Monday, 9 July 2012

Case Study 1 - Question 4

How are educational institutions taking advantage of technology to compete and win students?

In the past, educational institutes had to rely on word-of-mouth, advertising in newspapers, at other educational institutes, in newspapers, and at events specifically designed for showcasing further learning institutes such as open days and seminars.

Nowadays, every modern educational institute has a website, and links to the websites via other associated websites. These websites not only appeal to prospective students, but are also used as a platform to advertise for lecturers.

The internet has changed the way in which institutes compete for students through online learning. By using Gmail and social network, it is now possible for students to correspond with teachers at the click button. Bloggers, emails and websites are used as virtual classrooms where students and teachers can post messages, have discussions, and upload files. The attractive features of e-learning give students the flexibility to study during hours that suit them from the comfort of their own home or the nearest internet cafe. 

However, the traditional classroom cannot be forgotten yet. The classroom is still the main learning environment for any institute and the technology used in the classroom has come a long way. Most schools are equipped with computer rooms and it is common to have computers in the class for the use of the teacher. Overhead projectors (OHPs) are also used to display images from the computer onto a large white screen. This feature is particularly useful for teachers who wish to use software such as Microsoft Power Point and Portable Document Format (PDF) when presenting their lesson.

As technology advances, so do educational institutes. They advertise and provide information on available courses in education. A student looking to available university has no other place to go or someone to ask so they can go online search. Once there, user will find a multitude of options, including online Master’s degree programs from universities on different continents.

The future of the classroom looks promising with interactive whiteboards becoming popular in recent years, podcasts being used by teachers who are technologically adept, and assignments, syllabuses, grades, and schedules posted online can all be found being used in the modern classroom.

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