Online education- an overview 

Owing to the rapid growth and advancement in technology, online education has become an integral part of the courses offered by various institutions across the globe. Thanks to online learning, certificates, PhDs, and various other online courses have become much easier.

According to the Online Knowledge Hub, distance education is offered by most of the highest ranked institutions which makes it possible for you to attend the university of your dream along with the convenience of having a schedule that is tailored as per your needs. Owing to the sheer flexibility of the timetable and the varied number of courses that suit almost every lifestyle, students are opting for online learning as a legitimate alternative to studying on campus.

It is common for some to consider online learning to need a greater amount of self-motivation, the institutions also recognise the need to provide the educational support since its importance is equal to that of the feedback of a tutor. For the same reason, institutions take great care in order to ensure that their students are provided with support that is similar to that of an on-campus student.

Let’s take a look at the resources available for distance education-

Irrespective of the kind of course that you wish to pursue, an online degree program comes along with these resources-

·        Journals

·        EBooks

·        Videos

·        Recorded lectures

·        Quizzes

·        Discussion Forums

·        Live Q&A sessions

·        Interviews

Next comes the question as to how online education shall be delivered?

All of the course’s learning resources are delivered by the online learning platform of the respected institution. Although it depends on the software used by the institution, it usually is made up of a central platform that is accessible online by the students with the help of various gadgets like laptop, personal computer, smartphone, or tablet.

The greatest benefit of online education is the flexibility of the utilization of the resources. Being an online student, it is completely your choices to access the course information at any point of time and complete them. This allows you to work around your schedules of work, family, and any other kind of commitment.

Assessment of online learning

Any student who is enrolled for a degree program or any particular course shall be examined for their understanding of the course at regular intervals. Although it might seem to be intimidating, online assessment are tailored by professionals to ensure the ease of the students as well as fairness so that you can make the most out of your learning experience.

There are a few common types of assessment that you are mostly likely to encounter while enrolling for an online degree program or a certificate course:

Individual assignments- the most common type of assessment that students are to experience for which a particular topic shall be assigned to you along with an allotted deadline and word count. It is the responsibility of the student to produce the assignment within the stipulated time frame to the course instructor.

Discussion activities

Although it might sound similar to on-campus discussions that you as a student are used to, online discussion activities are somewhat different.  

Depending upon the institution, your course instructor or teacher shall assign a topic for discussion, that is mostly a question, or provide a topic for a debate. It is then the students’ task to conduct research on the particular topic and post each of their responses to the respective topic which will in turn demonstrate of your understanding as well as knowledge.

Journals

Online journals for education is another part of the assessment which is similar to the discussion boards. It allows you to keep a track of all that you have learned within the time frame of the course. It also allows your instructor to evaluate how much you have learned in the course and whether you are headed to the right direction.

The style of journal activities is however much more subjective. You are free to use a personal style and reflect on what you have learned so far.

Exams

Yes, exams are nail-biting moments of our lives, but we cannot fully deny that it is also one of the most full-proof method of testing your learning.

When it comes to exams, the institutes choose whether they shall allow students to take their tests on their personal laptops or computers. Some of the tests are open book since tutors are unable to monitor a virtual exam. Some institutes however use virtual proctors or various tools for monitoring the students in case they open any other web pages.

Recognition of qualification from online education

Although most of the institutions that offer online education are accredited, it is safer for you to research their accreditation and the kind of qualification that you as a student shall earn from the respective online program. It is also necessary to research the online institution itself to avoid any scammers!

Employment and online learning

Online certificates not being accepted by employers is a myth as long as the institutions are authentic and the qualifications are recognised in your respective field.

In fact, many employers consider online educated individuals who are stepping away from the old system of campus education.

Now that you have an idea of what online education is all about, it’s time to start that course you have been waiting for!

Happy learning!