Education nowadays is crossing all physical boundaries to reach students anywhere anytime. This blend of technology with the traditional method of learning is termed as eLearning. Online learning has proved to be a lifeline for working professionals, students who cannot travel to other countries, people with disabilities, and adults who want to pursue a higher degree. Furthermore, the latest technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning have opened the doors to new engaging learning experiences.
Earlier people were a bit skeptical about this whole process, but now the online learning process is rising like a high tide. From beginners to experts, all are gaining benefits from it.
Some of the Top Advantages of E-learning are-
A Diverse Collection of Courses
There is a variety in the levels and kinds of courses and programs, that e-learning covers. Fundamentals of Online Education, Gamification, k-12 Blended and Online Learning, Basics of Instructional Design, Digital Cultures, Learning of Instructional Systems Design are some of the programs covered under E-learning.
Financial Benefits
Financial benefits for the users include the absence of transportation costs. It also includes the cost of different study material, most of which is available freely online.
Connect to a Global Platform
The connectivity of the internet provides to theE-learners the widest platform to talk, text and interact with their peers across the world. This interaction also involves their teachers and instructors. Such student-student and student-teacher interactions make the arrival of analyzed conclusions for the learners, quite easy and fast.
Flexibility and Comfort
The convenience of E-learning provides you the comfort of studying anywhere and anytime. No more is the need to remain within the closed boundaries of your monotonous class or home. You can even sit in a jungle and take your classes in botany, thus being nearest to your subjects! E-learning provides the greatest convenience of time and place.
Self-paced Learning
With the above convenience, comes the added advantage of the self-regulated speed of learning. Imagine going through those study-portals, along with your favourite music, or enjoying any activity that relaxes you!
Lifelong Learning
Learning through the online electronic medium is a great fun! Be that just now or 10 or more years later. You just need to have modern computer-based communication devices and an internet connection.
Eco-friendly
Producing study-articles via offline mode like study-material, paper, pen, eraser, chiefly involves cutting of trees, agriculture products, fossil fuels like petroleum etc. Moreover, offline-learning results in using umpteen litres of fossil fuel in commuting. One more factor robs the natural environment of its health via the offline mode is heavy use of printer ink cartridges for printing. The bottles of this ink are made of synthetic plastic that take up to 1000 years to fully decompose.
Thus, E-learning is synonymous with enriching the natural environment, as it involves none of the above-mentioned resources.T his qualifies the online mode of learning to bean eco-friendly mode.
Improve Self-discipline
The non-physical/virtual presence of the instructors and teachers in online mode, carry the possibility of weakening stoicism in you. You no more have the advantage of being corrected by someone, other than you. And there are several such instances where you may need this attribute to develop in yourself. Some of these are as:
- The need to review information regarding your course-syllabus, course-material, expectations from your instructors, policies, and procedural information of your educational institutions etc.
- The need to make choices for using your time, and developing a sense of management.
- The need to maintain the motivation and interest in your learning. These usually are present in the initial times of your class but subside gradually.
Learning Technical Skills
Pursuing an online-course is synonymous with using computers in the forms of desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, smartphones and the internet. Hence, you essentially need to have the basic knowledge of computers and the internet. This includes –
- Knowing about the terminologies like application, browser, IMHO etc.
- Fully comprehending basic computer hardware and software to operate computers, through use of mouse and keyboard, management of folders and files etc., installing software, using documentation software like Excel, Word etc., knowing about copying, pasting, saving files in various formats.
- Knowing about the skills using the internet- linking and using the browsers. Also, performing online research using various search engines and databases of libraries, under it.
- Communicating online through e-mailing (formulating, sending, accepting, answering, printing attachments). It also involves using discussion boards for reading, searching, posting, replying and following threads. Lastly, it also involves chatting and messaging.
Boost Career Opportunities
E-learning can also be a boon to the prospects of one’s career. Developing management skills via online courses in organization, communication, supervision, team-building etc., can further an E-learner’s job and career. Similarly, E-learners can land on to job-placementsvia their E-programs.
The Bottom line
E-learning is all about learning via the online mediums. This medium is the future of the education industry. Sitting inside any brick and mortar institution to obtain knowledge, is no more the prerequisite. You just need to have any of the modern devices of communication equipped with the power of the internet. And you are on the go in line with the learning-mode of future!
