Comparisons are frequently made between online and in-person learning models. Currently, there has been no consensus yet reached by the leading experts on which is the most effective model of learning. However, as online learning has been proliferating throughout the world some clear benefits have started to become obvious. If you are considering taking your first online course but are uncertain of the potential benefits then this list is for you.
We have compiled seven of the most important benefits online learning has to offer when compared to traditional in-person classroom learning models.
Courses Can Be Far More Interactive
One of the biggest benefits for students is the degree of interaction that is capable when you are taking your classes online. The best in-person class on how to use computers as nothing to compare itself with when you look at the best online Microsoft training courses. There are many things in life that are much easier to learn when you are doing it yourself.
This is difficult to do in an in-person classroom for plenty of subjects. When you are learning online, the professors are able to incorporate multimedia and even interactive learning modules so you can apply the course material to real-life examples. Most people will learn more effectively this way.
Teachers Are Able To Be More Creative
Teachers are also given a larger degree of freedom whenever they are teaching a course online. The in-person classroom is much more structured and gives many more limits to the teacher on how they can structure their class. When a teacher is teaching online, they can create their own learning modules and generally exercise their creative powers when they are designing their courses.
If you would like to see your professors operating at their most creative, then you will probably like taking a class online.
Students Actually Retain More Information
Believe it or not, there was a study that was completed by the company IBM on how much information was retained whenever students took their courses online. The results of this study were actually quite surprising even for educational professionals.
Students who completed their learning through online classrooms retained five times as much information as students who were in conventional classrooms. Why this is exactly is not known, but it is obviously a striking effect.
Online Learning Is A More Efficient Learning Method
Most students will end up wasting a lot of time whenever they are taking in-person classrooms. That is because every class has to be designed to cater to every student that is taking it. Not every student has the same needs, and in any in-person classroom with enough people, there will be a lot of time spent reviewing information that could have been better spent if you were in a more individualized learning situation.
This means that learning online is generally more efficient for most people, then taking a class in person.
Online Learning Is Also Better For The Environment
Many people do not realize the impact of education on the environment. If you really think about it when you have 300 people driving to a class for one hour several times a week, that is a lot of carbon being released into the atmosphere.
If you are concerned about the environment and your impact on it, then you should definitely consider switching to online learning. It has much less of an impact on the world and the environment than traditional classes do.
Online Learning Can Be More Convenient
Perhaps one of the most cited factors, when people are asked about their decision to take classes online, is convenience. There is certainly a lot of truth to the saying that online learning is more convenient than in person. When you are in an online classroom, you can be anywhere in the world and not miss your class. You can take your exams in whatever location is best for you and not inside of a high-pressure classroom.
There are also more options for communicating with other students and professors so you can reach them more easily. All in all, almost every single aspect of the learning experience is made more convenient whenever you are doing it online. If you would like your educational experience to be more convenient, then definitely consider taking your classes online next time.
There Is A Lot More Variety With Online Courses
If you are the kind of person who can get easily bored with in-person learning situations, you will be excited to learn that there is far more variety with online courses.
Professors are able to integrate interactive learning experiences into the learning modules of the course. Instead of listening to monologues of your professor speak on and on about a particular topic, you can watch high-quality multimedia videos that illustrate how the subject works so you can better understand it.