Communication Channels in Education

Communication channels are media used for the transfer of information both within an organization and externally amongst other organizations.

In an increasingly technological world, various forms of communication channels are being used within the education sector. Emails, apps, websites, open course ware, etcetera are being utilized by primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions to communicate with both the learners and their respective parents.

This type of virtual interaction allows for an increase in efficiency within the institution. Homework, assignments and notifications can be communicated across a broader spectrum and with minimal effort required.  These communication channels could also be used for communique between employees with relation to specific tasks at hand.

However, not all students and/or parents have access to these online communication channels, putting them at a disadvantage. 

OpenCourseWare

OpenCourseWare (OCW) describes free, online university-level courses made available by various tertiary educational institutions. These courses are accessible to anyone at any given time via the internet.

A number of the top universities have put some of their courses online for public usage. This includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and Harvard.

OCW has the potential to provide a tertiary education to those unable to receive one otherwise. It also enables students to have a wider variety of resources, bettering their understanding of the course material.

Although OCW provides the necessary materials required to further a person’s understanding of a topic, it does not award any form of qualifications and solely depends on the individual’s desire to learn. It is also dependent on the individual’s access to the internet. This can prove to be troublesome for many. 

Author : Kimone Naidu
Editor  : Devona Mudaly

References: 

Communication Channels [Online] Available from: http://mangementchallenge.weebly.com/communication-channels.html [Accessed 25 April 2016]

Slideshare(2012) What is OpenCourseWare? [Online] Available from: http://www.slideshare.net/stephanieverbeken/presentation-opencourseware-ku-leuven-on-diverse-2012?next_slideshow=1  [Accessed 25 April 2016]

Communication Channels in an Organisation (2015)[Online] Available from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/communication-channels-in-an-organization-types-definition-examples.html [Accessed 27 April 2016]

Wikipedia (2012) Opencourseware [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCourseWare  [Accessed 26 April 2016]

Open.edu: Top 10 Open Courseware Collections (2010) [Online] Available from:  http://onlineuniversityrankings2010.com/2010/open-edu-top-50-university-open-courseware-collections/  [Accessed 28 April 2016]