Disclaimer: information on this site is compiled from the following sources: NitroCollege and Education.com
Online education has been on the rise since more people are now choosing to learn on their own schedule, at their own pace and anywhere where there is internet. With the advent of technologies such as advanced Learning Managament Systems (LMSs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), it has become possible to take your studies anywhere you are, and even save money while at it.
As demand feeds supply, more courses are being offered virtually than ever before, even classes that were once thought of as hands-on learning only. Today the vast array of skills and knowledge one can acquire all within the comfort of their home is staggering. It is possible for you to make an entire career change all within a span of few months, thanks to online career certificate programs offered by major providers like Google, Microsoft, and may other MOOC platforms.
Huge strides in technology have made it possible for you to obtain a college education whereever you are. As long as you have a computer and access to the Internet, the entire knowledge of the world is at your fintertips, if you decide to use it.
That’s hardly an exaggeration when you consider that for the past few years, highly prestigious schools, such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, have been offering full, non-credit courses of study online for free through something called MOOCs (which stands for massive open online course). MOOCs generally have the same professors and the same study material you’d get if you were attending the university in-person.
It was probably inevitable that schools would begin wanting to monetize all of the material they were providing online. In 2013, Georgia Tech became the first school to create a MOOC-based degree program. The University of Illinois followed suit two years later. Now, more than 30 brick-and-mortar schools offer MOOC-based degrees, through partnerships with tech-ed companies like Coursera, edX, and Udacity.
Absenteeism and scheduling conflicts are virtually removed from the online learning equation. While some programs may require participation in online lectures at certain times, others have no scheduled meetings and all the materials can be accessed by students at any time. Because online learning is more flexible than classroom-based learning, students can work through material at their own pace. Those who need more time to grasp a concept can take it, and others who want to work through coursework faster may do so as well.
Online education enables the teacher and the student to set their own learning pace, and there’s the added flexibility of setting a schedule that fits everyone’s agenda. As a result, using an online educational platform allows for a better balance of work and studies, so there’s no need to give anything up. Studying online teaches you vital time management skills, which makes finding a good work-study balance easier. Having a common agenda between the student and teacher can also prompt both parties to accept new responsibilities and have more autonomy.
Researchers have begun diving into how efficient online learning is compared to classroom education. So far, the results have been promising. A study from California State University in San Bernadino found that two different sets of students — one group who studied online and the other who went to class — who received the same instruction from the same professor fared equally well in terms of performance. However, the study revealed that online students were less intimidated about participating, and that there was a higher-quality of interaction between students and the professor.
Online classes are more likely to present material in attention-grabbing, multimedia formats that may be better suited to today’s students. Educators have long known that different people take in information in different ways, but educational methods have struggled to adapt. If you're someone whose eyes glaze over during a classroom lecture, you may find that you respond better to online learning approaches.
Believe it or not, online learners may actually have more contact with their educators than classroom learners. Online students are generally asked to complete more-frequent assessments so that professors can monitor their competence. Because of this, learning gaps can be identified and addressed faster, rather than allowing a struggling student to slip through the cracks until exam time.
In a space as vast and wide as the internet, there are infinite skills and subjects to teach and learn. A growing number of universities and higher education schools are offering online versions of their programs for various levels and disciplines. From music composition to quantum physics, there are options for every type of student. Studying your program online is also a great option for getting an official certificate, diploma, or degree without physically setting foot on a university campus.
As mentioned before, flexibility can help you set your own study pace but online education is also flexible for each student's individual requirements and level of ability.
Online classes tend to be smaller than conventional class size, which allows for greater interaction and more feedback between you and your tutor. Online education also enables access to a very diverse material such as pictures, videos, audios, and eBooks which are intergrated with other formats like forums and discussions to make lessons more engaging. All of this additional content is available at any moment from anywhere which makes for a more dynamic and tailored education.
Getting comfortable with technology is an excellent side benefit to online education.As technology advances, workforces are becoming increasingly distributed. Whether you’re working with someone across the state or across the world, becoming adept at technology for video conferencing, messaging, aggregating information, and collaborating is a skill set that you're likely to find a need for in the job market.
What’s the biggest difference between online and traditional school? The campus, obviously. If you attend a regular college, you’re probably going to spend several thousand dollars a year on room and board, as well as transportation. Online college removes all of those expenses from the equation, effectively yielding you a five-figure discount during the course of your studies.
Unlike in-person education, online education tends to be more affordable too. There’s also often a wide range of payment options that let you pay in installments or per class, which allows you to learn better budget management. Many of you may also be subject to discounts or scholarships, so the price is rarely high. You can also save money from the commute and class materials, which are often available for free. In other words, the monetary investment is less, but the results can be better than other options.
Academics have seen the value in online education for quite some time. A 2012 study from Babson/College Board showed that 77% of academic leaders believed that online education offerings were just as good, if not better, than classroom-based educational offerings. Employers are also getting that message. A recent article in U.S. News & World Report shows that more hiring managers are seeing the value in online degrees, as long as they come from properly accredited institutions.
Online college options are going to continue to increase in popularity as costs get lower (thanks to better technology) and quality of instruction continues to evolve and improve. Within the next generation, online learning will become more of a norm and less of a novelty.
An online learning platform is a website and/or app that allows students to study some topics of interest wholly online and remotely. They’re typically geared at adult professionals who have already finished their traditional schooling, and while some will offer full certificate or even degree programs, most focus on teaching individual courses.
Online learning platforms come with a pretty big range of prices, but in general, the one thing they all have in common is that they’re usually cheaper than similar courses at traditional colleges and universities.There are two main types of platforms: per-course platforms, where you pay by the class or course package, or subscription platforms, where you pay a flat rate (usually monthly or annually) to access an unlimited number of individual courses within the given time.
Online platforms are usually video-based in some way, with audio and video lectures forming the backbone of the classes. For classes teaching hands-on topics, such as creative courses or computer science, the top platforms will usually have a built-in way for students to practice their new skills and get instructor feedback.
Other features you might find are discussion boards, supplemental readings, and even quizzes or exams. Most classes on these platforms are self-paced, either in part or in full, so there won’t be as much simultaneous work with other students as you’d have in a typical class, and you probably won’t have to tune in to live lectures or meetings — although, a few platforms do offer one-on-one tutoring or coaching for some courses. The key is finding a platform whose style works for you in terms of how independent of a student you tend to be and what you’re hoping to get out of a given class.