Over the years, online classes have become quite popular as it has given students the option of studying from the comfort of their homes. The year 2020 has given just the right push and a whole new spectrum to online education as all the educational institutions had to shut down. From schools to colleges to professionals, everyone has witnessed the world of online education. For some, it is about the continuation of their education and for others, it is the way about how they can enhance their skills, which has become a must in this competitive world.

A few years back, enhancing your skills meant taking a break from your job and attending college again. With online classes that seem to be a thing of the past. Out of the many advantages of online education, the topmost reason for its success is that it allows you to learn as per your convenience thus, making it easier for you to earn a degree while managing your work and family life.

Online education has become such a big hit that it does not matter which part of the world you live in; you can still earn a degree from a college of your choice abroad and that too without having to physically be present there.   

This being said, there are always two sides of the coin. The pros and cons, the for and against. Let’s explore the benefits of online education  and then we will get into the disadvantages of the same. But before that let’s look into how to choose the right online course for you given that there is a plethora of EdTech companies and educational institutions that have now jumped into this area.

How to Select the Right Online Course and Platform

Once you have decided that you want to do an online course, the first thing you should do is search for the course and best platform that can help you gain knowledge and enhance your skill set in that area. Find out about the instructors, who will be teaching and their experience, course fee, the course content, whether you will have buy books or are they included in the course fee, whether or not you can get in touch with your instructors in case there you want some help with the course content, and finally, check the reviews online for the course. The course that you decide to enrol for should cover everything that you would want and for this compare it with other similar courses available. The point is to gain the maximum out of it.

Benefits of Online Education

As mentioned earlier, there are several benefits of enrolling for an online course. It gives you the added flexibility and they are designed for self-paced learning. You can manage your time better with online courses by balancing your work and family life. Online courses help you demonstrate self-motivation as you are responsible for the time you dedicate without being forced to attend physical classes at a pre-decided time and venue. Taking online courses can help you improve your virtual communication and collaboration skills. You will also gain a broader, global perspective, it will refine your critical thinking abilities and teach you new technical skills.

While the benefits are great, there are several disadvantages to it as well.

Disadvantages of Online Education

Benefits for some could be drawbacks for others. Same is the case with online courses. The limitations are many but let’s talk about a few to start with. In schools and colleges, students can get immediate feedback from their teachers and can resolve the issue by working on it. With online courses, many students feel that their feedback is quite limited.

Imagine your days back in school and college. Talking to people, hanging out after class, making friends, etc. Wasn’t it fun? With online courses, one of the main concerns in social isolation as there is a lack of human connection.

Online courses require strong time management and time self-motivation skills. It can also result in lack of communication skill development in online students. Another concern is the difficulty in preventing cheating during an online assessment. There is a lack of face-to-face communication and it is limited to certain disciplines.

With the advancement in technology, most people now own a mobile or a computer or both. but there is still a percentage of the population, albeit small, who are computer illiterate and are unable to access online courses.

It will take a few more years for companies to give equal importance to candidates with online degrees and consider traditional methods of learning authentic. As of now, as far as online courses are concerned, there is a lack of accreditation and quality assurance.

Taking into consideration all these, there is no denying the EdTech industry is booming and it’s here for the long haul. It’s only a matter of time before online courses will become a part of everyone’s lives.