Research on Online Education: How Does it Stack Up?

Both online education and in-person education have their benefits, but one thing stands; online education is on the rise and will continue to grow. This shows that institutions remain committed to expanding programs to meet the needs of today’s students. This form of education offers flexible education opportunities than in-person courses.

According to a report by Distance Learning Compass, more than one in four students (6,700,000 students, to be exact) now take at least one online course. In the past two years, a year-to-year increase of 226,375 online students was recorded, which is equivalents to a 3.9 percent increase. If the numbers continue to grow as they have in the past few years, online enrollment could exceed traditional enrollment at some point.

Currently, 89% of universities offer online courses, compared to 91% of colleges. If college tuition continues to rise, more students will need to pursue higher education while working full time. The future of online education looks promising and opens up varied opportunities to a larger section of the population than before.

Why Is Online Education an Ideal Option?

Convenience

With traditional classroom education, meeting times are set and if you want to get educated, you have to either quit your job or rearrange it. In addition, if you have family obligations and other commitments, you have no option of adjusting class attendance according to your schedule.

Online education offers you the freedom to juggle your career and school because you aren’t tied down to a fixed schedule. You arrange a learning schedule based on your individual needs. There are no live sessions and you choose your own learning environment be it your study, the café across the street, your bedroom, or your local library.

Learn at Your Own Pace

In a traditional college program, studying becomes your main priority and you’ll have to deal with the pressure of keeping up with other students. Online education is a self-paced learning system that allows you to make progress with a rhythm that suits you. All the emails, training materials, and discussion documents are safely stored in an online database and you can access them at any time that’s convenient for you. If you want to listen to a lecture again, you can do that as often as you'd like.

How Can You Capitalize On These Benefits?

Get Organized and Stick to a Schedule

When you enroll in an online program, there will be no one to remind you about tests and assignments; you are responsible for yourself. For this reason, you need to get organized and create a system that reminds you of your tasks. Because coursework is mapped out in advance, you want to know how much time you need for reading and when assignments are due.

Practice by Doing

The increased flexibility that comes with online learning calls for the need to be highly disciplined and self-motivated. Treat your course the same way you would have treated traditional school.

 If your program has recommended exercises, readings, or questionnaires, remember that there’s a reason they were included. The best strategy is to stay up to date on your coursework. Get into the habit of writing down your notes and assignments to help cement the information.

Try Not To Procrastinate

Sometimes procrastination is unavoidable when you have a busy schedule, but waiting until the last minute to get started on your assignments can be a recipe for disaster. Try to put aside some extra time for larger assignments. Read and get work done ahead of schedule to keep the stress that comes with other activities from affecting your academic performance.

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Goal

You make the decision to study because you’re looking to improve your skills, improve your career, and even get a new job. Whatever your reason, it relates to something much more important than having had one bad day or missing an episode of your favorite show; it’s about your future and working to make it better and greater.

In addition, while online education can be forgiving and convenient, you have to stay motivated and be accountable. A little bit of effort can go a long way toward success but don’t let the lack of it drag you down.

Are you interested in going to school online? If you want to study technology, health science, business, criminal justice, or more, ECPI University offers these exciting degree programs completely online at an accelerated rate. For more information about getting your degree online, connect to a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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