Online education is not a new idea, but it has seen much traction since the pandemic began in 2020. Similarly, a lot more students turned to professional paper writers available online and chose to write their essays from sites like DoMyEssay or a similar paper writing service. Following the current SOPs for the pandemic, online education was the answer if education continued.
While many were skeptical of this idea and seemed to think it would go out of fashion soon, the skyrocketing industry trends show that it is here to stay. Online education has turned into the new normal, with new platforms rising to prominence every so often.
According to the founder of edX, Anant Agarwal, “The growth has been pretty staggering. We saw a 15-fold, not 15%, a 15-fold increase in the number of new learners registering on edX during April 2020.”
Many factors contribute to its growing popularity. People laid off from their jobs began enrolling in online classes to polish their knowledge and apply for new jobs. Some people learn new skills to create their income sources through the internet. People who could not go to university found their solution in online degree programs.
Here are some facts about online education that you should know if you are considering an online degree
1) Online Degrees Are Valid
This myth is that online education degrees are not as valuable as a real university. That’s a lie. Online degrees are highly valued because they allow people to study while also working.
Companies prefer it because it allows them time to work and upgrade their skills. It is easier to apply and enroll in an online degree program in some cases. For instance, if you want an online MBA with no GMAT, you can apply for it without appearing for a GMAT exam.
A survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com stated that 83% of executives say that “an online degree is as credible as one earned through a traditional campus-based program.”
2) Set Your Pace
One of the biggest pros of online education is how flexible it is. Courses are designed to allow students to follow along at their own pace, which is a major plus point for someone whose schedule is already packed.
It is also easier to level up because there aren’t any extracurriculars to take attention off the main study course that serious students appreciate. Self-paced courses are also great and convenient for those with responsibilities, such as students with elderly parents to care for or someone with a very young child.
Some universities also offer accelerated and fast-track courses that let you finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.
Often the lectures are recorded, which helps if you couldn’t attend the class in real-time, and it is also especially helpful for revision before exams as you can go through the actual class lecture instead of only your notes.
3) Age Is Not A Barrier
For online degree programs, education is available to everyone. Most programs do not have an age limit, making it great for older people who may want to upskill or boost their careers by stacking up certified courses. This situation is usually not the case with regular universities, where there are defined age standards set for Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, often allowing entry to only those in their twenties and thirties.
4) Ease Of Access
Ease of accessibility is another pro for online education. All you need is a laptop or pc and an internet connection, and you’re good to go. With access to classroom resources, you can attend your classes virtually anywhere so long as you have a quiet space to work with an internet connection. Since it’s online, your classes and course materials are available to you 24/7, so you can study any time you want.
5) High Standards Of Education
Another common myth is that you don’t get the same standard of education with online learning because skilled teachers do not teach these courses. This notion is a misconception. If the program and school of your choice are accredited, the courses will be taught by a credentialed professor. These are the same professors who teach at the university campuses and come equipped with loads of information and years of experience.
6) Diversity In Learning
The remoteness in online education means there is a diversity in the staff and the students. Your tutors and peers are people from around the globe, which provides you with a broad learning scope. You may also learn about different cultures, widening your horizons and adding depth to your perspective about the world. You may even form lifelong friendships with some of those people.
7) Affordability
In a time where student loans are the bane of every former student’s existence, online education brings salvation in the form of low-cost degree programs. Online learning diminishes the cost of student’s transportation, and not to forget, real estate since school buildings save up on rent and utility bills. Paper costs are also minimized due to the whole course material made available online. In short, you receive a high-quality education at a lesser cost due to a significant decrease in the overhead required to run these programs.
8) Online Communities
To some people, the idea of an online degree feels lonely because it seems to miss an integral part of school life: Classmates and a social life. They may think that it does not give your peers that “classroom feel” and connection. However, most programs are designed so that students can be in touch through online resources such as discussion boards, chats, and video conferences. Because you have access to them through learning management systems and emails, you may experience even more student-to-student and student-teacher connection opportunities than in the classroom.
There is an opportunity for better and direct relationships with teachers because it is more convenient now that you don’t have to wait for office hours to contact them.
9) No Discrimination
Studies have found out a wide diversity of students present in online education, including women and people of color. While there might be discriminations based on gender and race in real life, the focus is more on the educational aspect than the social aspect. Having a virtual space to interact with new people makes it more inviting to people who may have been the subject of prejudice from other groups of people in real life.
10) No Commute
Let’s not forget about a major benefit: the lack of commuting. Imagine not having to worry about getting late for a class or having to dash through the roads in cold and windy weather – how awesome would that be! You also get to save up on fuel and transportation money – making an online degree even more cost-effective.
One of the advantages of having no commute is that it better caters to people with disabilities. The hardship of travel is eliminated, and studying online levels the playing ground for all the students since everything is academic and not based on extra-curricular.
Conclusion
Since the pandemic is still here, it stands to reason that there might be a long time before things return to normal in the education sphere. Online education is proven to be successful, and from statistics, the trends only seem to point towards more growth.
There are multiple benefits to studying online, such as its cost-effectiveness, ease of access, and the ability to manage your time and take classes on your schedule. You save time and money that would otherwise be spent traveling to and fro from the institute as was common pre-pandemic. If you are considering upskilling or getting an online degree, you should give it some serious thought and go ahead with it as it truly does offer many benefits – at least you won’t be one of those people still stuck with student debt!
