Why online classes are better

Now, more than 30 brick-and-mortar schools offer MOOC-based degrees, through partnerships with tech-ed companies like Coursera, edX, and Udacity. But MOOCs are only the tip of the online-learning iceberg. Digital and traditional institutions are also perfecting more-intimate online learning options, with smaller class sizes and more one-to-one professor-to-student interactions.

Online degree options abound and if you can't find the offering you want at a local university, you can probably find it at another school.

A recent article in Forbes offers some insight into the state of online learning. Researchers have begun diving into how efficient online learning is compared to classroom education. So far, the results have been promising. A study from California State University in San Bernadino found that two different sets of students—one group who studied online and the other who went to class—who received the same instruction from the same professor fared equally well in terms of performance.

However, the study revealed that online students were less intimidated about participating, and that there was a higher-quality of interaction between students and the professor. The upshot: Educators have long known that different people take in information in different ways, but educational methods have struggled to adapt. If you're someone whose eyes glaze over during a classroom lecture, you may find that you respond better to online learning approaches.

Believe it or not, online learners may actually have more contact with their educators than classroom learners. Online students are generally asked to complete more-frequent assessments so that professors can monitor their competence. Because of this, learning gaps can be identified and addressed faster, rather than allowing a struggling student to slip through the cracks until exam time.

Remember, this isn't just about GPAs. When you're paying thousands of dollars for an education, you don't want to hide in the back corner of the classroom. You want to ensure you understand the course material so you can apply it later.

The campus, obviously. Online college removes all of those expenses from the equation, effectively yielding you a five-figure discount during the course of your studies.

In addition to not having to pay for room and board and commuting, online study may reduce your costs in another extremely significant way. Most online programs are structured around the idea that students are employed, and possibly employed full-time. Being able to continue working while going to school means that you may have to take on less student loan debt.

When you consider that most people take close to 20 years to pay off their student loan debt, reducing your total debt load is one of the most-important strategies you can adopt.

Your future self will thank you. Absenteeism and scheduling conflicts are virtually removed from the online learning equation. Planning on studying an MBA degree abroad? We can help. Applications are now open. Leave a review on Facebook so we can help others like you find their perfect study abroad adventure!

Show educations. Category Program level Location Delivery method. Keep on reading to learn five more reasons why you should get involved in online education! Interested in learning online? About the Author. This field is used for controlling automatic form submits.

Please leave it blank:. What country are you from? Sign me up! Last update: 21 Sep You might also be interested in:. Like us? This generally involves the time to get back and forth to classes, plus the time spent waiting for tutors and other students. One of the great things about online courses is that assessment can become more of an ongoing process.

This is good news for students as interspersing multimedia content and learning materials with regular short tests can improve student engagement. Increased student tracking means that tutors are able to step in earlier when assistance is needed. This certainly makes online learning and multimedia content a more effective method of education overall.

Promoting and engaging in this kind of learning can help both individuals and corporations to do their bit for the environment and stick to their own personal environmental goals. Interested in finding out more about the most effective way to learn languages? Students learn more than they do in traditional courses IBM have found that participants learn five times more material in online learning courses using multimedia content than in traditional face to face courses.