Online Education! A Boom Or Curse?
The 21st century has seen a rapid growth in the sector of IT. People of the world have made technology a part of their daily lives. A form of this technology is the growing interest in online education. Online education provides learners a new way to learn and grow. There are various advantages of online learning due to which more people are attracted to opt for it.
The misconception that persists among common people about not getting a ‘Real Degree’ on enrolling in the online course should be waved off. The degree provided by these courses is equivalent to the degree obtained through the traditional way of education. It is accepted and rewarded equally. Moreover it looks good when put up on one’s resume.
Opting online education provides a number of opportunities which may not be kept open while pursuing the traditional education. One has a chance of learning anything of interest. The internet is a place where one can search and find out all types of courses provided worldwide and opt for the one of the best interest. Along with learning what one is interested in, plenty of exercises and tests are provided to learn in the best way and also check oneself.
Studying online provides the comfort of being at home rather than traveling long distances to the institutions and spending all day in a chair and ending up complaining about a back ache. Though too much comfort like that of a couch would lead to being lazy but a table and a comfortable chair would be all that’s needed. One is also saved of all the fuel and time spent in the travel.
There are people who have to opt out of studying due to reasons like getting married or handling family which is mostly a case for girls, for such people online education is a boon. They can pursue their higher education being at home and along with looking after their homes. Also if one is working during the day and cannot afford to spend time studying, for those, online courses can be taken during the night. This would not create a hindrance in their work and also allow them to continue with their education.
Above all a reason why online education is adopted is that it is cheaper as compared to the traditional education system. All the extra cost paid to the institution is saved and what one pays is wholly for the knowledge and the degree that is attained.
The only disadvantage that can be witnessed in the online education system is that the student is denied of the human interaction that can only be provided in the traditional system. A sense of competition can be learned and felt only when one is physically present among the competitors, which provides a better chance of growth. Also the subjects which require practical knowledge like physical sciences cannot be studied online.
Online education should not be opted in the primary stages of a students learning, but it provides a great path at later stages of life and to overcome certain circumstances.