The Behavior of RAD TECH Students

Towards Continuing Studies After Post Graduate Courses

Chapter 1: Introduction

            Students who have already finished their bachelor degrees are usually faced with the decision of actually continuing their studies. This includes those who are involved in the medical field such as RAD TECH or Radiologic Technology. Most of them are faced with the choice of continuing their studies through online learning assistance. It is undeniable that with this new trend in education, many among the said individuals decide to undergo internet based education. Why is this so?

The birth of Information Technology in the field of business and education industries, paved way to the revolution of the training and learning processes of people around the world. “The innovative design of the internet and its availability to a large number of populations around the globe makes it a feasible environment for learning new things” (Carchidi, 2001, p 10) and now even earning a degree from the World Wide Web.  This is why many critics say that the IT generation holds so much promise on producing more skillful employees as well as new graduates. These products of virtual education are expected to be the ones who could handle the challenges of this technology driven world in both for the present and future era. Aside from this, the effectiveness of the online learning invites many existing companies to engage in the said venture. True, there might be some differences on the payment for the training services compared to that of traditional ways of educating the people, the online classes are still preferred by professionals who would like to learn more without actually taking so much time and effort staying in the university or training camp classrooms.

Virtual schools as well as virtual training programs work in a way that a person or a student in that matter who is a member of a virtual; program is given his or her own security number, which serves as a security access to the virtual class. Then, the virtual lessons could already be presented to that member in a virtual class setting. The instruction in such classes usually occurs between a panel or a group of instructors interacting with at a maximum number of 200 students around the globe simultaneously.  (Robins, 2003, p 6)

The students are aided with the knowledge they need to understand their lessons better with the use of online libraries, electronic sources and both visual and audio materials used for better explanation of the subject matter being tackled (Robins, 2003, p 8). “Virtual learning started in the year 1996, when Virtual High School had been first established in Canada. The said virtual school offered two complete courses on Biology and Canadian literature. The said school grew into becoming groups of interconnected classes and became among the pioneer providers of virtual education” (Carchidi, 2001, p 21). The challenge of offering online courses and assisting students online proved to be a challenge for these pioneers but they strived and thus were able to survive up until the present time.

Today they are known to have been hosting at least a thousand students from all over the globe and assisting these people attain their goals of both gaining more knowledge and finishing a degree at their own convenience (Preston, 2004, p 22).   Virtual learning is closely related to the systems used by home schooling only that this time instructors are able to completely communicate with their students through the Internet. Not to mention the high tech presentation of information through the integration of technological presentations along with the presentation of the subject matter, and the convenience brought about by the internet connection to the students and the easier understanding brought about by the innovations in this form of education really brings major changes in the modern learning process.

Today, this form of learning had also been integrated in public schools in the United States. This had been designed to assist especially students who have a hard time

learning their subjects through simple classroom presentations. In this case, a student is asked to sit in front of the computer and be connected to an instructor through the Internet and is thus assisted using media presentations. Other high-tech materials used for the said educational system are Adobe products and articles, Jasc Products, as well as Macromedia. (Preston, 2004, p 24)

Aside from this, other institutions also include Corel Products as a cheaper version of the ones mentioned earlier. In this way, learning becomes easier, not to mention that the student could access these institutional provisions completely free of charge. When it comes to the pricing and location of the virtual classes, at times these classes are free or if not, the parents or the students at that needs to pay a minimal amount of money to obtain certain services. Grading and student evaluation processes are still done by the instructors with the help of electronic systems within the computer programs. In this way, the students are given assistance in the areas of learning they specially need help with. Yes, in this way, education is provided with the highest level of effectiveness.

            Along with this, seeing that online learning had been exceptionally effective for students, several business companies began to see the benefits of the said learning program (Rothwell, 2006, p 2). In this regard, several companies around the globe opted to avail the benefits of online training, having been able to learn through the Internet without spending so much for the venue, the materials and other food expenses compared to that of traditional training methods. Surely, business companies mostly benefit from this way of training.  Indeed, although virtual training gives the most beneficial way of learning for both the companies and the employees as well, it could not be denied that these changes taken by business organizations post several challenges for the company itself. In this regard, it is not only the employees who need to be trained but the administrators as well. This issue then opens the questions regarding the challenges given by adult learning difficulties as well as usage of technology for learning shall be a matter of concern for the organization.

