Online Education More Effective than Traditional: How Technology Shapes Our World

I recently read an article at http://www.geteducated.com/ stating the U.S. Department of Education released a study that found that online education is more effective than the traditional method. Here is a link to the article, and you can get a pdf of the published study at the bottom of that article: U.S. Dept. of Education Finds Online & Blended Education More Effective than Residential Method Alone.

I found this particularly interesting, not only because I work in the for-profit education sector, but it also made me wonder at the amazing ways the Internet has changed our lives and will continue to shape every aspect of our world for generations. This very blog is a testament to the way technology can be leveraged to improve our lives. The article also made me ask, though, if the same correlation can or ever will be valid for finding a job. In other words, will employers at some point find online hiring more effective than the traditional methods?

I recently read an article at http://www.geteducated.com/ stating the U.S. Department of Education released a study that found that online education is more effective than the traditional method. Here is a link to the article, and you can get a pdf of the published study at the bottom of that article: U.S. Dept. of Education Finds Online & Blended Education More Effective than Residential Method Alone.

I found this particularly interesting, not only because I work in the for-profit education sector, but it also made me wonder at the amazing ways the Internet has changed our lives and will continue to shape every aspect of our world for generations. This very blog is a testament to the way technology can be leveraged to improve our lives. The article also made me ask, though, if the same correlation can or ever will be valid for finding a job. In other words, will employers at some point find online hiring more effective than the traditional methods?

Employers are certainly already leveraging online resources such as job search sites and online applications, but they still rely on the conventional interview-by-phone and in-person strategy to decide who to hire. What if they no longer had to pay to fly candidates in for interviews? What if they could cut out the headhunter fees? How nice would it be as a hiring manager not to have to sit through repetitive interviews with candidates where the questions are all the same, and often the answers are rehearsed? It makes perfect sense to me, but of course, only if something else is more effective.

With the increasing use of social networking, blogging, and cloud (online) media storage, is it too outlandish to imagine a day when an employer just browses a database of potential candidates that is pulled from several online social networking sites using various criteria, then accesses a candidate’s online portfolio, including a short video of the person explaining why they are a match, then requests a video web conference interview in real time?

Taking this one step further, I was reading an article by Jay Heinrichs in the July 2009 issue of Spirit Magazine, which talked about the website http://www.wheresgeorge.com/. This site allows people to track dollar bills wherever they go. Essentially, you register the ID number of your bill on the site, and spend it somewhere. Other people who receive that bill can then enter it on the site also. In this way, you can track the movements of your bill anywhere it goes. Heinrichs mentions that this technology has or will be used to create models of how diseases are spread, as well as to study economics. Do you see any way this tracking technology could be applied to job searching, either by applicants or by employers?

I can’t think of any specific ones right now myself, but it is an interesting idea. Internet technology is definitely continuing to change the way we live, work, shop, compete, and communicate. The study mentioned above cited one reason online education is more effective is that the amount of time and number of interactions required of online students is usually higher than just a warm body sitting in a classroom. This is why I think my theory is so plausible; it won’t be long before employers can use strictly online resources to get a much more complete picture of a person and what value an individual can add to their organization. So keep reading CareerRocketeer, and make sure the presence you are creating online is the one you want employers to see!

Guest Expert:

Nolan Perry believes learning should be a life-long endeavor and is passionate about helping people improve their lives through education and career improvement.

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