Where can employed students find classrooms that suit them?

More than half of student courses at faculties will be based on online methods of studying by 2019, as shown by research. Although faculties are seriously joining the digital race, the expansion of online courses has blurred the line between online studies and informal additional education on the web.

Online courses

According to the latest data, 58 million candidates were registered on Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms in late 2016. More than 700 universities are registered on these platforms, and users can attend over 6,800 courses. With over 1,700 courses and 23 million registered users, Coursera is the biggest MOOC platform. It is closely followed by EdX with 1,300 courses and FutureLearn with 480 courses.

Although the number of courses and registered participants is constantly growing, only about 5-10% on average truly complete the course. The reasons for this vary, but it’s interesting that most attendees already have a faculty degree. This type of course is a way for graduates to perfect their skills and is not a substitute for knowledge acquired through formal education.

Diplomas necessary

One of the most prestigious technological universities in the world, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has made over 2,200 courses available for free at MIT OpenCourseWare. Although users can access learning materials unregistered, they cannot get a certificate or a diploma.

Employed students often think this kind of arrangement suits them due to their obligations, but the problem arises when their employers ask them for a formal confirmation of the knowledge acquired. In order for them to complete training, acquire knowledge and get a document confirming it, students find it important to have materials and webinars available in their mother tongue, but also to have their duties as students, as well as exam terms, defined in advance. Most of the said platforms, unfortunately, don’t provide that. Although still in the early stages in Serbia, there are faculties combining the best of online courses and formal studies.

The quality of online studying is shown by the fact that 56% of DOBA Faculty graduates have their salaries raised, switch to a better job or advance in position after acquiring the diploma. DOBA, an accredited faculty from Slovenia, with 17 years of experience in online education, has had more than 3,300 graduates in all these years, of which 280 from Serbia.

The DOBA Faculty Director, Jasna Dominko Baloh, believes that the knowledge is most important, but that a degree from an accredited faculty is a necessary basis.

– DOBA is the first and only higher education institution in southeast Europe with the international accreditation of online studies UNIQUe in the field of using information and communications technology (ICT). Once they complete international and accredited online studies, DOBA Faculty graduates are confident of their knowledge, and they can truly use their diploma to earn money. They are aware of having a great foundation for further studying, as it is a never-ending process in a modern society – Dominiko Baloh explains.

Digital door wide open

Although additional education through courses should be kept in mind, online studying is much more than listening to pre-recorded lectures. As DOBA Faculty explains, online mentors and all other associates are there for the students throughout the week, ready to address all their questions and dilemmas, making education at this kind of faculty far more competitive than informal education models on the web. During their studies, the entirety of the reference material is available to students. It seems that, at DOBA Faculty, each day is “open door day”, and it’s up to the students to step into the virtual amphitheater and find a classroom that suits them.

DOBA Fakultet

DOBA Faculty

online studies

online courses

Massive Open Online Course

MOOC

Coursera

EdX

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT OpenCourseWare

online education

Jasna Dominko Baloh