Statement of the Problem

            As mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons behind this study is the need for the virtual education’s evaluation. There is also an issue to be solved regarding the effectiveness of the said training process on the students involved in the program. The main point of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an online synchronous learning course based on how it had been evaluated by the students and the instructors as well. To be able to know the necessary informations needed to meet the requirements  of the thesis stated above here are certain questions, which ought to be answered along with the completion of this paper, and they are as follows:

• Rad Tech Students who are aiming to continue their studies have certain aims in becoming able to advance their learning towards professional level. In this case, what are the particular satisfactory measures that the said students have towards the learning that they aim to accomplish in a higher level?
• What should actually be noted by the institutions giving the advance learning programs for rad-tech students, and how are they supposed to advance their systems to be able to assist the advance students attain the best of their aims in terms of studying further forward?
• How are the survey results related to the systems of learning assistance that the advancing students ought to receive from the institutions that they are supposed to enroll at?
• Do area Radiologic Technologists have adequate and varied continued education opportunities?

Moreover, in accordance to this, several literatures are to be used in completing

the requirements as well as in answering the questions listed above. In the chapter to follow, literatures and other written works would be reviewed. The importance of having been able to have ample knowledge regarding the establishment of virtual classes and also providing learners with what they need shall be discussed in the next chapter as well.

CHAPTER 2: Review of Literature

            In facing the challenges of opening and implementing an online learning program, several writers came up with possible and effective solutions as answers to the so-called “risks” of the process. In accordance with this, the fact that facing the said challenges is not at all that easy, many experts prepared samples of experiences as well as success stories regarding the virtual program to help the new facilitators and coordinators of new virtual learning institutions in putting up and striving through with the continuous developments involved in the program.

            Training in Technology

The main challenges of online learning programs are the fact that training people using technology requires a lot of skills on the part of the facilitators and the instructors. In this regard, several writers placed some patterns, which new facilitators could use to be able to come up with effective and efficient learning programs provided through the Internet.  According to William Rothwell in his book “The Handbook of Training Technologies: An Introductory Guide to Facilitating Learning with Technology –From Planning to Evaluation”, there are several guidelines to follow in preparing for the implementation of a virtual learning program. Among which are as follows:

• Determine the students and participants in the program
• Know the age bracket division of the students
• Determine the curriculums to be offered in the program
• Plan for the schedule of  each program offering
• Set the programs as well as presentations for the subject to be presented in each class every now and then
• Prepare free access for the students on the online sources and support they could use for the better learning and understanding they could get from the program. This may include online libraries and the like.
• Allow time for making student-assistance possible during the program for certain students needing special support.

 (source: Rothwell, 2006, Pp 12-14).

With all these guidelines for starters, it would be much possible for new learning

program facilitators to come up with possible effective and efficient foundation in online teaching. On the other hand, Kevin Kruse also had something to say about technology-based training. In his book, he mentions that art and science integrated into instruction processes makes learning more enjoyable for students through the Internet. (2000, p 11) The art of designing several visual aids for the Internet presentations naturally helps in making the subject matter easier to understand for the students. According to Kruse “there are so many available learning technologies today and it helps for a web-based training facilitator to engage in presentations on the Internet designed to actually make learning entertaining and a lot easier for students” (2000, p 212). Usually, the visual aid in the Internet varies on the layout of the presentations, and in this way, the effect of these presentations also vary.” (2000, p 215).  Aside form this, Kruse also adds that through the art of instruction taken as an effective step by the facilitator , an instructor should put himself on the shoe of the students and in a way try to determine their expectations. This would help him understand their needs on learning and thus become an effective online instructor (2000, 216).

