In the face of higher tuition fees, budget cuts, and the need for flexible learning schedules for part-timers, more people are enrolling for online courses. Recent statistics show that more than three million students are currently enrolled in a public university or college online with close to six million others taking at least one short course over the internet.
But it’s not just flexibility, online learning comes with several other advantages such as;
● Lower total costs
This is one of biggest advantages of online education. An online course is always going to be less expensive compared to traditional colleges and university education no matter what. Even if the tuition fee itself isn’t lower, the fact that there are no commuting costs at all means you eventually spend less. Moreover, an online course will not require materials such as textbooks because most of them are available online free of charge.
● Convenience and flexibility
An online course gives students the opportunity to plan their study time around the rest of their day, something that is practically impossible with traditional education. The student can study in the morning and work for the rest of the day or the other way round and there wouldn’t be cases of missed classes. It’s no wonder most people who study part time prefer online courses.
● Less pressure means students are likely to enjoy their studies
A major problem with traditional educational setups where students have to show up in class in order to learn is the intense pressure it puts on the student. With most colleges/universities taking roll calls to ensure everyone is in class, sometimes students just show up in class because they have no otherwise. Online education is different. Somehow, the student feels a sense of freedom and responsibility at the same time. This leads to greater willingness to learn and more enjoyable learning sessions.
● More rewarding interactions especially among shy students
Some students are naturally shy meaning that they may not participate in face-to-face conversations as much they would like. Often, this causes them to remain silent in class and perhaps even miss important discussions for fear of intimidation from the rest of the class. Online courses fully solve this problem by replacing face-to-face sessions with online interactions. You immediately get the feeling that even shy students would have something to smile about.
● Ease of career advancement
Online education is also better because it allows you to advance your career without having to stop whatever else you’re currently engaged in. For instance, you don’t have to stop leaning just because you have a little baby. Also, you can take an online course or even an entire degree program while working or in-between jobs.
● Learn from anywhere
The other reason you should choose an online course over traditional courses is because you can take lessons from anywhere, even when traveling. Again, this is something you cannot talk of in the traditional setup. Today, students living in Maryland are taking courses offered in Best Traffic School located in the California area without a problem. Isn’t this the kind of convenience we have always yearned?
● The possibility of credit transfer
Finally, if you’re enrolled in a traditional college/university, you can now transfer credit to an online learning institution and continue your education there. Similarly, if your college is not offering enough open sections of a required course, then you can take the course online at a different college and transfer the credits.
Summary
As you can see, there is so much to gain from taking an online course. So, why not enroll today?