: Open education relates to factors related to distance learning.
Third: Open education encourages the idea of a new learning environment based on the learner and emerging from the traditional patterns of collective education.
Open Learning Features
Admission requirements are lower than other education styles
Most universities and institutes in the open education system do not impose any special conditions or qualifications that allow students to enroll in their programs regardless of their cultural background or practical experience. In addition, many universities develop their potential to receive international students and even those with special needs
Select the student's time schedule for the study
Open education is available to allow the student to learn at the appropriate time, where classes do not require attendance at the university and sit with teachers in one room, but may simply follow up online and conduct projects and submit examinations without attending the university. This is not all. It is important to distinguish this educational system not to set a date for the completion of the study and leave the door open to the student to end it in a way that suits him.
You do not need with open education a lot of mobility
With open education, students do not have to leave their home or workplace to attend lectures and follow the educational program. This means that they can register at a university located in another country without the need to go daily and travel permanently, but in such a case they must make sure that the program they choose is not Includes lessons at the university as well as lessons on the Internet because then he will be forced to travel whatever distance.
Free to choose the program that the student wishes
In an open education system, the student has many options that make him free and unrestricted by a specific field or specialty. But can study the specialization that feels that it meets his ambitions and desires and that he will achieve the success he wants.
The Pros of Open Education
Secure learning opportunities for different segments of society permanently.
Remove the learner from the limitations of traditional education and give him the freedom to study in the manner he deems fit.
Increase the experience and knowledge of employees in the workplace, especially with the increasing desire of employers to keep up with the latest developments in their field of work.
Providing educational means that are accessible to all in the simplest and most modern ways.
To contribute to reducing the burden of traditional educational institutions in terms of their ability to absorb the increasing numbers of students.
Provide learning opportunities without having to leave the workplace.
Dissemination of knowledge among people, especially those who did not qualify for admission to traditional educational institutions.
The disadvantages of open education
What distinguishes open education is that it may vary from one country to another, so there are many problems and obstacles that are taken on it, it is difficult to limit the disadvantages of accuracy, but we will try to mention some of them in general:
The most important doubts that open education students have before others are the lack of recognition of their testimony, especially when compared to similar traditional education.
Many consider that open education curricula do not amount to those in traditional education and this will reflect on the degree of confidence in graduates and their qualifications for work.
There is no specific approach to open education programs.
Open education provides opportunities for university learning in limited areas and less than traditional education, while lacking in practical and practical aspects.
Lack of technology infrastructure required by this type of learning.
Some universities do not allow graduates of open education to register for postgraduate studies and this is considered by some as a weak point that negatively affects the efficiency of graduates and equality with graduates of the traditional education system.
Open education lacks methods and teaching methods that foster interaction between teacher and learner.
Some consider low acceptance rates to be a negative aspect of open education.
Open education in some Arab countries suffers from a number of problems, such as the absence of a private building and the cost of registration, which may not be suitable for those with low incomes.