            Regarding the visual presentation, which Kruse refers to as an important part of online instruction, he gave some certain points of concern for a new web-learning facilitators. The following are some of the ways in which virtual visual presentations could become effective mediums of instruction:

• Consider the age bracket where the students belong. Young children usually like to see colorful and animated presentations especially when it comes to science subjects. As for middle-aged students, ranging from 21-35 may rather appreciate presentations with real life examples as well as speech presentations and life like presentations of subject matter especially regarding the subjects concerning history, or modern technology. While old aged people which may likely include people on their late 30’s towards their 50’s may appreciate a rather more serious presentation of subjects with minimal animated slides along the learning process.
• The layout of presentation should also be well laid in order to transmit the actual and necessary information needed to be sent to the students through the Internet.
• The plan of the schedule of presentations should also be strategically planned to be able to help students understand the subject in a chronological order.

(source: Kruse, 2000, Pp 15,16)

Indeed, if these guidelines are followed closely by the facilitators, visual presentations would be able to perform the duties and purposes they are expected to do for both the virtual instructor as well as with the students.

The Virtual Revolution and Educational Programs

            On the other hand, the “E-Learning Revolution: How Technology is Driving a New Training Paradigm” by Martyn Sloman shows how much the Internet changed everything especially in the education industry. He says that the “virtual education has already taken over the systems of traditional learning and as well made great innovations on the learning process of the new generation” (2002, p 23). True, as earlier  introduced in chapter one, the existence of virtual learning programs really made great changes on the existence of  educational systems in the society. “Aside from the practicality and other benefits offered by this system of learning, the new generation realizes the importance of time and thus they take the necessary steps needed to finish their degrees through online universities” (Sloman, 2002, p 24). In this way, not only do they finish early, but they also learn how to manage their time wisely.

            True, the challenges of training people through the use of technological advancements are rather huge. But as Arthur Langer said in his authored book “IT and Organizational Learning”, “training using the Internet is really a challenge especially for beginners, but once the effective foundations of learning in traditional classrooms would be integrated with the high-tech effects brought about by the Internet, learning through this innovative design of education could be well considered worth while” (2001, p 14).  As an addition to this, Robert Seidel said that Virtual education is indeed becoming a phenomenon already.

According to him in his book “Virtual Reality, Training’s Future?: Perspectives on Virtual Reality and Related Emerging Technologies”, “Virtual education has already taken full control of many educational institutions there are today. Indeed, even companies are taking their steps in making online trainings a possible way of enriching their employees’ skills for their chosen careers both for individual and company satisfaction” (1997, p 45).  Seidel also adds: “Virtual reality is a simple and natural extension to proceed in learning without boundaries to the virtual environment, as well as being able to completely enjoy the provisions of the virtual world in enriching the industry and strategies used in education” (1997, p 48). Yes, the virtual world had already made a great impact on the ways in which the present generation prefers to learn and earn their college degrees.

Indeed, as introduced earlier, the idea of establishing virtual education providers came from the traditional learning aided by distance learning providers even before the development of computers. Naturally, the past forms of distance education were mostly done through correspondence and the use of telecommunication processes.  This is why in the article entitled “From Distance Education to Virtual Communities of Practice: The Wide Range of Possibilities for Using the Internet in Continuous Education and Training” by Guillermo Trentin published in the International Journal on E-Learning says that “open distance learning, permanent education and in-service training are just among the terms that are frequently used today to indicate what has become a specific need in many professional areas: continuous education and training” (1997, p 1).  Surely, this fact opened ways to having virtual education available through the Internet.

Trentin Adds: “ It has become clear that gaining a university degree or participating in further education courses should be seen as the starting point for long-term learning path, one that is under the direct control of the learner” (1997, p 2). Yes, the fact that many professionals today still opt to continue their studies, the existence of innovative ways of  learning helps in the fulfillment of  these dreams to the most effective and efficient possible way there is. Surely, the traditional trend of providing higher education to the public has already changed in this new era of events and technology. The scope, the style, the technology used and the objectives had been completely shifted to a newer perspective in education. The twenty first century surely paved way to the major transformations on the educational aspect of the society. Many thus agree that the impact of technology and information burst-out on higher education is rather direct and the reorganization of the universities today are taking more of the managerial aspect of organization compared to that of the decades before the present era. (Trentin, 1997, p 3)

