Distance Education: The Pros And Cons Of E-learning

Distance education is a good option for those looking for new skills and knowledge. Thanks to the rapid development of technology, computer programs offer high-quality courses of various types of training.

But can this make up for the lack of contact with teachers? In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of virtual universities. Distance learning schools offer topics via audio, video, and email materials, as well as virtual spaces that you can share with teachers and students.

What is distance education?

The internet is a good facilitator for online education. Via tablets, computers, laptops and even smartphones, students have access to the material of every course and training.

If we analyze this trend, we see that three times as many learning management systems (LMS) and online courses have been added in the last 10 years. This allows online education to offer more and more. Today, you have access to high school, college, and university education.

University degrees obtained online are often equivalent to traditional degrees. We haven’t even looked at the endless choice of alternative courses for every skill you can think of.

Clear benefits of distance education

As with everything in life, people are free to choose the path they want to follow. However, for people who want to get an education despite obstacles such as time and place, these advantages are very attractive:

• Flexibility : While many educational institutions would try to keep their schedules as wide as possible, there will always be a percentage of students for whom it still doesn’t work out.
• Anyone who has ever been late for a lesson and missed important information for understanding the material knows how annoying fixed schedules are.

At the same time, there are those who can study full-time but have to adapt to a schedule that may be too slow. Distance education has solutions for both cases.

• It is perfect for people with children. After becoming a mother, many mothers have to postpone their education indefinitely.
• It is difficult to find peace when you have children around you. Online courses and training allow students to keep up with the pace, even in this situation.
• Professionals who want to specialize. Everyone who chooses to study remotely has their own reasons for doing so. They may be professionals who want to refine their skills in a specific area of ​​their job. It can also be for someone for whom it is impossible in practice to follow a classical education at school.

Another demographic that chooses to take virtual classes is young people who have had to drop out of college to get a job. In this case, a virtual diploma is also a good alternative.

What are the disadvantages of distance learning?

As we have seen, the advantages are very clear, but there are also some disadvantages. Is distance a disadvantage? In the past, this has been the biggest complaint of distance education. Geographical barriers are almost non-existent thanks to technological developments.

Not all courses and training have evolved into virtual classes. In other words, not all training offers discussions, chat rooms and virtual classes. There are also courses where you have to attend a classroom lesson at least once a month. However, this kind of takes away from the magic of virtuality.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of distance education is that you are responsible for what and how much you learn. Without a teacher nearby to ask questions, you can become frustrated. This causes some students to give up.

In short, as with most things, the first thing you need to do is list the pros and cons to save time and money. However, the growing popularity of distance education indicates that this option is becoming more varied and more accepted.