Developing technologies have made our lives easier, and we cannot deny this fact. When the pandemic hit us, the schools and colleges got shut, and students had no choice but to take online classes to learn. Online sessions have made students’ lives easier as they can now study in the comfort of their homes. But are such courses worth your money and time? We will find this out in this article.
Everything has some negative and positive aspects, and the same goes for online college courses. If you are thinking of enrolling yourself in one of them, you need to gather some knowledge before investing your money in it. Always try to find the pros and cons of whatever you are going to do in your life because only you will bear the consequences later.
We have shared advantages and drawbacks related to the online classes below so that you can evaluate each of them and make the right decision for yourself. Let us check them out one by one.
ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE COLLEGE COURSES
It offers flexibility:
There is no compulsion or restrictions set for you to study at a particular time in the online courses. You have the flexibility to study whenever you find time for yourself. A person can freely spend time doing other activities without worrying about the timings of the online classes. He can adjust his sessions according to his timetable. There is no such flexibility available in offline courses.
Provides you the option to schedule your classes:
Suppose you are doing a job, have a family to raise, are housebound, live in a rural region, or observe yourself continually moving. In that case, internet learning gives a suitable setting to fit your classes into your timetable. The best part is that even when the session gets over, you can again review it to revise the things you missed. Consider checking out Straighterline to learn more about it.
Study at the comfort of your home:
As we already mentioned above, the college and offline institutes were shut due to the pandemic, and students had no choice but to study online, which is indeed great. It is best for people who don’t like to leave their comfort zone. They can opt for any course they want to and begin their studies in the comfort of their home.
Learning at your own pace:
A few understudies feel awkward lifting their hand in offline class and asking the educator to explain a subject again, especially in front of their companions. In a web-based learning climate, you can stop recordings or return to the past modules to check whatever you have missed. You can jump further into a specific point as opposed to skimming over it. It implies that you have complete control over the pace of your learning process.
It pays equal attention to every individual:
Most of the time, you are provided with the personal contact details of your online instructor, where you can ask him your queries and get the answers directly. Sometimes while attending an offline session, students do not feel confident enough to ask their questions. But with the help of internet-based learning, you can send an email to your tutor and resolve your queries in no time.
It saves money:
People may think that investing money on a PC or laptop and an internet connection to view the online classes will cost them too much, which is not correct. It is less expensive than the fuel they require to spend while visiting their college campus daily on their vehicle.
They would also spend some money on eating outside. So, you can calculate and examine yourself what costs you more. Besides, various online teaching platforms provide discounts on their courses, which you generally don’t get on offline classes.
Helps in developing time managing skills:
Whenever you join an online course, you will feel responsible for attending those sessions timely. You will start making a timetable to fit your classes, which is an excellent initiative towards learning some superb time management skills.
DISADVANTAGES OF TAKING ONLINE COURSES
Not every course is available online:
One of the most significant disadvantages of learning on web-based platforms is that you cannot study every subject as only restricted courses are available. For example, if you want to study medicine, most companies require their employees to have some in-hand experience in such fields, which you can rarely find in online studies.
There is no face-to-face interaction:
A few understudies in internet-based classes feel less responsible because an educator isn’t there to approach them during class. Self-spurred learners don’t need to stress, nonetheless. They understand they aren’t in the session alone. It means that you hardly get any chance to interact with your tutor face-to-face. You can only communicate with them via emails or phone as per the guidelines provided by the institution.
Students have to take the responsibility of building their routine or timetable:
When students attend offline lectures, they have to face their instructors and complete their assignments or work on the given deadlines. Whereas in online courses, there are no deadlines set, which often makes learners a little lazy. If you want more freedom or flexibility, then you have to become more responsible. You have to create your timetable and fit your classes into it.
TO SUM UP
Now that you have understood all the pros and cons of taking an online program, you can easily examine if you should enroll yourself in it or not. It can be worth your money and time if you can follow the lectures by making a timetable. You need to understand your responsibility while attending web-based courses because nobody will remind you about your pending lessons and assignments.