In connection to this topic, Graham Orange commented that tele-education and virtual learning not only transformed education on a higher degree but also brought it to its most effective state for both young students and young professionals (2001, p 11). As constantly mentioned in this paper, the existence of virtual education is most likely related to the continuous development in the process f obtaining considerably effective education for many people around the globe. Yes, the development considered by the conversion of traditional education to becoming a technology driven learning paved way to greater chances of finishing studies for the early professionals and the less fortunate to attend the schools and universities due to physical ailment. In this way, these people have more chances of ending in amiably fine professions in the future.  The beginning of technological training indeed puts certain emphasis on the changes needed to be faced by virtual educators and facilitators. The computer skills needed and the training needed to be given to the instructors as well as the development of inviting instructional websites is simply an introduction to the main idea of putting up virtual training and educational provider institution through the net. Among the challenges too is the fact that there are students who are already adults who would like to take advantage of the provisions given by the virtual education. In this regard, several points of consideration should be attended to.

 The Art of Virtual Instruction

Along with this, Joseph Ehrman too added some ideas pertaining to the art of virtual instruction. His written work entitled “The Study of Instruction” points out the importance of creativity in making virtual classes exceptionally successful and fruitful for the participants. There were several necessary points he intended to show in his book, which clearly stated several ways in which instruction through on-line education could become an effective medium of learning. One point he clearly wants to send the readers is that “an important factor in virtual education is the existence of open communication beyond the boundaries of distance existing between the students as well as with the instructors” (Ehrman, 2001,p 110). According to Ehrman, although the Internet could be used to show the students the necessary presentations regarding a certain subject matter, the existence of a guide instructor is still essential for this type of learning. In fact, “the interaction between the students and the instructor should continuously be open, as it would most likely help the learners to understand several points of concern in the subject matter being tackled if they have someone to directly explain to them the topic every now and then” (2001, p 122).

            Instruction as clearly defined by Ehrman is “a way by which knowledge is being passed on to others through the use of communication, and now through the aid of modern technology. Surely, the innovations of both new science and new era inventions on the Internet shall be proven source of efficiently existing education providers” (2001, p 124).  Moreover, Cathy Cooks says that the accreditation of prior learning (APL) could be used well in implementing online educational assistance to students. According to her, the efficient integration of the said process could well enhance the evaluating process on the learning of the students, thus allowing the instructors have knowledge on what they should really enhance in terms of their teaching strategies through the virtual schools (2000, p 125). Usually, the said system of learning is applied on post-secondary level learners who already have backgrounds on the subject matters that are to be tackled in the program. The strategy is that the old knowledge of subjects gained by these students from their own respective traditional schools could be used to introduce to them the new set of topics taught to them through the net. In this way, not only better understanding of the matter is encouraged but as well as refreshing past knowledge shall be effectively implemented in the curriculum of the virtual class as suggested by the author (2000, p 128).

The Virtual Environment

            Kevin Robins on the other hand talks about the actual environment of virtual universities in his book “The Virtual University: Knowledge, Markets and Management” not only that, he also clarifies the issue on the effectiveness of online learning. He strongly says that the “existence of online universities and training institutions have well alleviated the state of education which not everyone before could afford and attain” (2003, p 21). Indeed, “the Virtual University brings together some of the best-known writers on a contemporary social change to reflect on the radical transformation going on in higher education” (Robins,2003, p 15). Expansion, technology, and changing financial and performance structures have altered universities, affecting the way that they are managed, their relations with the corporate world, their employees, and their users, customers or students (2003, p 16). Questions to be considered regarding this matter includes:

• has one of managerialism replaced a culture of collegiality?
• Has the liberal or the national university been replaced by the global or the virtual one?
• What changes does the digital world bring to the practice and experience of education?

