Summary
- Thanks to online learning, you can now take quality education from a top college even if you live on a remote island.
- You are your own master in online learning. Nobody is going to interfere in your schedule, but then, as they say, with great freedom comes great responsibility.
- If you do not use your precious time effectively, you will lose any possible edge over students who take in-person classes.
The popularity of online learning is at an all-time high, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are opting for it because of its convenience and relatively low cost.
In this blog, we have talked about the pros and cons of online education. If you are mulling taking an online diploma or degree, this blog will help you.
Pros of Online Learning
You Can Learn at Your Pace
Many online programs provide you the opportunity to learn at your own pace. It especially becomes easier for institutions that offer recorded course material. This means that students can take classes whenever they want.
Students can also pause the video and watch it again to clarify their concepts. This facility is not available in in-person classes because it is not easy for students to ask the teacher to repeat their point.
Learning at your pace means that you can choose your class timings yourself. There is no need to be at the college or university at a certain time. You can start or end your session easily, eat and drink coffee or tea, and then resume the class as per your situation.
Online Learning is Cheaper
Online education is cheaper in most cases. The reason is that universities and colleges do not need to spend huge amounts of money to maintain a big campus for students. This also means that institutions do not need to spend money on a large administrative staff or pay high electricity and gas bills. Subsequently, education institutes can offer way cheaper diplomas and degrees.
On the one hand, a student does not need to spend money on commuting to take classes. This not only saves money but also a lot of time. This is one of the reasons why the popularity of online learning has significantly increased after the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, since students do not need to attend classes at a specific time, they can easily do part-time jobs during their studies. This means that not only does your education become cheaper, but you can also easily earn to support your studies.
No Geographic Limitation
Online learning has erased borders. It does not matter which country or city you live in. You can take quality education from a top college even if you live on a remote island.
There is no need to spend money on airplane tickets or spend thousands of dollars on living expenses in a foreign country. Your room is enough to connect with your class directly and interact with students from different cultures.
This can not compensate for an in-person interaction, but considering the cost of an online degree, this is still a very good opportunity to learn from students who come from different cultures.
Cons of Online Learning
Limited Networking Opportunities
Online learning provides so many benefits, but it certainly has some limitations. One restraint is that compared to in-person learning, online education provides you limited networking opportunities.
As an online student, you can not take part in college events like seminars and workshops. Colleges invite leading experts as external guest speakers to deliver lectures, and this provides an extraordinary networking opportunity to students.
Such opportunities help students to show their interpersonal skills to faculty as well as visiting experts. In some cases, these interactions with experts also result in getting job offers.
You Can Easily Be Disorganised
Online learning can also leave you disorganised. Since students do not have to follow a college schedule, they make one as per their own ease. However, if students do not carefully monitor their productivity, they can fall into a trap.
Frankly speaking, online students need to work harder to take benefit of that extra time that they save for not commuting to the campus. If you are not using this additional time effectively, you will lose any possible edge over students who take in-person classes.
In online education, you are on your own. You are your own master. Nobody is going to interfere in your schedule, but then, as they say, with great freedom comes great responsibility.
Some people also believe online education is easier. This is not true because you still have to complete a lot of assignments and manage a lot.
Limited Opportunities to Improve Interpersonal Skills
Students who take online classes may not get enough opportunities to polish their interpersonal skills. Employers keep a keen eye on the interpersonal skills; hence, it is extremely important for students to take care of these traits while they are in school.
There is a higher possibility for a student who joins in-person classes to work on his or her interpersonal skills. Simply because in-person classes provide on-campus experience and thus offer greater interaction outside of classes. In the case of online education, students need to go an extra mile to understand the importance of this skill and appropriately work on it.
Conclusion
Online learning has opened up tremendous opportunities to learn. As a student, you have many more opportunities to learn than ever before. It is up to you to decide which kind of education suits you. Do some research and plan according to your responsibilities, job targets and availability of time.
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