Is online education a good choice? Is it better than a traditional school? What are some of the advantages of online education? These may be some of the questions you have when thinking about online schooling. Online education has almost all of the same benefits as a regular school. You get the same certifications when attending an online school as you would get with a traditional school.
Colleges have been known to have no problem accepting students who completed grade school online. In fact, they like students who are educated online because it shows that they have self-responsibility and independence to learn on their own.
If you don’t want to take all of your classes online or are worried that online classes aren’t for you, many schools offer online courses as well as traditional classes that you can take at the same time. You can easily try one out to see if it suits you. The credits you get are all transferable, so if you decide to go back or finish at a traditional school, you will not have to retake courses.
Online education is great for students who are shy and don’t want to interact with students directly. It can be tough to be immediately thrown into a new environment especially if you are really shy. Students can take it slow and interact with teachers and their fellow students over calls, messaging, and online discussion boards. Discussion boards are great for shy students to participate in class discussions without having to speak face to face.
Online education is especially helpful for people who travel, but still want to learn. There is no problem with taking your school with you wherever you go, and there are also a great many benefits that come with getting your education online.
Flexibility
One of the biggest advantages of online education is the flexibility. You can fit school around your work schedule and study at your own pace. No longer will there be pressure to keep up with other students. There are asynchronous classes and non-asynchronous classes. An asynchronous class is an online class where you can study and interact with your teacher and classmates at your own pace and you do not need to be present at specific times.
A non-asynchronous class is an online class where you have to be logged on and present at certain times. A non-asynchronous class is only somewhat less flexible. While you have to be present at certain time, the rest of the time you can choose to study whenever you want. You will always have access to everything in a course. You can be studying and taking important notes right before a test.
Part of the flexibility is that you get to choose the learning environment that works the best for you. You can study literally anywhere. For example, at the library, at a café, in your room, or anywhere else that you can think of. You can download lectures and listen to them while you are at the gym or in a car. If it’s a slow day at work, you can study or listen to a lecture.
While you do have to have Wi-Fi for online school, depending on which school you are signed up for you may be able to work mostly offline. You may also be able to download books and websites to view while offline. Concentration is important for studying. It helps you gain a greater understanding of what you are learning. You no longer have to study in rowdy classrooms or crowded places. With online school, you are able to choose a place where you can concentrate the most.
Lower Cost
Undoubtedly, online education is much cheaper than a traditional education. Much less time and money is spent on commuting. You no longer have to take a bus, train, or car to school and pay for gas or a transportation ticket. Worrying about missing your ride and being late is no longer a problem. The school comes to you. Because you no longer have to commute, the time you spent commuting can now be used for studying.
Many online schools are free, especially, for grade school. While online colleges that are completely free are hard to find, many schools offer specific courses for free. Even if you have to pay for semesters, it is much cheaper than having to pay for semesters at a traditional school.
Online schools do not have tuition fees, application fees, and housing fees. Housing fees alone can cost about 10,000 dollars a year. Some online schools even give you the needed books for free. All you need to start an online course is a computer and Wi-Fi.
Self-discipline
When attending an online school you are forced to learn self-discipline. Without it, you will not be able to properly manage your time, which can have devastating consequences. There is no one there but yourself to keep you focused on deadlines.
Online time management tools such as calendars can be a great help. However, self-discipline and time management skills are in no way a disadvantage. They are great advantages of online education and will help you throughout your life, especially when getting a job.
Self-motivation is incredibly important as well. If you are not motivated it is very likely that you will procrastinate. Which may cause you to miss deadlines or submit work that is not your best. Creating a personal study schedule with breaks can help.
The thought that you can take a break soon can be very motivating. Removing distractions to stay focused and motivated is important as well. Develop a list of daily goals, as you complete and cross each one off your list you will become motivated to complete them all. These traits will help you stand out when looking for a job.
Courses and Communication
Does the college you want to go to not have the course you want to take? Online, you can earn credits for almost every single course that exists. There are even online biology lab classes available. You don’t have to worry about the course you’re taking getting dropped because of a lack of funds.
Online courses rarely get dropped. For grade school students, most schools only have the basic classes such as History, Math, and English. Online schools have many interesting electives for students to choose from. For some electives, you can even get college credit.
If you already have a degree and a job, and you want to get a promotion, but you need a specific course completed that you have not, instead of having to go back to school and taking time out of your job to do so you can easily finish that course online and work it around your job. It may take years to finish a course in a traditional school, while having a career. Online you can finish it in just a couple of months.
In a traditional school, you rarely get to talk to your teacher one on one. In online schools you are able to constantly talk to your teacher and even get specific help if you don’t understand something. There are many ways to contact your teacher; via a phone, text, live chat, or video chat. Need clarification on something, just send your teacher a quick text and get a reply within the hour. While attending online classes, you learn virtual teamwork strategies, which are highly valued by employers. You can gain many skills while learning online and it is very easy to try out.