(Robins, 2003, p17)

   He adds that the important factor to consider in this setting of education is “the assurance that participants are able to attain their educational goals at their own convenience” (2003, p 17). Indeed, the fact that many busy people today would still want to gain some college degrees from respected universities and yet have no time makes the virtual universities such a convenient and practical choice intended to assist these types of people. (Robins, 2003, p 22)

Another writer on virtual education says that students wanting further training from their postsecondary education attained from traditional schools mostly use the benefits given by the current trend on virtual delivery of education (Carchidi, 2001, p 122). This means that many students nowadays would rather prefer enrolling in an online university than getting along with the hassles and bustles of taking course from traditional universities. Indeed, because of the fact that even students today are faced with the fast-paced way of living in the present situation of living in the new era, they would rather pick the best convenient way of learning they could afford.

Among the things that students look for in a virtual school according to Carchidi is the existence of a stable organization within the virtual institution. The administrative patterns used by the institution usually determine this need and thus provides the student with the necessary security assurance they need upon enrolling in the virtual course offered by a certain institution (2001, p 124).

 David Seth Preston, in his book “Virtual Learning and Higher Education” points out that like the traditional schools and universities found in the society today, students are concerned with the legality as well as the strong foundation of the institution they are going to pay to and enroll with. This is why the existence of a credible organizational structure within the institution that is designed for excellent student assistance is considered as one of the key factors in having a successful virtual training and education provider (2004, p 116). Another point he shows in the book he wrote is the importance of having highly trained teachers who are appointed to do the instructing task for the students on the other side of the Net. Among the training essentials he mentioned are the following:

• Teachers must be trained to have excellent computer skills- aside of course from the fact that the teachers of virtual educational institutions are required to have exceptional teaching skills, in engaging with the industry of virtual education, teachers required to have both the teaching skills as well as computer skills and Internet surfing experiences. This is mainly because the teaching activities would be done through the Internet and flash media and animations are usually used for explaining certain subject matters. In this regard, it is certainly necessary for teachers to have at least the basic knowledge in operating the computer as they re trained for more complex computer responsibilities as they are already placed in responsibility of the teaching job.
• Instruction processes should be prepared every now and then using the creative computer presentations that are usually present through software used for the said visual aids. As mentioned in the first point of concern, the necessity of having basic computer skills by the teachers would help them prepare their lessons as well as class activities through the use of computer software usually provided by the institution.
• The integration of traditional teaching with the new technology should be clearly pointed out to the teachers or instructors even before they perform the teaching process.

(Preston, 2004, Pp 117,118)

The implementation of these pointers in training the instructors of online courses would naturally result to a more effective strategy of teaching students and in the future, this may even cause the teachers to become more competent and desirable instructors in the virtual world. Aside from the credible instructors, the virtual environment fit for teaching and learning should also be considered by the facilitators of the institution. According to Jain, in the book “Virtual Environment for teaching and Learning”, there are major points of concern regarding the virtual environment for the students posted by the institution’s administration through the Internet (2004, p 74).  Of course, the fact that a major factor in learning success is the consideration placed on the environment of the student where he or she chooses to study, it is also important to see how effective the virtual learning environment is for the students enrolled in the virtual training programs. Some of the major details to be attended to are the following:

• Online sources should be provided- online libraries and other electronic references should be available along with the instructional site provided by the institution, which should be both accessible to the students and the teachers as well.
• The actual site used for instruction should be clearly organized- The needed informations by the students as well as instructors should be easily accessible especially during the teaching and learning sessions.
• The posted design of the institution should be considerably attractive- this is not necessarily intended for learning processes but instead for marketing purposes of the institution.

(Jain, 2002, Pp 100,101)

The three major points of consideration regarding the effective virtual environment implemented by the learning institution for the instructors and students shall help the facilitators determine the necessary factors of learning that should be provided for the participants in the programs they offer. As mentioned by Jain, “the main target of  virtual universities are the professionals who would rather leave their jobs in order to attain a college degree” (2002, p 13). The fact that there is a diverse group of people aiming to enjoy the benefits of virtual education, facilitators must be able to decide on which presentations and environment of education should they post on their site depending on the group of people they cater to.

