Learning Online is the Future

Distance learning is nothing new, in fact, the first distance learning course was made available in 1728 when snail mail was used to deliver the program! Today, however, it’s fair to say that distance learning is more popular than ever and that’s largely down to the internet and the explosion in fantastic online learning opportunities it has given us all.

Although universities and colleges are still the most popular option, and I don’t think they’ll be leaving us anytime soon, I’, confident that online is set to be our future. Here are a few reasons why I think that is going to be the case:

Learning Online is More Flexible

Learning online, whether you’re studying to be an accountant or working your way towards a bachelor’s in biochemistry is a hundred times more flexible than learning at a college. In most cases, most of the time, you can do your learning at a time that is convenient for you. Obviously, exams will be set for a particular date, and any assignments you have will need to be completed to a deadline, but other than that, unless you have live tutorials and the like, you can watch your lectures and do your studying at 4 am or 4 pm – it really doesn’t matter and that means that you can truly fit your studying around the rest of your life.

Virtual Learning Environments are More Practical

Lectures conducted in a huge room with what can be hundreds of other students can be noisy, uncomfortable and difficult to pay attention to at the best of times if we’re honest, and although, despite that, they are still pretty effective for many people, online learning environments are often better. For one thing, you can access audio and video lectures, as well study materials, at any time of the day or night. Not only that, but you can chat with other students in the forums if you need help and you can carry everything you need to study along with you to be accessed at the touch of a button, it really is revolutionary.

There are More Courses than Ever Before

If you google online degrees or distance learning opportunities, you will find everything from dog grooming courses to online school counseling masters programs, and a whole host of other weird and wonderful options. That means that you can truly find the right course for you, without being limited by your location or the extremely high costs that some offline colleges charge for their most popular courses.

All Students Can Study at Their Own Pace

One of the worst things about traditional courses is the fact that they follow a tight schedule and the whole class is required to keep up if they want to pass. I totally understand why this has to be the case, but it doesn’t really help a lot of students, who all learn and absorb knowledge at their own pace. Online learning, to a large degree, eliminates this problem by enabling students to study their course materials at their own pace for as long as they need to.

Have you taken an online course? How did you find it?