Today, online learning is the most innovative and interesting way of organising your studies. Studying online is not only popular, but also convenient: from choosing the right course, the right teacher for you, the timing of classes and the ability to pay for classes remotely.
Not only students, but also their parents, are increasingly opting to study online. They can choose the best courses for their child, no matter how far away they are, and parents have more control over their child's learning.
Why has online learning become so popular?
In recent years, with the global rise of the internet, the role of online learning has increased significantly.
People like the simplicity, financial attractiveness and entertaining nature of this way of learning compared to the traditional way of education.
Indeed, when you study online, you get easy and quick access to any material on your subject. You also choose when and where you study.
Convenience is the main advantage of learning online, creating an ideal environment for an active and effective learning process. In addition, by studying online, students can interact more closely with their lecturers, getting a timely assessment of their work.
Of course, in the beginning, you will have to spend some time and effort to develop the right skills and approach to learning. It is also very important that the teacher is able to move away from traditional teaching models towards more interactive methods.
What are the benefits of online learning for students?
In the 21st century, there are many ways for all learners to enhance their educational process.
Online learning has enabled students to master complex subjects much faster and more effectively.
Tutorials, guidelines and sample papers on various subjects are provided to all learners.
For many students, all of these materials serve as an additional incentive to learn online.
Online learning makes it possible to fill the gaps with school education without affecting the students' current learning process.
In doing so, learning material based on data from the internet is carefully checked by qualified tutors and presented in an engaging manner to the learners.
Students are able to contact subject experts in real time and get quick answers, thus accelerating the learning process.
In addition, many students opt for online learning because of the time and cost savings without compromising on the quality of teaching and the knowledge acquired.
As you know, education is an important social process, so it should be as accessible to everyone as possible. Online learning provides a solution to this issue, as online education is convenient, engaging and effective.
Online learning platforms and services
According to research, the number of learning platform providers (LMS) has crossed into the thousands. For the company deciding to organize online training for the first time, there is a difficult question: how to choose the right platform?
Before doing so, however, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the functionality of the systems. We present you an overview of 9 great platforms for students using the following criteria:
- System features. What makes a system stand out from the rest?
- Content support. What standards and formats of content for online learning does the system support?
- Content Creation. Is there a course builder (Authoring Tool)?
- User Management. What can be done with the users on the platform?
- Reporting system. What forms of reports are supported?
Let's summarise briefly. Learning systems differ not only in their functionality, but also in what problems they can solve. Therefore, there is no universal solution on the LMS market. Each service meets specific purposes: corporate training, sale of courses, distance learning in universities. To understand whether or not the system is suitable for you, you have to try the solutions of each provider.
How does online schooling work?
There are several types of online schooling. First of all, there are individual and collective forms. In addition, there is asynchronous learning (i.e., students send in completed assignments and receive feedback, but they do not have a clear study schedule).
Online education is based on the same principles as classical education. Homework and class work, interaction with the teacher, assessments - all the same, but without desks, school uniforms and briefcases. For example, in the British online school Harrow School Online, the workload on students is no less and no more than in a "regular" school: they study the same amount as in a traditional public school. That is, there are five hours of core and two hours of extracurricular activities per day, as well as additional classes in a face-to-face format with a personal tutor. There are seven forty-five-minute lessons per subject per week, of which two are in a group of 10-12 students live with the teacher.
Is there really no difference to the traditional teaching system?
Of course there are! Here are a few of the main ones.
Flexible study schedule. Perhaps this is one of the main advantages of online schooling. It is especially convenient for young athletes, musicians and actors who are not suited to the standard timetable of lessons.
More opportunities for gifted children. Whereas in a "regular" school they have to study at the same pace as everyone else, with online learning they can work at an individual pace, ahead of their classmates.
A comfortable environment for students with disabilities. The distance learning format gives you a wider choice of schools, not all schools have inclusive education options.
Development of independence. Students spend more time studying independently, using materials developed by professional tutors. In this way, students learn how to work consciously and responsibly, not "from the get-go". These skills will be useful to them in their adult lives.
Educational online projects are good, first of all, because they erase any geographical boundaries. At home or in the park with a laptop, we learn foreign languages, acquire programming, yoga or gardening skills, learn to embroider or paint, change careers, get diplomas from international universities or undergo advanced training. Our children can already enrol in a foreign school without having to move to another country. All of this gives freedom of choice, which will be almost limitless in decades to come!