Taking Online Lessons: What to Expect

Pros and cons of online learning: is it worth it to go online

To get a complete education or learn new skills, you no longer have to go to a university or a course in person. You can choose between distance and face-to-face learning. The full-time format seems more familiar, and online learning is modern and convenient.

Let's discuss the pros and cons of each format.

What is distance learning?
Distance learning we call the educational process, which is based on the use of computer technology. Who is suitable for e-learning?

Education can be pre-school, school, higher and additional professional. Children can prepare for school remotely, and adults can get a complete education and learn new professions. Now it is easier than ever - for example, you can sign up for a program of study at a prestigious university, pass it through to the end and get a document on education.

For experts, online training is a great opportunity to share their knowledge with an unlimited audience and monetize it. An expert creates a training program or opens an online school and distributes it online.

Companies use distance learning to improve the skills of their employees within the company. They quickly induct new employees and maintain the skills of existing employees.
To keep distance learning from becoming a disappointment for you, you need to analyze the pros and cons. This applies to both the learners themselves and the online learning organizers.

Advantages of online training for organizers

Organization of distance learning has its own peculiarities. It differs from the expert's face-to-face meetings with the students. In the preparation phase of training, the advantages of the electronic format are considered:

Growth in the number of trainees.
A limited number of students can be gathered for a face-to-face seminar or course. This is due to the territorial remoteness of those wishing to attend and the limited capacity of any room. The Internet expands the possibilities and allows you to invite any number of students from different cities and countries. And if you carry out corporate training, you can simultaneously train employees from different branches. Having a large customer base allows for rapid vertical growth - launching new areas.

Cost reduction
When you organize online training, you don't need to pay for rent and make other organizational expenses. To invite the best speakers or hold an event in several regions, you don't have to pay for travel and accommodation. You simply bring everyone together in a virtual classroom.

Learning Automation
Online learning systems allow you to automate routine processes. For example, the platform automatically maintains a database of students, generates reports on their progress, checks test assignments, and sends students reminders to study the material.

The remote format makes learning convenient not only at the startup stage, but also during the learning process.

Wide choice of working tools
The instructor can use a variety of online learning tools. For example, videos, screen shows, presentations, chat and interactive teaching methods. This allows the lessons to be varied and complex material to be conveyed in a convincing way.

Learning monitoring and learning analytics
Distance learning platforms allow you to monitor students' progress. For example, a teacher can see a student's statistics and grades on the lessons he or she has completed at any time.

No location-based
The organizers can involve experts from any city in the training. This is convenient for the experts themselves. They can give lectures from their living room, and it won't affect the quality of the training.

Convenient planning
The student and the instructor can choose any convenient time for the lessons. And if the training is asynchronous, i.e. does not imply real-time lessons, the teacher can prepare the material and check the students' answers at any time.

Disadvantages of online learning for organizers

In the process of organizing and conducting training, there are some difficulties of the distance format:

Inability to work with online tools.
When an educator moves from an offline format to an online format, they may not understand how to work on the learning platform and other programs necessary for learning the first time. For example, how to work with google documents and in a video editor, how to create presentations.

Solution
Use distance learning platforms that don't require special skills to work with. If you lack certain knowledge and skills to use other programs, you can quickly get them in online courses.

Technical challenges
For effective training, you need a stable Internet connection and the smooth operation of programs and devices. Sometimes there are technical glitches that an untrained person can't handle.

Solution
The team of any online project should have a technical specialist who quickly solves technical problems. He helps not only teachers, but also students.

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