The concept of obtaining education online isn’t new. It has been around for a long time. However, online education was generally looked down upon for the longest time because people believed it didn’t offer the same learning outcomes as traditional degrees. As a result, people with online degrees were met with disdain when entering the corporate world.

Then, things started to change as the digital era ushered in a new age. As people started to become perpetually online with smartphones giving them access to a wealth of learning material at their fingertips, perceptions of online education altered. 

Over the past decade, online education has shed many stigmas and negative connotations previously attached to it. But the real change came when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, affecting the world in a way never seen before. 

As the virus spread, businesses, offices, and schools began to shut down. Governments instituted social distancing protocols and lockdown regulations. It meant children could no longer attend school. Working professionals couldn’t go to the office. The entire world’s paradigm was shifted. 

As the world closed down, governments debated on how to restart schools and colleges to ensure students’ progress wasn’t affected. They decided to move everything online. 

Since then, COVID-19 has dwindled, but the world hasn’t forgotten its impact. As a result, public perception of online education has changed. Today, more people are obtaining education online than ever before. Whether it’s an MBA, undergraduate degree, or another graduate degree, consider pursuing it online today. 

Why the Future of Education Is Online:

Here are some reasons online education is the future:

Flexibility and Accessibility

One of the reasons online education continues to become more popular is that it offers flexibility and accessibility.  Value Colleges explains that one of the reasons online education continues to become more popular is that it offers flexibility and accessibility.

Let’s assume you want to obtain an undergraduate degree. If you were pursuing the traditional, face-to-face form of education, accessibility would be a big issue. For instance, let’s assume you live in Idaho in this scenario, but you want to attend either George Washington University or New York University. Both these schools would be out-of-state for you, meaning you would incur out-of-state tuition charges.

In addition, you would have to uproot your life in Idaho and move to either Washington or NYC. It’s not easy. Moving itself is expensive. Then, once you have moved, you’ll also need to find accommodation, which can sometimes be as expensive as tuition fees. 

Now, let’s assume you were pursuing an online undergraduate degree instead. You could enroll in your preferred colleges without ever setting foot outside your state. You could pick and choose courses relevant to your degree and area of interest and complete them from the comfort of your home.

Therefore, online education is simply more accessible than traditional education. In addition to being more accessible, it’s also more flexible. Most online educational programs have recorded lectures, seminars, etc. You don’t need to follow a schedule, meaning you can set your own learning pace. Furthermore, this autonomy also encourages students to develop vital time management skills.

Online Learning Facilitates a Personalized Learning Experience

As previously discussed, online learning provides flexibility, which allows you to set your own learning pace. However, more importantly, online learning facilitates a personalized learning experience. You can go through the course material when and how you like. Most online education programs usually have forums and weekly discussions to accentuate learning. Students can use these formats to interact with their peers and teachers to discuss queries and resolve any issues they might have. 

Furthermore, it’s also important to note that most online classes have a smaller student capacity than traditional classes, meaning the instructor-to-student ratio is more balanced. As a result, students can get more personalized attention from teachers by requesting their assistance and scheduling one-on-one sessions. 

It’s Usually More Cost-Effective Than Traditional Education

Online education is typically cheaper than traditional education because students don’t have to pay for accompanying expenses, such as lab and library fees, since they don’t use these facilities. In addition, most schools and colleges also offer cheaper tuition fees for online students since they aren’t taking up campus space. Similarly, shifting to an online format also allows schools and colleges to save utility expenses. As a result, many schools and colleges also offer discounts and scholarships to entice students to opt for online education instead of a more traditional one. 

In addition to tuition expenses, you’ll also save money pursuing an online education since you won’t have to include commuting or accommodation costs. 

Research shows online four-year degrees are generally $31,165 cheaper than traditional degrees.

Better Retention

Most people believe traditional education offers better learning outcomes than online education. This stigma has lingered for years, affecting online education’s reputation in the academic and corporate world. However, perceptions toward online education have considerably changed over the past decade, and since COVID-19, people have realized online education isn’t less effective than traditional education.

But that’s not all because some newer studies indicate students’ retention rate increases when learning online compared to traditional learning methods. Many speculate this is because students have more tools to learn online. For instance, they can play interactive learning games, watch videos, listen to recordings, read PDFs, use slideshows, etc., to learn different concepts.

Less Time-Consuming and More Suitable for Working Professionals

Online education is also more suitable for working professionals looking to improve their educational credentials to move to higher promotions. Many corporations often want their employees to have a graduate degree to become C-suite executives. Managing studies with a typical work schedule can be quite hectic and challenging. 

Thus, working professionals benefit from online education because they don’t have to attend weekend or night classes. Instead, they can gain their degree by taking courses online and studying during breaks and after work. 

In addition to working professionals, online education also facilitates people from other walks of life. For instance, working single mothers might find it challenging to pursue further education since they would need to find childcare after office hours to attend night school and get their education. Online education allows them to pursue further education while tending to their children without needing to find childcare, helping them save costs while working toward their professional goals and aspirations. 

Conclusion

While online education has been around for a long time, people’s perceptions toward it have changed, particularly since the pandemic. Many still debate whether education will gradually shift to predominantly online methods. However, the reality is that online education continues to grow rapidly and will likely become even more prominent in the future. In addition, it offers numerous benefits that make it ideal for working professionals, single mothers, etc.