Online courses are often called the future of education, which provides students with less stressful alternatives to traditional classes in schools, colleges, and universities. People are highly convinced that online education and courses deliver numerous opportunities. There are three main reasons for the growing interest in online learning through the Internet. The first is that there is an increasing demand for accessible and reliable information. The second is that the technologies for meeting these needs are already there and will only be improved in the future. The third reason is that all areas of activity consider distance learning as a new important market and, therefore, a business opportunity. Online courses are exceedingly powerful instruments of education, which has a potential to overcome the obstacles that traditional education possesses.
Regular schools, colleges, and universities, especially those located in the province or far from the city, offer students a limited set of courses. This is due to the lack of resources and teaching staff. Therefore, in order to gain more knowledge, learn something new, improve current qualifications or master a modern specialty, one should go online. The students can find courses and tutors in any subject – from school to university. They can efficiently study with a tutor for the class of interest, even if a student is physically located in a completely different part of the world. Online courses usually take place in a comfortable environment, and they allow students to have a flexible schedule. They do not need to go or drive anywhere, because it is possible to study numerous subjects at home or in another place where there is access to the Internet.
Traditional full-time education may be unavailable for working family people and the financially disadvantaged. Online education is usually more accessible than traditional one, especially in terms of additional costs, such as transport or house renting (Margaryan et al. 81). For example, if a student is taking some specific courses that are held only in another city, the online courses would be an appropriate solution. The advocates and opponents of distance education may say many different things, but the fact is that according to a study conducted by the US Department of Education, distance learning students, for the most part, demonstrate better results and competence compared to their “colleagues” in universities and colleges (Blau et al. 2). Distance online education allows people to continue classes almost independently of other existing obligations.
Continuing education is a valuable tool in a fast-paced and highly competitive working environment. Young professionals and experienced workers turn to an online course or remote tutoring services to climb the career ladder. Only 34% of employers surveyed in the United States consider traditional and online education equivalent, however, the number is constantly growing (Margaryan et al. 79). Furthermore, 54% of respondents indicated that candidates who studied through online courses have equal opportunities to get a job only if they have substantial work experience (Margaryan et al. 77). After all, this will undoubtedly help to improve professional skills and learn new ones in order to advance through their work.
In conclusion, online courses are being recognized by people as an excellent way to improve the skills and advance the education received earlier. It is safe to say that distance education is a good alternative to full-time education in the context of the economic crisis, as well as for the purposes of advanced training. In the meantime, it is clear that distance learning via the Internet is in demand today; therefore, it will develop rapidly.
Works Cited
Blau, Gary, et al. “Proposing an Expanded Measure for Comparing Online/Hybrid to Face-to-Face Courses”. Journal of Education and Development, vol. 2, no. 2, 2018, pp. 1-7.
Margaryan, Anoush, et al. “Instructional Quality of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)”. Computer & Education, vol. 80, 2015, pp. 77-83.