Online learning provides anyone wanting to gain qualifications or new skills, access to dozens of different courses. Ranging from Access to HE Diplomas and A Levels to dog grooming and calligraphy. There’s almost something for everyone.
But the actual ‘use’ of learning is down to you and what you hope to get out of your learning. For some learning is its own reward – the ‘journey being the worthier part’ mindset. It’s purely to expand their knowledge rather than to specifically apply it to anything.
For others the qualification is to make them better at their job or make them eligible for promotion.
You could be taking a course with the intention of going to university or starting an entirely new career.
Your motivation determines the usefulness of your study.
But if the question is whether online learning as a concept is useful? Here are some of the best reasons to consider online learning as your pathway to achieving your personal and professional goals.
Learning that suits you
If you’re returning to education there’s a good chance you fall into at least one of these categories:
- You’re in full time employment
- You have a busy home life
- You left education some time ago
- You are time poor so need to use your time effectively
- You want to learn at your own pace.
Online learning allows you to work around both your work and home life. It sidesteps one of the biggest challenges facing anyone wanting to learn to return to education: evening classes.
Because there are no classes you don’t have the hassle of getting to class on time or arranging things like childcare.
This is especially good news for anyone who works shifts as the rota won’t always allow you to attend evening classes. That would normally mean swapping shifts, making up the time or simply missing entire classes. Which means you’ll fall behind.
That’s aside from needing to cram in the homework between classes.
Not only does online learning remove the logistical headache of attending class, you can learn at a much more comfortable pace rather than constantly juggling.
You (usually) have two years to complete online courses so you simply study at the pace that your existing commitments allows.
Obviously if you want to complete the course as quickly as possible you have that option too. Online learning courses don’t have fixed start dates like traditional colleges. So equally they don’t have a dedicated end date either. That means you can complete the course as quickly as you feel you are able.
You also get to learn in the comfort of your own home rather than a classroom setting.
Moreover, the material is presented with adults in mind. So, whether you’re retaking your GCSE Maths or learning something completely new, the material will be on your level.
Course Variety
Online course providers offer a huge range of courses that many traditional institutes can’t match. This is down to how colleges traditionally build their course offering.
Courses in a bricks and mortar college cost a lot of money to run. Aside from the obvious cost of maintaining the campus, there is also the staffing costs involved in making sure everyone turns up at the right place and time to learn.
Then there’s the cost of the teacher or lecturer developing and delivering the course.
Therefore, a course can be withdrawn at short notice due to low uptake. If the course doesn’t cover its costs, then it can’t go ahead.
Online courses – although still developed by experts in their field – aren’t delivered over the course of an academic year. Once the material is ready it is made instantly available in full.
This means online learning providers can offer a huge range of courses because it’s much easier to produce them.
The benefit for online learning students is that there is a course available to meet almost every requirement.
The range of courses available through online learning providers means that the opportunities for advancement are huge.
Whether you want to go to university, learn something new or develop the skills to run a business, there will be a course for you.
You still get the benefit of tutor support, the qualification and expanding your knowledge but without many of the pressures.
You can organise your learning around your circumstances and tailor your studies in way that works best for you.
Doing the Work
There is something of a stigma attached to online learning, even though thousands of people every year complete their studies through an online provider.
In fact, the evidence suggests online learners are not only more like to complete their course, but they retain 5 times the information than students in a traditional setting.
This is partly due to the interactive nature of the learning but also the flexibility of the learning.
If you miss a class or don’t hear something the teacher says in a traditional setting, that information is missed. Or you need to catch up in addition to doing the work set.
That can ramp up the pressure and make it much harder for you to study effectively, which is going to make your learning a miserable experience.
With online learning, because the information is readily available, you can just study to your heart’s content. If you didn’t understand something you can just read it again. If you get interrupted, that’s okay the lessons stops when you do.
Online students also benefit from the fact online courses are regularly updated so with the latest information and the most up to date learning examples.
They are not reliant on textbooks. Although working from a textbook is a familiar way of working that many prefer, working online keeps the information update to date and the cost of the course low.
When you factor in the convenience of an online learning portal and the support of a dedicated course tutor, online learning becomes very convenient indeed.
And don’t forget, online learning usually offers a flexible way of paying for the course so you can manage your finances better too.
learndirect offer a wide range of online learning courses including fully accredited Access to Higher Education Diplomas and A Levels in order to help you realise your ambitions.
Checkout out our Access to Higher Education Diplomas today or contact a member of our sales team today to learn more and enrol.
