Some people love it, others hate it. Online learning has seen its rise in the last two years as the global pandemic put it in the spotlight. With schools and businesses closed, people had to transfer their lives online and that’s how online learning and remote working became the best possible solution for life to continue to move forward.
Still, transferring to the online world takes some getting used to. If you’re one of those people who still haven’t tried online learning – we compiled a list of all benefits and drawbacks of online learning that you should be aware of.
Benefits of online learning–
1. No commuting
The first obvious benefit of online learning is the lack of commuting. No commuting allows you to save time and money and that’s something many people find appealing.
Waking up earlier to catch a bus or a train, especially in the wintertime is the worst thing ever. Now with online learning and remote working, people just have to get up a couple of minutes before the lecture and sit behind their computers.
Another benefit of no commuting, in addition to saving time and money, is lowering the carbon footprint. Less traffic, less pollution.
2. Flexible schedule
Who wouldn’t like to have a flexible schedule? And now with online learning, having a flexible schedule and managing it however you see fit is possible.
Probably one of the biggest benefits of online learning is the ability to take classes at the time that best suits you and at the pace that you find acceptable. The great thing is that you don’t depend on anyone else but yourself, which means that you can skip lessons that you find too easy and go straight to the part that interests you.
With a flexible schedule, you can have a full-time job, fit your other obligations and other activities. You just need to know how to properly organize yourself.
3. A wide variety of learning materials
When it comes to online learning, you just need motivation and everything else can be found online. There is no course or training that can’t be found online – from cooking to building and even knitting. You can learn something from the very beginning or you can elevate your skills – whatever you want – just enroll in online courses.
All you have to do is find a good learning management system for RTOs that will allow you to use interactive tools and create interactive activities, track your progress and completion.
The great thing about online learning is that you can enroll in several courses at the same time and without leaving your home.
Drawbacks of online learning–
1. No social interactions
Since online learning is done from the confines of your home, you don’t get to see many people so your social interactions are minimal.
And human beings are social beings, they can’t spend too much time without social interaction. This is why online learning has its drawbacks. Social interaction is important not just to hang out with people and socialize but because we learn from each other, share knowledge, help each other, share thoughts and so much more.
By sharing each other’s experiences we grow as people and as professionals, and it’s safe to say that social interaction is as important as learning itself. The lack of social interaction is the greatest drawback of online learning.
2. The limited scope of subjects
You can learn how to cook online, you can also learn a language or how to build a website. However, there are some courses you won’t be able to take online.
While there is a wide variety of materials and courses on the internet, there will always be things that can’t be learned online. Let’s say that you are planning to be a surgeon or something similar, how will you learn to perform an operation from the confines of your home?
As you can see, online courses too, have their limitations. So, before you enroll in an online course make sure you have a good idea of what you can and can’t learn in it.
3. Scholarship options are limited
And this is the greatest drawback of online learning compared to traditional – no scholarship or very limited scholarship options. Traditional schools offer scholarships to students which means paying less or nothing for education. With online learning, there is no such thing as scholarships.
Yes, you can get a great deal or pay less for certain courses, but if you want to get a degree, you’ll need to pay the full price for a diploma. As you can see, this is one of the main reasons people usually give up on online learning.
Just like every form of education, online learning also has its benefits and drawbacks. All in all, we can say that online learning is a great way to learn new skills, expand your knowledge and keep track of your progress.
