Online learning is the primary mode of education in the 21st century. There has been an increasing focus on skill development and piecemeal learning which is catered to by online courses.
Read more to learn about why online learning can be most beneficial for you!
Evolution of Education
After the technological boom of this millennium, computers and the internet became a staple resource in every business center and household. One of the fields most impacted by this shift is that of education.
For centuries the world of education has been centered around in-person models involving the teacher/lecturer teaching a group of students in a room. Practical aspects of education have been included in curricula by incorporating apprenticeships and internships into the system, but the major method of education has been face-to-face. In fact, historically, universities have been set up all over the world in order to facilitate this mode of education. Students travel across countries and continents to learn from the most skilled and knowledgeable teachers in the most reputed universities.
With the technological shift, the implementation of educational systems began to go through a gradual shift. Universities and teachers began to realize that they can reach their students in a much more effective and convenient way by utilizing online educational platforms efficiently. Thus, the concept of MOOCs was born – Massive Open Online Courses – courses created by educators for students which were available online for any and all to learn from!
The pace of growth into online education was slow, but the COVID-19 pandemic catapulted it into the mainstream mode of education. Over two years, the pandemic restricted movement of both students and teachers. This put the entire education system at risk, causing both groups to get creative to continue their education. The obvious solution to solve this problem and continue their learning was online education.
Benefits of Online Education
1. Vast Choices of Courses and Topics
Due to the ease with which educators can create online courses, more and more content is now moving online. You can easily find content regarding any topic from cooking to chemistry. Amateur teachers have been uploading content freely on YouTube wherein they have grown their reach beyond expectations. From young children looking for easy tutorials of their subject topics to senior citizens wishing to fulfil their curiosity and thirst to learn, online education caters to all!
You can explore any of the diverse platforms that host MOOCs or go through streaming sites such as YouTube to find a course of your liking and learn about it!
2. Flexibility in Pace of Learning
One of the biggest challenges that mainstream education has always faced is related to standard curricula and timelines for all students. Every one of us who has gone through school or college is aware that different students have different speeds and styles of learning. While one person is very good at retaining theoretical information, another is excellent at analytical skills. One teacher dealing with more than 100 students struggles with being able to cater to the needs of each student within the strict timelines that come with curricula.
Online education eliminates this problem by making learning material accessible to all students at all times. Each learner is able to go through the content at their own pace. They can repeatedly access content until they feel that they have understood it thoroughly. The pressure is no longer on the educator to ensure that each student is able to follow the content at a standard pace.
3. Affordability
Another major challenge with face-to-face models of education is the high cost that they incur. When a university is set up, it has to utilize a large number of resources such as land, buildings, furniture, technological support, etc. Moreover, teachers are required to be present full-time on the campus, thus they demand high pay. Students travel from across the world and always look for on-campus accommodation to best utilize their time at university. This has led to skyrocketing fees for universities for the most basic courses.
Online learning has bridged this gap and made education affordable to anyone who can afford a basic smartphone and an internet connection. From a local shopkeeper to an academic, people do not need to have a huge budget in order to be able to learn something.
4. Critical Soft Skills
Online education has taken the control from the educators and placed it within reach of the students. In doing so, students are learning critical soft skills such as time management, self-motivation, focus, discipline, collaboration skills, etc. The students themselves are responsible for their education, so students must acquire these skills in order to make the best of their online courses. The challenge that traditional education systems have been facing for years – to inculcate self-motivation and drive among students – has been eliminated to a great extent by online education.
5. Exposure to New Perspectives
University education which was limited to a classroom had limited opportunities for exposure. A few students would travel from one continent to another, but the majority of students spent time with people they were most familiar with. Now, with online education, the virtual classrooms are filled with students from around the world. They now need to work with each other, complete projects together and collaborate like never before! This opens up students’ minds to newer perspectives and allows them to view the world with a new lens through the screen of their computer or mobile phone!
6. Personalized Learning Experience
With online education, technology has not just made education accessible, but also much more efficient. Teachers no longer need to grade papers one by one to understand the progress of students. Online learning platforms come equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities which can summarize the pain points of the students. Thus educators can be alerted to the areas which students need more help with. Online assessments and questionnaires have become a goldmine of information for educators and universities to personalize learning for students.
Should You Choose Online Learning?
Online education is slowly becoming the mainstream method of education. While you may prefer to learn in a physical classroom with a teacher, it is most beneficial for you to get comfortable with online learning. Companies and businesses have begun to focus on upskilling their employees on a grand scale with the help of online learning.
So, if you want to continue your learning journey and acquire new skills and knowledge, give online learning a try! You will not be disappointed.
Online Education – Academic Translation Services
A core supporting aspect of online education has been the availability of translation services to customize and localize educational content to cater to students from around the world. If you are running an e-learning business, reach out to us now for elearning translation. With the least amount of resources, you will be able to increase your reach multifold!
At Vanan Services, we offer study material translation and many more translation services in over 100 languages at highly affordable rates. Reach out to us now to enjoy the benefits of our online translation services!
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