Assisting Adult Learners through Virtual Education

            Adults have different span of attention as well as educational interests compared to that of the young learners. This is why it is very important to consider their situation whenever an educational institution whether traditional or virtual shall be established. (Cafarella, 200, p 20)

Today, there are many people who are considered illiterate. Most of them are adults. Who are these millions who can neither read nor write? Largely they are responsible, hardworking citizens. In the developing nations, they provide food, clothing, and shelter for the vast majority of the population. In the industrialized countries, they take on the work nobody else wants to do—jobs that are exhausting, repetitive, and menial, yet essential to society. More often than not, lack of opportunity is the reason why people do not master the skills of reading and writing. As a group, illiterates are not stupid, ignorant, or incompetent on the contrary, they simply lack the chances of obtaining the necessary education they really need.

Another group of adult learners who are more likely able to access the new technologies are the people who used to work at a very early age and thus loosing the chances of getting educational knowledge according to their age. This is why in their working years, when they already have the means to pay for an educational service and yet not having time, they intend the most possible education or training provision there is intended for people like them. (Caffarella, 2001, p 25)  Those who teach adults should recognize the differences between adult learners and child learners. “Personality, habits, attitudes, and interests are more set in adults than in children, making the adult more rigid and less receptive to change” (Caffarella, 2001, p 22). On the other hand, adults have rich experiences on which to build and are better able to make sense of facts and concepts that can confuse youngsters. Usually they do not have as much free time as children do. Another very important difference is that adult learners, unlike children, have the freedom to discontinue their education at any time. (Cafarella, 2001, p 25).

Many adult possess unique talents and have succeeded in some areas of life; they simply have not developed the skills of some necessary technology skills needed for their career development. The literacy teacher needs to encourage them to use the adaptability, creativity, and endurance they have demonstrated in other areas of life. It takes courage for an adult to admit his or her needs and to ask for assistance. Although circumstances and individuals vary, many adults approach literacy training with apprehension and a lack of confidence. Some may have a long history of academic failure. Others may feel that they are too old to learn new things. “It is difficult to learn left-handedness in old age,” states a Nigerian proverb. Teachers can build confidence and sustain interest by being quick to acknowledge and commend progress. Lessons should be structured to minimize learning failure and to ensure repeated successful achievement of learning goals. The publication Educating the Adult states: “Above all, success is probably the single greatest factor in continued motivation” (19).

Adults generally know what they want from educational experiences and wish to see immediate progress toward their goals. One professor of adult education in Africa stated: “They want to get into class, learn what they need to know as quickly as possible, then get out” (African Education Journal, 26). Sometimes the goals a student sets are overly ambitious. From the outset, the teacher should help the learner establish intermediate, short-term goals and then help the student to achieve them. Regularly achieving goals sustains motivation and stimulates the student to keep on learning.

Consequently, this psychological factor affects the learning capabilities of a person so much. At times, depression drives an old person to simply give up on the things they intended to finish before. “This is why the constant motivation for learning should be clearly laid down every time the instructor meets the students or the adult learners through the virtual classrooms” (Merriam,2001, 15). In this manner, the student would not be loosing his or her sense of excitement on learning new things every time the class starts.  There are several methods of learning, which could be applied in instructing adult learners. According to Merriam, These methods include:

• Context-based learning- this is a learning process usually gained through reading materials and direct instruction and assistance on the student’s school projects, and requirements.
• Informal and incidental learning- Normally, this kind of learning is characterized by the things learned outside of the classrooms. In Virtual learning, these lessons are usually referred to as experiential learning, wherein the students are able to relate real life accounts to the things they are learning from their instructors in the virtual class.
• Somatic learning- This method of learning is more focused on the physical reaction of the student regarding what he learns from class. Through actual application of the lessons gained, a person is able to acquire the best possible results fro himself due to the fact that he has

learned something new. It is very important for adult learners to know that what they are learning is actually practical for their lives. If not, then for them, these things are of no importance at all.

• Narrative learning- through the art of communication, a person learns a lot. True, when a person is able to communicate with others either personally or through the use of modern tele-communication systems, a person learns valuable lessons which he could either apply in his life or not. Still these things are based on real life accounts, which make the learning process more exiting for the adult learner.

(Merriam, 2001, p 112)

Yes, the new generation’s way of learning may actually affect the above

methods of learning as explained by the author, but the fact that technology ought to make big changes and development in the process of educating people, the integration of the methods listed above could make a big development in the virtual classes operating in the Internet today.

