Distance learning is now used in all fields. Axel Lindholm looks at the pros and cons of this method
Online learning has long become commonplace and today it is no surprise to anyone. Nowadays, the world’s leading institutes offer distance learning, not to mention millions of smaller courses.
In the advertising of distance learning courses, you can often see their advantages, but they also have significant disadvantages. If you are wondering what to choose, here are the pros and cons. Once you know them, you’ll be able to make a more informed choice and better understand what you’re going to do — and why.
Advantages
Online courses are convenient. Students get a large set of pros. Even the authors of https://royalparksthlm.com/casino-utan-svensk-licens/ confirm that modern virtual casinos utilise this training format to train their employees.
Great choice
The world has become more global and now it is much easier to go to a foreign country and get an education many thousands of kilometres from your home, but it’s still expensive and very inconvenient. With online learning you can really study in any country. And you will be able to choose the most prestigious educational institutions and learn from the leading experts in your chosen industry.
You decide where and when to study
Okay, you already have an educational institution in your city, which suits you completely. But you’ll still have to travel literally every day to study. That is, you will have to follow a rigid daily schedule and you will have to somehow get to your studies, despite all the traffic jams and other such problems.
With online learning, you can choose what time to study. And sometimes it’s not just a matter of convenience. It’s often a matter of efficiency, because some people learn better in the morning, while it’s easier for others to study at midnight.
With online, the problem of getting to the educational institution in principle does not exist. If you have a decent WiFi connection, you can study directly from home, which is not only a matter of convenience, but also saves you the cost of transportation.
You learn at your own pace
Any training programme will have its own volume, including a certain number of lectures and tests that you will need to pass in order to demonstrate that you understand the topic. But with distance learning, it’s up to you to decide at what pace you want to study. Perhaps you will go through all the lectures quickly, and then decide to look up the material on the side and only then take the final tests. This is very convenient, especially if you work in shifts and you can’t study every day.
You don’t need much
The minimum requirements are a cellphone with an internet package turned on. Already this is enough for many courses. A more advanced option is a laptop with an internet connection. You don’t need to bring a backpack full of books, notebooks and stationery. All you need is a cellphone or laptop, and WiFi.
You develop a range of skills
Remote working is becoming an increasingly common option. But if a person has worked in an office all their life, it can be difficult for them to adapt to remote working straight away. Online learning develops all those skills that will be necessary for remote work, and also a number of other skills that will be useful in any profession, for example, the skill of managing your time.
You save money
It has already been mentioned above about saving money on transportation. Online learning is usually cheaper, as the institution teaching you does not have a number of expenses — each of the instructors will be able to take on more students, as most lectures are recorded. In addition, there are other associated savings, such as being able to dress more easily and eat home-cooked meals.
Disadvantages
Of course, online courses have disadvantages, especially when compared to the advantages of face-to-face study at an institute or university.
The online diploma is worse
Any experienced personnel officer will ask what kind of training it was, and when the choice is between two identical candidates, one of whom studied face-to-face and the other remotely, the person who studied face-to-face is more likely to be taken. However, this is more relevant for beginners; in the future, when you have work experience, the form of training will not play a big role.
Problems with networking
Many books have been written about networking and many videos have been made. Yes, it is really important: you need to think about connections from the very beginning of your career. Of course, there is a certain form of networking between distance learning students, but it is by no means the same kind of networking that will be between full-time students. Who knows, maybe one of your classmates will eventually become a minister, or a big businessman!
It’s not as much fun
Studying at an institution is not easy for students at times, but it also has its own special atmosphere. Who doesn’t know about the fun student life, about all those parties, about socialising with girls, about flirting with guys! It really is much more interesting than the life of a distance learning student.
Motivation problems
When you’re a full-time student, whether you want to or not, you need to go to class and study every day. Besides, you hardly want to embarrass yourself in the eyes of your classmates with your complete ignorance of the subject. In distance learning, it is often difficult to force yourself to study.
Studying at a university or college helps you because there are various routines: for example, you study at strictly defined hours, you change into different clothes (this helps to tune in to the study), you have a separate table and so on. All of these tricks help, and as mentioned above, it develops new skills that can come in handy later on.
Feedback takes longer
In most lectures, you can ask questions right away, and if you still don’t understand something, you can immediately ask back. With distance learning, everyone’s schedules will be different. And even if you have the opportunity to communicate live with your teacher, you will have to do it much later, after watching the lecture. This is not only a matter of convenience, but also because you need to digest and understand the material.
Although more advantages of distance learning are described here, face-to-face education also has its own fat pluses, which should not be discounted: everyone decides for themselves what they need and can afford.
After reading this, you should be able to make a more objective decision.
Alex Lindholm is the author of the website https://royalparksthlm.com/
Distance learning is now used in all fields. Axel Lindholm looks at the pros and cons of this method
