Melissa Fisher was always sure that she would move overseas to pursue a career in biotechnology. She was looking into the study programs of some of the renowned universities. That’s when she noticed that most of the prominent colleges and universities also have online courses alongside the on-campus programs. So, even though she was keen to move overseas, she weighed the pros and cons and decided to opt for the online courses from the comfort of her home.
For aeons, education was synonymous with stifling classrooms with blackboards, desks and chairs. Communication was mostly one way. But today, students of all ages have far more options with online learning opportunities making waves in the sphere of education.
So, if you’re still indecisive about pursuing online education, we’ll give you valid reasons why you should choose them over conventional learning.
Online learning comes with more variety than regular classrooms
Online learning is more than just sitting behind a computer screen and watching a video. There are several different types of online learning platforms. For instance, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) can teach technology, business, and language courses absolutely free of cost.
There are online tutors that can provide lessons directly to a student, and there are classrooms that blend a traditional curriculum with online components to create a wholesome learning experience. Whereas in the traditional classrooms, the curriculum is so rigid that teachers can do very little in terms of how the materials are taught to students.
Provides the comfort of learning from home
Some days, you may not have time to attend classes, and that’s normal. Now, one of the hidden advantages of online learning is the comfort it allows in the learning process.
This means you can still exercise your mind without the daily grind of reaching college/school on time, jostling through traffic, even pushing through illness so that you don’t miss a class. When you pursue online learning, you can continue your coursework without stepping foot from your home.
Online learning also provides students with the option to learn in the most productive setting. Some students can’t concentrate without complete silence. Others are comfortable listening to music or surround themselves with some form of activity to stay motivated. While the classroom environment forces a particular ambience and format, studying online lets you set your environment as per your personal preferences.
Online learning fosters accountability
If you take an online class, you’re essentially self-guided. And being self-motivated is a skill that even employers and recruiters look for while choosing candidates to hire.
Being able to follow deadlines and fulfil the commitments are super useful life skills, and teaching them early could really assist the younger generations in developing some positive work habits early on in life. It would set them up for a lifetime of success. At the very least, it would teach students what a deadline is and why they can’t turn something in after the time is passed.
Online learning can help mend knowledge gaps
Online learning is specifically helpful for students who need a little extra guidance without hiring a tutor. They don’t even have extra time after school to sit down with their teacher. When a lesson plan is customised for one student, it’ll cater to his/her’s strengths and weaknesses.
In a conventional classroom where you have students with different knowledge levels and backgrounds, all receiving the same type of lecture. “But online classes or lessons allow a student to devote extra time on whatever they’re weak at and skip anything they’re already adept at”, opine academic paper writer online. Really, it’s more useful to teach a curriculum particularly designed for the student instead of trying to make the student fit into the curriculum.
Study at your own pace
Just as your interests are unique, so are your learning styles. Every student has their own pace in terms of grasping the lessons. Some students catch the new information like magnets, while others need to repeat the information to fully absorb them. There’s nothing wrong with either of the learning style, but if you learn in the wrong environment, you’ll waste your time and effort.
Online education is beneficial for both styles of students. In an online learning environment, you’re to liberty to the pace. You’re not competing with anybody else, so you don’t have to feel held back or pressured. Instead, you can skip through or repeat the study materials as many times as you need to feel confident in the learning process.
You’ll have more control over your schedule
Scheduling conflicts and absenteeism will never be an issue in case of online learning. Some courses may require regular participation in online lectures at certain times. Those same lectures are generally archived for students to access later.
Since online learning is more flexible than conventional learning, students can work through the materials at their own pace. It’s suitable for students who need more time to grasp a concept and for those who want to get through the lessons faster. Schedule flexibility is also a brilliant advantage for students who also work full-time or who have other responsibilities that may interfere with regular campus attendance.
Online learning is more accessible to impaired learners
With the advances in instant messaging, voice chat, and other methods of communication, online learning allows blind or deaf students to have the same opportunities as their able-bodied counterparts.
A visual or hearing impaired student won’t have to go to a special school; they can have a personal tutor teach them from the comfort of their homes with supplies and tools personalised to the exact needs of the student. You’d never be able to achieve that level of personalisation in a regular school, no matter how accommodating they’re to the impaired student.
Schools have limitations that prevent them to completely alter a classroom or learning environment. This doesn’t mean classrooms or schools aren’t accepting of impaired students, but online learning tends to be more versatile and suits the individual needs of the students.
Online education costs a lot less
In a traditional education system, you’re probably going to invest several thousand dollars a year on tuitions, accommodations, transportation and other expenses. But in case of online learning, you can take classes even continents away but not have to pay for housing, transportation, or any other expenses apart from the tuitions.
When you calculate that over the course of a year or four, you’re saving significant monetary resources. Opting for online classes could really help college students manage their student loan debt.
Feedback is faster and more frequent
Online learners are actually more connected with their educators than classroom learners. Online students are essentially provided more frequent assessments so that professors can track the students’ competence. This way, the learning gaps can be addressed faster instead of letting a struggling student slip through the cracks until exam time.
This isn’t only about GPAs. When you’re paying for an education, you don’t want to hide in the corner of the classroom. You want to make sure you decipher the course materials so you can use them later.
Winding it up,
While the value of regular, conventional education isn’t going to diminish, but the flexibility and convenience of online learning can’t be denied either. It’ll probably be best if educators and institutions could find a way to work with both these elements to present a wholesome learning experience to the students.
