How Did The Internet Change Engineering Education For The Better
Technology is changing, improving, and innovating with every passing day, and it has also influenced the education system for the better. One subject in which the internet is used heavily in engineering– and it may lead people to wonder if the addition of the world wide web to engineering education has truly changed it for the better or not.
If you’re wondering the same, you’re in the right place. Here are some ways in which access to the internet has improved the way people around the world learn engineering.
Provides Access to More Students
Access to the internet enables students to engage in distance learning, i.e., attending classes and completing the degree online as per your time and comfort. Online learning has a number of advantages, including affordability, convenience, and improving student attendance. While students may need to be present in person during laboratory modules, they can attend theory-based lectures online.
Online education allows people to attend top-notch universities around the world, even if relocating physically to a different country is not possible. Additionally, in cases of emergency (such as the Covid-19 pandemic), students are not forced to put their education on hold until they can return to their classes in person.
Flexible Schedules
In-person classes often require students to accept a fixed schedule, which can be challenging for non-traditional students. However, as Degree Planet points out, getting your engineering education through the internet enables you to have a greater amount of control over your time. This can be beneficial for people who have jobs they cannot quit, students who would otherwise spend a significant portion of their day in transit to and from their classes, and so on.
This added flexibility is significant when pursuing a higher engineering degree. Master’s and doctorate courses often include older students returning to continue their higher education. For these students who have families, children, or careers they cannot put on hold, the flexibility offered by the internet is crucial to access further engineering education.
Experiments Are More Accessible
Before the use of the internet in engineering education, the labs were often required to have a ton of specialist equipment to carry out specific experiments. Not only were these equipment unwieldy, but it was also often financially taxing for smaller institutions, therefore compromising the education that students received.
Today, several online tools allow students to get practical experience regardless of where they study. Tools like MatLab, MindManager, AutoCAD, and more make quality education far more accessible than before. You can also find several dedicated tools that make specialized experiments easier, allowing universities to offer a more significant number of technical engineering courses.
It is undeniable that using the internet as a part of engineering education has some challenges, but the students’ advantages are far more. It is also essential for professors to work with students to discover what educational style works best for them – while online learning is helpful in many ways, it’s not the best option for everyone.
