10 Benefits of Online Education

By Pallavi Pradeep Purbey

Online Education is the new age change that students are adapting to gracefully and the benefits of online education in today's world are endless.

Online education is the newly evolved form of education where students study from their homes with the help of computers and the internet. At present COVID-19 still have an impact on our lives where we are not able to move out freely in public areas. We have been facing this situation since March 2020, where students can't go to schools, colleges, or tuition for their studies, this is where online education made a crucial role in everybody's lives. Online Education made it convenient for the students to attend their classes from their homes.

Also, for people who do not have the time to study on campus either because they have full-time jobs, families to take care of, or non-availability of transport takes up distance learning, also called online schooling or online classes. The benefits of online education are that it is user-friendly, flexible, result-driven, and cheaper than on-campus education.

• What is Online Education?
• 9 Benefits of Online Education
• Importance of Online Education
• Objectives of Online Education
• 10 Ways to Learn Through Online Education

What is Online Education?

Online education is a type of education that is delivered and administered using the internet. Online education can be divided into numerous categories depending on the amount of online learning included in the course, ranging from offline, face-to-face learning to unified learning to complete online courses. It is a flexible instructional delivery system that consists of any kind of education via the internet. Online education gives educators a prospect to reach students who may not be competent to enrol in a traditional classroom course and supports students who require to work on their schedule and at their own pace.

The magnitude of distance learning and online degrees in most disciplines is enormous and increasing rapidly. Schools and institutions that tender online learning are also growing in number. Students pursuing degrees via the online approach must be discerning to ensure that their coursework is done through an appreciated and well-recognized institution.

9 Benefits of Online Education

The benefits of online education are endless. It has been considered a boon for the education sector. It has helped students learn efficiently by gaining resources and attending lectures online. It is deemed cheaper and reliable as students can learn and practice independently without pressure and stiff competition like in real classrooms. Online Education provides well-established information via the curriculum and other resources from every sphere of life.

1. Affordable
2. Plethora of Choices
3. Widely Accepted
4. Self-paced Learning
5. Comfortable
6. No Peer Pressure
7. Saves Travel Time and Cost
8. More Interaction
9. Flexibility
10. Other Benefits of Online Education

Affordable

Although the fee for the course may remain the same, students get to cut down on extra fees they pay for classrooms, amenities, hostels, meals, etc. Another cost students save via online Education is textbooks, the availability of cheaper digital books cuts down hefty expenditure on textbooks. Also, many universities and colleges provide distance learning scholarships which make the fee very cheap. Many programs offer free Education too.

Plethora of Choices

Take an example of a student who wishes to pursue Biomedical Engineering in Karnataka, and there are only 7 colleges in the entire state that offer this course. If the student fails to pursue the course due to the proximity to the college, Online Education comes in handy. Thus, irrespective of the region, one can take up distance learning for their desired course on its non-availability in the nearby colleges.

If one doesn't get the course they desire on campus; it is available on distance learning. The options of courses and skills one gets to select from are vast on Online Education. One could also choose the kind of teacher they'd want them to teach. This makes online Education personalized. Also, students can gain knowledge about every sphere of life.

Widely Accepted

The fast-growing technology has widely popularized Online Education. Many online learning platforms are emerging every day, intending to share knowledge and skills with many students. Top universities and colleges have also made their on-campus courses accessible to online classes.

Even graduates are getting certified in new skills and courses of the latest trends. So they take up online learning of these skills to keep up with the latest developments. These online certifications are also accepted in companies, and online graduates get good jobs based on their studies.

Self-paced Learning

"All fingers are not the same" often one would have heard the expression; similarly, all students cannot be generalized, and each has a pace to pick things up. In an offline classroom where all students are taught simultaneously, everyone might not receive them at that pace- some faster, some slower.

Online Education enables students to learn topics at their own pace and comfort. Unlike traditional learning, it doesn't dictate students to adjust to their pace but, in turn, adjusts to the students'.

Comfortable

Students can learn sitting at home, amidst the nature of their favourite places, and learn unlike in traditional learning where they are bound to sit amidst four classroom walls. When students choose their surroundings, it makes them comfortable and easier to focus on the topics they're learning without distractions or complaints.

No Peer Pressure

Like in schools, where the teachers and other students pressurize to score well, online Education helps students focus on themselves and do better. When the competition isn't very stiff and healthy, students can concentrate more and make the most out of their study time.

Saves Travel Time and Cost

Many students live at places far from their colleges and must travel hours to and fro from the college. In online Education, one can utilize this time for studying as the college is brought to you online. Thousands of rupees are spent on commuting, and online Education can save that.

