The Virtual Student
A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners
Chapter One
WHO IS THE VIRTUAL STUDENT?
There is an ongoing debate in the academic world about who is attracted to
online learning. It has been assumed that it is predominantly adult learners
who take online courses because online learning allows them to continue working
full time and attend to their family obligations through the delivery of anytime,
anywhere education. The "typical" online student is generally described as
being over twenty-five years of age, employed, a caregiver, with some higher education
already attained, and equally likely to be either male or female (Gilbert,
2001, p. 74). Online students may be nontraditional undergraduate, graduate, or
continuing education students.
However, recent statistics published by the National Center for Education
Statistics (2002) indicate that inter ... read full excerpt from The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners ebook
