Notes

4. Documentation

All the information that you will need will be safely stored in an online database. This includes things like live discussion documents, training materials and emails. This means that if there's ever anything that needs to be clarified, the student will be able to access these documents fast, saving valuable time. This is especially useful for individuals that need to carry out research for a project and submit their findings to a panel.

Flexible schedule and environment
By studying online, you choose your own learning environment that works best for your needs: be it your bedroom, your study, the café across the street, or your local gym, listening to your instructor’s lecture podcast as you run on the treadmill. Isn’t that awesome?

Taking an online course also means that you don’t have to commute to class, which means less time spent on the bus and more study time sitting on your couch, the sound of a crackling fireplace in the background. You no longer have to worry about driving in the snowstorm and missing an important class!

Self-discipline and responsibility
Who says that having to be more self-disciplined is a disadvantage? It is true that studying online requires more self-motivation and time-management skills, because you will spend a lot of time on your own without someone physically close to keep you focused on deadlines. Look at it this way: your online course will not only teach you geology or poetry, it will also help you become more self-motivated, a trait that will make you stand out in the workplace and beyond. It will look great on your résumé.

“online learning can be as good or even better than in-person classroom learning,” says Christine Greenhow, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. “Research has shown that students in online learning performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction, but it has to be done right.”

Online learning can help students flourish. The best online learning combines elements in which students can go at their own pace and are set-up to think deeply and critically about subject matter with elements in which students go online at the same time to interact with other students, their teacher and the content, says Greenhow. The students can have more control over their learning process in an online learning environment.