Blog #11

Reading Response

Proper MLA Citation
This source is classified as an Online Article. The proper citation is:
Selingo, Jeffrey. “Online.” Chronicle of Higher Education 17 Jun., 2005: 23. EBSCOhost. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg. 16 Apr. 2007 <http://lynx.lib.usm.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct_true&db=aph&AN=17432742&site=ehost-live>
Summary
This article is about the various advantages of the University of Phoenix, an online-based education program. In the beginning of the article the author talks about how the University of Phoenix has grown to educate the capacity of nearly one million students due to its online accessibility. Also, the article goes on to name five main ways in which this university has used technology in order to increase their amount of students. For example, sixty percent of the admissions is handled online which helps to save office space. In addition, the University of Phoenix handles credit transfers via the Internet and online databases which helps to speed up the credit-approval process. Finally, students have easy access to online learning devices such as e-books, which help the students with their studies.
Importance
This article is important because it makes people aware of the advantages of the University of Phoenix. Most people are more concerned with the aspects of traditional colleges and don’t even consider online universities such as this one. However, after reading this article, a person who was unsure about the reliability of an online university would most likely feel more comfortable with the idea of taking online classes. One idea that I thought was important was that students can acquire their textbooks or e-books and reading materials through the University of Phoenix via the internet. This is definitely an advantage to taking online education because people no longer have to worry about physically walking to a bookstore to purchase books. Instead, they can just stay in the comfort of their own homes and acquire knowledge through the text on their computer screens.
Connections
This article is similar to many of the topics we have discussed in class. For example, last class we talked about how online education has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, someone brought up the point in class that online education can be good for stay at home moms or dads because it allows them to go through school in the comfort of their own home. Also, I can relate to this because I have actually experienced online education. For example, for both my college algebra class and my chemistry class I had to do online homework such as My Math Lab and OWL. Although the entire class was not actually taught online, I was able to experience part of the curriculum through the use of the Internet.
Supporting Source
This article could be used for support of my evaluation that the University of Phoenix provides just a good of education as more traditional universities. The article provides various examples as to how online education, specifically at the University of Phoenix, can be advantageous. By using the information from this article I can help explain how online education has allowed admission into the university to be an easier process and how students can access their textbooks online.
Argumentative Source
Overall, I thought this article was informative and provided various examples as to how the University of Phoenix has grown due to its use of technology and how more people are beginning to receive online education. Although the author made many good points, I thought the article would have been better if he would have provided more instances and specific examples of peoples’ success with the University of Phoenix.