Effectiveness of Online Courses over Traditional Education

Why Are Online Courses More Effective Today Than Traditional Education? The ever-growing availability of online courses in the past couple of years has come as a rescue for learners who want to get over the traditional learning practices. With around 3 million students enrolled in full-time online courses and more than six million students undertaking a minimum one online course along with their degree, online learning has steadily become the most popular alternative for education. Although initially online learning came with its own limitations, gradually the benefits of distance learning have outweighed its limitations and have proved that online learning is as effective as traditional learning. If you are confused whether to enroll in an online course or continue with your traditional classes, this article will help you in understanding how taking online courses can be more effective than traditional education in the contemporary world. Greater Variety of Programmes and Courses One of the best benefits of online learning is its potential for offering a vast variety of courses to students from all sectors. So, whether you are a recent high school graduate or a working professional, there are various programmes and courses to suit your needs. From enrolling in a full-time academic degree programme to undertaking a certified course to compliment your existing degree, the options are endless. Lower Academic Costs Despite the noticeable differences between the tuition fees of online courses and traditional colleges, there are other expenses which can be saved while undertaking an online course. A majority of online courses offer required course material such as online textbooks for free. This means no need for students to invest in books every year or make special trips to the library to borrow books. Also, an online course can be undertaken from the comfort of your own home and students can save a huge amount of money on daily transportation or renting a room near the university campus. Some of the prestigious universities also offer absolutely free online courses. Although these courses might not come with a certificate of completion, there is no harm in broadening your knowledge in your free time with the help of expert educators. Flexible Learning Environment The most interesting part of online learning is that students can study in their own comfort zone and have full control over the environment in which they plan to study. While traditional classes expect students to sit in crowded classrooms and regularly attend lectures as per the college timings, online learning can be done at your own pace. A majority of online courses follow a weekly learning format, where students can log into their accounts, go through the course material, take part in online class discussions and work on writing assignments by the end of the week. This kind of flexible study schedule where students can decide their preferable time and easily schedule their classes based on their convenience makes online courses a widely preferred option over traditional learning. It gives students an opportunity to give enough time to their work, family and to carry out other extra-curricular activities simultaneously. Growth in Career As per a recent survey, 73% of people think of themselves as lifelong learners. However, most of them are not able to fulfill their desire of learning either due to additional responsibilities in the form of maintaining a full-time job, family and other commitments. The time required to meet these commitments might be reflected in academic gaps both in your class report as well as your resume. As online courses offer flexibility and are available round the clock, students from different domains of lives can take its full advantage. So, whether you decide to learn in between your regular jobs or while taking time out from your daily chores, online learning will offer complete freedom for you to complete your course. Learning while working also shows your ambitious attitude towards prospective employers and your desire to be prepared for the new workplace challenges. Ultimately adding a number of certified courses to your resume will further help you climb up the career ladder. Social Interaction Some people might resist taking up online courses as they consider it only a one-way process and they have a fear of lagging behind due to not being able to catch up with the social interactions happening in a college classroom. However, the good news is even online courses come with lots of one-to-one and group interactions with your instructors and peers. These interactions are specially designed to keep the students focused and motivated throughout the course. This type of communication mostly occurs through video chat or online discussions. So, students need to show up at the time of these live interactions to participate. Â   Nowadays, a few of the courses also offer pre-recorded videos of the lectures given in a traditional classroom. Such videos are useful for social learners who have the ability to pick up from the class discussions thus gaining a deeper understanding of the assigned course material. Such online interactions are also great for students who are shy of being a part of face-to-face class interactive sessions. Discipline and Self-motivation Online learning also teaches students to be more disciplined and self-motivated. As online courses come along with other sets of responsibilities, students learn to study at their own pace and are more likely to excel in time management skills. Most of the students develop their own strategies to study uninterruptedly at their homes. Just make sure you do not get carried away with the flexibility and put in full efforts to stay on the right track and complete your online course in the assigned duration. Regular Assessment and Transfer of Credits Additionally, online courses offer students regular short tests to improve their focus and engagement. These short tests become a part of the continuous assessment which allows tutors to understand the student’s progress. The greater the number of assessments a student goes through, the more the tutors are able to assist students in the weak areas. Interestingly, some of the universities these days even allow students to take up online classes from an accredited school and transfer the credits to the main university.