Distance learning is not a new phenomenon by any means. Many universities offered distance programs throughout the world. However, as technology evolved and the internet became more accessible, online learning started to develop.
For the last two decades, online learning has completely changed the way we think about education and with all of the development and research that is being put into online learning, there has to be merit.
This year showed the world just how valuable online education is and as a result of the global pandemic, people who had their reservations have realized that it is the way of the future. But what makes online education better than the norm?
Ubiquitous learning
The one area where online education beats the traditional classroom hands down is the class schedule. Traditionally, students would have to go to campus and follow a very strict timetable. For many students, this was an impossibility and it rendered their college days useless.
Online education is not bound to a physical class and a specific time of day. Rather, it affords the student to have some freedom in how they plan and run their days. Not all students can do it full-time as they need to work to pay the bills. With online education, time is less of a factor as students can plan their days according to their situation.
There is more variety
Online education is an international affair and because the studies are not geographically tied, they can enroll for courses on a different continent. There is a massive selection of courses of varying degrees.
One can even join an online law school at Abraham Lincoln University, which has been at it since 1996. At ALU, they know the ropes and their courses are well drawn up. All the material is online and prerecorded, which means that students have access to the learning material at any time of the day.
Affordability
On average, an online degree is less expensive than a traditional degree. The institutions that provide online courses do not have to spend money on physical buildings, upkeep of terrain etc. They can plow their money into more stable networks, new technologies and research.
It also allows them to keep their courses competitively priced. Some people will argue that you cannot replace the physical classroom for a virtual one, but that myth was shattered during this year.
In essence, when you receive your online degree, the qualification means just as much as the traditional one, but you will not have nearly as much debt as what you would have.
Online learning is more collaborative and engaging
People fear public speaking more than death, which is why it is so easy to get lost in the crowd in a traditional education system. When studying online, there is no way to hide and communication is not as intimidating.
There is more opportunity for one-on-one sessions with the lecturers and when one speaks in a virtual space, the playing field is leveled. No one can pick up on the finer nuances of fear, making people bolder and more willing to engage and collaborate with their peers.
Fast feedback
In an online education environment, the assessments have to be set up to provide immediate feedback to the students. Depending on where you do your courses, the lecturers are only an email away if they usually get back to students quite fast.
Seeing that the students are not in class and cannot query the lecturers on the fly, the courses usually have a number of diagnostic assessments to determine if there is a gap in understanding. This translates to more contact time with the lecturers.