More Interaction

Some colleges have over 80 students placed in a classroom; this makes it very difficult for the teachers to not focus on every student's learning due to the large number and limited time. In online Education, the teacher focuses on the student's progress better, and the child can clear their doughnuts any time of the day. This increases the student-teacher interaction better.

Flexibility

In traditional colleges, where class hours are fixed, and students are strictly asked to follow a tight schedule, sometimes it becomes difficult for both the student and teacher to adhere to them. The recorded classes found in online Education solve this problem. A student can watch the recorded lecture anytime and on repeat until the concept is very well understood.

Other Benefits of Online Education

Online graduations and courses have turned out to be trendy in the past decade. People are satisfied and study at their own pace without any pressure. The best part is that anyone in the world can leverage the benefits of online education.

• One can learn the course of their choice through online resources.
• Students learn more comfortably in an environment that suits them best.
• Online courses look great on a resume and curriculum vitae.
• Students can learn at their own pace.
• Lower costs than conventional teaching approaches are provided by online Education.
• Review lectures instantly as per the requirement of a student.
• Less intimidating and free Education is provided at many sites and apps.
• It gives more time to think before sharing resources via online Education.
• Focus on ideas, opinions, and thoughts while sharing them with other members in online learning.
• Group communication is manifested, and people strive to get rid of the fear of being wrong.
• A flexible learning schedule is provided by online Education.
• Cost-effective as people can reduce the cost of travel, uniforms, etc., in Online Education.
• Students benefit from online Education as it diversifies learning approaches.
• Instructor availability of resources is abundant in online Education.

Importance of Online Education

Online education has become a feasible and exciting method for instructional deliverance in the global business society that runs on a 24/7 schedule because it provides students with enormous flexibility. With the increased ease of use of the Internet and computer technology, nowadays, students can access information anytime and anyplace that would usually be obtainable only through a traditional classroom. Moreover, studies have shown that students learn just as efficiently in an online classroom as in the conventional classroom.

• Online education facilitates the teacher and the student to set their learning pace. There is the added flexibility of setting a schedule that fits everyone's list of items.
• As a result, using an online educational platform permits a better balance of work and studies, so there's no need to give anything up in any sphere of life.
• The most delicate part of online education is that the students in India are passionate about this concept. They want to demonstrate their skills and capabilities while learning in an ideal and interactive environment.
• Online education has taken away the geographical and financial obstructions for getting a quality education.
• Online Education offers professionals the flexibility to recover and update their skill set while functioning concurrently. This helps them in staying updated about the presented advancements and technologies.
• Online education serves to be a time-saving and cost-effective route for any career.

The quality of education and, in general, the learning experience has seen a marvellous development with Online Education. A majority of students in India desire to make a career in the IT and business domain. The most significant aspect of online education is - no restrictions.

Considering India's talent and the populace, Distance Education has a very hopeful future, and the students' expectations are relatively high. Moreover, many business competitors have foreseen this growing industry's scope and are planning to enter the online education sphere. Summing it up, online education is all set to renovate the education scenario in India at this stage.

Objectives of Online Education

Online education has become a new trend, and every student is willing to learn and practice. Apart from students, working professionals also benefit from online learning. It has given a platform to enrich the skills and nurture with time and technology.

• Develop the quality of learning and teaching by Online Education.
• Convene the learning style or needs of students by Online Education.
• Develop the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching and developing via Online Education.
• Recover user accessibility and time flexibility to connect with learners in the learning process via Online Education.
• Endow with direct, universal access to information and services for all faculty, staff, and students.
• Improve the online interaction ability for individuals and groups connected with the School of Education.
• Expand and improve technology, support tools to meet the School of Education's present needs and expectations.
• Obtain feedback from users on contentment levels of current services, new services, and execute changes accordingly.
• Increase security awareness throughout the learning methods in Online Education.

10 Ways to Learn Through Online Education

The benefits of online education can be reaped by various means as students can get enrolled in numerous institutions via online methods and learn any online course.

1. e-Books help in the current assessment of the resources
2. Journals help in giving valuable information
3. Videos help in gaining knowledge
4. Recorded lectures to refer to at any point in time of the day
5. Quizzes to access the experience gained
6. Discussion forums to hear everyone's opinions and views
7. Live Q&A sessions for detailed understanding
8. Online engagement by group learning
9. Tests are conducted to access and give feedback
10. Making e-learning content mobile by providing an abundance of resources

Online education apps help students learn from anywhere, whether they are at home or somewhere outdoors.

The following apps offer various courses based on your interest; some are free and paid yet cheaper than offline courses.

[Article courtesy: GetMyUni https://www.getmyuni.com/]

All photo courtesy: Pixabay.com