Coronavirus pandemic has singlehandedly shifted the paradigm of global education from offline to online and this obviously has skyrocketed the popularity of online and distance learning courses. The pandemic-enforced lockdown has undeniably altered the fortunate of online education as no one had imagined. But pandemic or no pandemic, online and distance education courses offer a unique set of advantages that conventionally puts them in a different league altogether.
Reasons That Makes Online & Distance Learning Courses Absolutely Worth It
This article seeks to enlighten the readers about these advantages and also provide a clinching argument as to what makes online education worthy pursuit for career aspiring students.
As for all those who are still confused about whether online and distance education courses are one and the same. Well, the internet’s rapid penetration over the years has meant that the line between online education and distance education has been greatly blurred. In other words, they can be termed as one and the same and both terms are often used interchangeably.
Now that we’ve cleared the confusion, let’s straight away head into the main topic of this article.
Affordability
Unlike full-time courses, fees of most online courses are far more economical and therefore it doesn’t dig a deep hole in your pocket. Online courses’ affordable quotient allows students to proficiently sharpen their skillsets without compelling them to spend an astronomical amount. This invariably makes them a perfect and conducive option for students hailing from middle-income and economically less privileged sections. If someone still doubts this hypothesis then a quick comparison check on the fees of offline and online courses will make it amply clear that the latter makes for an economical and budget-friendly option.
Hassle-free admission
Most often admission to most full-time courses is impeded and complicated due to tough competitive exams, which the students need to crack and pass with flying marks. Needless to say, these competitive exams make most students go through exasperating and undue pressure. Online courses, however, are bereft and devoid of such pressures as it has very relaxed criteria for student admissions. With the exception of a few, most online courses don’t put their applicants or students through the strenuous process of competitive exams. In other words, students can take admission in online courses without having to lose their sleep over competitive exams.
Learning &earning can happen simultaneously
Online course offers are the luxury of learning new skillsets without having to quit your job, a unique advantage that full-time courses can never offer. This unique advantage is a boon for career-oriented people who want to hold down to their jobs for their economic sustainability. This feature is equally beneficial for those who want to further deepen their work experience in their preferred domain without distributing their educational pursuit. Not to mention that simultaneously failing theocratical and practical knowledge invariably puts students in an advantageous position.
Adds great value to your job resume
The ignominious days when online courses suffered due to public bias and negative perception are now very well a thing of the past. The COVID-19 lockdown has brought the unprecedented spotlight on online education and public perception about them has certainly undergone a drastic transformation. This favorable perception is ostensibly reflected in the highly competitive job market, with online education degrees now enjoying far greater acceptance in the corporate world. This positive vibe around online courses is unlikely to diminish near future, which means that students of online courses stand the advantage of adding great weightage to their job resumes. However, it is still recommended that students should do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the colleges and institutes that they are planning to enroll in command a good reputation in the job market.
Superior teaching experience
As online education grows in prominence, more and more distinguished faculty members and industry veterans are openly embracing this new age medium to impart their deep knowledge. Today many colleges and universities are onboarding the most experienced and best faculty members for their online courses. This not only helps colleges in providing superior teaching experience to their students but also enables them in marketing their online courses in the education market. But, more importantly, this noble process has propelled online education’s teaching quality almost on par with its offline education counterpart.
Conclusion: Online education has its own downsides and disadvantages but the above-mentioned advantages put them on a unique pedestal. Therefore, its viability and popularity are unlikely to diminish even in the post-lockdown that will eventually unlock the doors of schools and colleges. Students will continue to be swayed by online courses and avail themselves of the unique advantages that most often offline education fails to provide.
