Technological progress feeds on itself. Think about it; man took ages to move from a cart to a car, but just a few decades to make the transition from cars to space. This exponential growth has ensured that no aspect of our life remains untouched by technology. And so is the case with education. Today, the advent of online education has made all the information available at the click of a button.
Online Education: Journey from a Caterpillar to a Butterfly
What started out as a handful of institutes or classes uploading some of their study materials or tests onto the web, has now culminated into websites offering a plethora of courses spanning across almost every subject under the sun. It’s a shame though, that many remain unaware of the potential of online education and write it off as another of those technological inventions which provided the initial spark, but not the ultimate ‘bang’. Is it really so? Let’s delve into online education a little bit more.
Perks of Online Education
Online education, like any other technology, comes with its share of perks. There’s something uniquely compelling about it, which is drawing in more and more people from all around the globe. Without a doubt, the best feature of online education is the power to control the pace of your learning. It is obvious that the learning ability of individual children was not ‘normalized’ over an entire generation of kids and then re-distributed to them. Some among them are slow-learners, while others pick up stuff too quickly. Sadly, most of the schools in our country do not acknowledge this and eventually end up giving kids inferiority or superiority complexes.
Check out the Myths About Online Education Debunked here.
Freedom and Independence
Online education lets you take things at your leisurely pace and ‘learn’ things rather than cram them. Besides, you are free to choose the timings of your study. If your favorite movie is coming up some afternoon, you can always do your tutorials in the morning or the next day. Also, no iron-clad rules: pauses are allowed, and so are rewinds and replays. If you don’t understand something once, you can always go back and watch the same thing twice, or a multiple number of times till you get it right. There’s none of the fear associated with either a short-tempered and impatient teacher/professor or a bunch of giggling classmates who’ll shoot contemptible looks to you for asking to repeat a particular concept in the class. So, just sit back and immerse yourself in a truly unique learning experience.
Better Study Experience
Next, comes the use of animation. If used properly, it plays a huge role in accelerating and enhancing the learning process. Animation can develop your 3D imagination very easily. And there’s no way a drawing on a textbook or diagram on a blackboard can be as elucidating as a simple animation. If you can imagine stuff, the animation will give wings to your thought process. All this and even more is incorporated into online education these days. This will enrich your educational experience, and entice you in the intricate details of the subject rather than bluntly give you the rude facts and superficial knowledge.
Saves Travelling Time
Online education does not involve any travelling. You can just sit in your home and learn. When you have the choice to study when you want, you’re bound to level up in terms of your productivity. Also, there is none of the tiredness and stress that comes with travelling. In many cases, students have to leave home and move to other cities for the sake of studies. Online education ensures that you get similar quality of studies right in the comfort zone of your home. No need to go chasing the big names in education halfway around the country; they are reaching out to you via online education!
Clears Doubts Instantly!
Let’s assume that you are preparing for a competitive examination. You get stuck in the middle of the night with a problem that twists and turns on itself, causing you to tear your hair out in frustration. What do you do now? The answer is just a chat away. Online education-based startups and companies these days hire IITians and MBBS students for doubt clearance at any level. The working of it is fairly easy: you come online on the chat interface, ask your doubts, and the other party will answer it on the chat almost immediately. Simple, isn’t it? The IITians, being nocturnal creatures, will be available for help during most of the day, and throughout the night. It’s imperative that doubts need to be quelled as soon as they arise. Otherwise, they’ll stay in your brain, meddle with other doubts and wreak havoc on your concepts. Oh, and yes: This is NOT only for those who are preparing for competitive exams. Similar interfaces are also available for all exam-giving students, right from standard 4th to Board examinations to JEE and NEET. These ‘chat-a-doubt’ things will ensure that your questions are answered in the best way, and possibly by those whose ranks you aspire to join.
Easy on the Pocket!
Lastly, somewhat of a practical point: online education is also cheaper as compared to other means of education. While being a spendthrift on education does seem a downright crime, there’s no harm if what is offered on a cheaper palette is of the best possible quality. And with the most sought-after schools, colleges and coaching classes turning to the internet for expanding their reach, quality hardly remains an issue.
Online education is vibrant and growing in the ever-warm embrace that our country offers to technology. For all we know, it may become the next big thing thrown up in the fast-growing education field! The existing facts and figures certainly point to this happening somewhere down the line.
So, people, open up your minds to the variety of options and do not swat unique ideas aside like gnats. Rather explore them, look them up and try them out; who knows what gem of an idea might come as the handiest for you?
Still confused whether to go for the conventional offline coaching or the time- and money-saving online education? Here you can read about a detailed comparison between online and offline study.
That is all from my side. Feel free to leave your doubts and ideas in the comments section. We’d love to hear your voice regarding online education. Cheers!