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Ten Advantages to Online Learning

As digital technologies and the Internet have evolved over the past 30 years, so has online learning. No longer the text-based, isolating experience it was, online learning today translates into freedom, flexibility and economy. Following are 10 advantages online courses have over traditional “brick and mortar” programs:

Control Your Pace

Online learning frees students of the traditional mandatory “seat time” required of location-based learning. This means motivated students can put in extra hours to complete course assignments at a much swifter pace.

Learn from a Range of Experts

Unbound by physical limitations, online learning allows students access to a broad selection of experts from countries around the world, not just a single professor.

Collaborate with Colleagues Globally

The twenty-first century workplace is a multicultural environment where knowledge and understanding of a range of perspectives equals success. Enjoy the benefits of working online with students from countries and cultures around the globe.

Enjoy Motivating Technologies

Internet-based instruction can go far the beyond traditional paper-based, textbook to offer students engaging interactive multimedia learning experiences that appeal to a broad range of learning modalities.

Personalize Your Learning Experience

Teachers and professors of online learning often report they spend more hours working with students than in traditional venues. Opportunities for ongoing chats, questions and answers and email exchanges can help enhance communication and individualize the learning experience for students.

Establish Supportive Communities of Learning

Once connected via the Web, students can easily continue to keep in touch long after a course is completed. Web 2.0 “participatory” applications such as forums, blogs, and social networking sites encourage ongoing professional development and resource sharing.

Keep Your Day Job

Perhaps the biggest barrier to achieving an online degree or even taking a single course is the lack of flexibility you have as a working professional. The “anytime, anywhere” freedom offered by online learning means you can complete coursework in your off hours and still bring home that crucial paycheck.

Save Time

Accessing the Internet-based resources of your online class means booting up and logging on to your computer at any hour on any day. No need to travel, craft your time around a class, or wait for other students to “be on the same page.” You can maximize your time online and still have dinner with your family.

Save Money

The logistics of meeting with a class in a “brick and mortar” environment can translate into money spent. Paying for lodging on or near a campus can be prohibitive. Beyond that, maintaining a car, buying gas, and paying for parking can add up, as well.

Be Recognized as a 21st Century Learner

Online courses and degree programs today have achieved a status of legitimacy equal to traditional course and degree programs. In fact, the integration of Internet technology and multimedia into online courses assures prospective employers that students have the necessary skills for the 21st Century workplace.