The advantages and disadvantages of online learning

Studying further in any field can be a gamechanger in your career, personal life, and it can encourage a sense of achievement.

Online courses can offer a great way to learn continuously while maintaining a busy life of full-time working, parenting, or building a portfolio or professional resumé. Although studying online has some major advantages, there might be some drawbacks to bear in mind.

What are the advantages of studying online?

There are considerable benefits to taking an online course, especially if you are a professional wanting to gain more understanding, insight, and practical knowledge in your field. Taking an online class provides a convenient way to learn more in both a practical and theoretical manner. Other benefits include:

It offers a flexible schedule

Most online courses have flexible times, and missing a lecture can be made up quite easily. Online learning is often built for individuals who already have part or full-time careers and allows for a flexible schedule to be formed around prior life commitments.

Usually there are hard deadlines which can be met at your convenience or lecturers once a week in the evening which means that you can choose when to study and put time into completing the work.

Study from anywhere

The internet is locationless, which means that your studies can be done in any location you choose. Online courses have the advantage of giving you the option to pick your favourite learning environment, which ultimately can motivate you to succeed. Not only can you choose the best spot (whether it’s your lounge, your office, or a coffee shop), you can also travel while studying. So long as you are in an area where you can find the internet, the world of online studying is at your fingertips.

It is more affordable

University fees are notorious for being hefty. These come before needing to pay for student accommodation – which includes paying for water, electricity, and wifi – and before needing to get to campus, such as fuel or transportation costs. Online courses are priced affordably, so getting an excellent standard of education through e-classes doesn’t need to break your bank or require taking out student loans which are expensive to pay back.

What are the disadvantages of studying online?

It requires major self-discipline

Studying without firm schedules and classes requires a great self-discipline. Being able to motivate yourself to sit down and work can be demanding and draining at times. The challenge this can be intensified by the absence of seeing fellow students and a lack of positive peer pressure.

Despite the difficulty, the one advantage of this is that you learn to motivate yourself, thus gaining an important soft skill for worklife. In a day and age where remote work is becoming more and more popular, being able to develop your ability to work online can be exceptionally helpful for future work opportunities.

There is little face-to-face interaction

While this one might be apparent from the concept, it is worth remembering. With online courses, there is little to no face-to-face interaction between yourself and other students as well as with the course convener. This can make it difficult to connect with classmates and build relationships.

That being said, there is usually clear communication channels possible between the students and contacting the professor or lecturer can be as simple as sending an email or posting on a forum. Studying financial management through MasterStart, for example, offers interpersonal mentorship with the course convenor who has both experience and interest in helping students achieve the best they can.

Get a certificate from the University of Stellenbosch by studying an online short course on https://masterstart.com/

Courses range from 6 to 12 weeks.

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