            Merriam pointed out in her book “emotional issues are directly affecting the student’s focus towards learning” (2001, p 147). Yes, ,more likely, teaching adults would not simply require the instructors to be closely interacted with the subject they are teaching but also with the students themselves. This would make the learning environment more inviting for the students and it would also help in the motivation of the study habits on the student’s part. It is also vital to consider some questions when meeting the needs of adult learners, as an example for these questions is, does the capacity to learn increase or decrease over time? How does the sense of self and identity change over the adult years? What are the educational implications of that change? And how can teachers acknowledge the experience their adult students bring to the class? These questions have been answered in the book authored by Mark Tennant entitled “Learning and Change in the Adult Years: A Developmental Perspective”.

According to Tennant, experience and learning have direct connections when it comes to the learning capabilities of an individual (2002, p 21). He clearly points out that along the lines of age; people tend to gradually loose interest in many things but not in learning. Everyone, young and old would want to know more about the world and life itself, and this is regardless of the status in life they may have been enticed with from birth. Tennant also acknowledges that old age is usually related to changes as well as new demands,” learning and education is not an exemption to this matter of concern” (2002, p 25). He also talks about the importance of providing adult students with the satisfaction an assurance that what they are learning are absolutely beneficial not only for them but also for their family’s generation which follows them along the line (2002, p 122).  Yes, adult years thoroughly explore the new ways in which a person is able to learn more. In relation to this, autonomy and self-direction in learning should also be considered as a vital part of educating the “experienced generation”.

Chapter 3: Methodology

            Through a survey-based research, it could be observed that the presentation of this study both rely on the development of the learning system based on the institutional advancements as based from research and the survey results that had been noted by the researcher of this study. This study shall then be noted to have an impact on the direct description of the situation of modern institutions handling further education and how they particularly relate to the preferences of the students with regards the learning that they would like to receive from their professional institutions.

            The sample population does include several individuals from the rad-tech education in the bachelor degree. Using the questionnaires in this regard had been among the most important part of the process. It is undeniable that the questions are obviously directed to the preferences of the students and how they would like to be served in learning. It could be noted too that the survey also tries to make it a point that the institutions giving advanced education to be expected to improve their system of instructions.

                                                         Chapter 4: Data Analysis

            To present the different results of the survey that had been handled by the researcher of this study, there are different implications of the study aiming to present the preferences of the students in terms of advance learning procedures. The first diagram to be presented shows the strength of the preferences of the students in terms of the services that they ought to receive from an advanced education that they are willing to enroll in.

Diagram 1: Implications of the different elements of learning based on the preferences of the students suggested by the survey results

            Most likely, the result of the survey shows that the sample population showed that the advance learners give high importance to the virtual inculcations within the learning systems that they are accepting. It could be noted to that the lecture-based learning is given the lowest percentage of acceptance, while actual application of the process is given the highest percentage of interest.           

CHAPTER 3: Conclusion    

Making it possible for a company as well as other students to enjoy the benefits of learning upon their own convenience opens a training institution to many challenges, which should also be studied. This is in aim of giving effective and organized way of learning for the stakeholders of the program who were mentioned above. However, there too are limitations that have to be considered along the performance of the training program. This may include the fact that e learning requires several computer skills for the facilitators of the training.

Along with the existence of training programs, the credible qualifications of instructors and facilitators should also be considered by institutions to be able to provide amiably effective training for their clients. The credibility of the instructors as well as their experience in teaching and evaluating students through online education programs should be considered whenever the appointment of trainers is to be executed. In the process of analyzing the evaluation templates used by with regard to its effectiveness in the program, the researcher made certain steps to know how tries to implement their strategic program regarding online teaching.

True, the continuing studies that Radiology Technology students face today is more conveniently assessed along with the integration of the system in connection with the technological systems of instruction. It is undeniable that through this particular truth, students have larger market of choice when they are planning to continue their studied after actually graduating form the bachelor programs that they primarily attended.  True, through the survey results it could be observed that the involvement of higher technology and the inculcation of practically-based practices of the profession is given high appreciation by the advance students.

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