The education system all around the world has evolved in the last few years, and various teaching and learning methods are being acquired to improve the quality of education and to make it accessible to every student. The biggest development in this field is online education, the way online learning is making distance education possible with ease. It is showing that students can gain knowledge anywhere and anytime if they want to learn. Earlier online education only included the live online classes in which students and teachers have to be present at the same time from different places. However, today various modes of online learning are being used, like live online classes that can be recorded too for later or the use of apps for classroom to teach virtually. And the one online learning method that is being used by the learners the most is online courses.
In this article, we will discuss online courses and how they are benefiting the learners.
What Are Online Courses?
Online courses are the courses that are offered online to the students via the internet, which they can access on their mobile, laptop or any other device. These courses contain a set of course contents which are often divided into modules, which have chapters of course in the sequence. Online courses teach students using various tools, like pre-recorded video lectures, animated videos, audio files, assignments and worksheets for practice and it also contains learning resources, like e-books and PDFs. Students can buy these courses from the online course selling platforms or the free platforms and after the course, students are also provided with an e-certificate of completion. Just like students get certificates when they finish their college degree.
Benefits of Online Courses
Flexible Learning: The biggest advantage of online courses is that they offer flexible and convenient learning options to the learners. Unlike in offline courses students have to be present in the class for lectures at the same time as the teacher, in online courses once students enrol themselves for any course they can learn and study from it however they want. They can watch lecture videos anytime and from anywhere and can practice from their worksheets and submit them as per their suitability.
Learning From Home: As online courses are offered online and students learn from the comfort and safety of their homes, which is great for students who can’t go to regular classes because of their busy schedules, or being working professionals and it’s a good learning option for students with physical disabilities and students from the lower socio-economic background. And it also provides parents with the chance to get involved in the learning process of their children and monitor their academic and attitude growth.
Personalised Learning: In offline classes, students are taught as per the general norms of learning which often hinders their individual growth; as every student has different learning needs and interests and teachers need to meet those needs. However, no such problem is faced by students in the online course as they can opt for the best course for themselves, which meets their individual needs. Other than this students can also ask for personalised feedback from the teacher of the course via email or chat box feature, which gives them a chance to improve themselves.
Teaches Practical Skills: Online courses are created to give practical and real knowledge and skills to the learners, rather than the theoretical and bookish knowledge given in schools and colleges. After doing these courses students learn valuable skills which they can apply in their life and career, for example, an online course on web designing can be done by someone who wants to become a web designer, or an online resume writing course can help every learner who is seeking for job opportunities, to write better resumes.
Introduces With Global Trends: When the students look for one online course on the internet, they come across various other new courses and teachers who teach online and provide valuable knowledge that they didn’t even know about. Through this students are introduced to global trends of education and get connected with talented teachers and learners to gain current knowledge and skills.
