Intro
Distance learning was something that older, university-age students often did because of the unique advantages it offered them. The advantages ranged from things like a flexible schedule to allow for work and family responsibilities to lowered costs for distance students offered by major universities. The pandemic, however, introduced a whole new cohort to distance learning, namely, elementary and high-school students. The results were mixed, but many students discovered there are several benefits to online education.
Flexibility
The flexibility offered by distance learning is one major advantage that applies equally to all students, from university to high school. Students who learn online do not have to commute to school or spend time getting ready, choosing their clothes, or having meals prepared. Online distance education lets students focus on their classes without having to worry about peripheral concerns.
Some students need to log on at specific times for synchronous learning, which are classes that are headed by a teacher that all students must attend. But e-learning online education also offers students the ability to learn on their own, after classes have ended by reviewing online class materials or rewatching lectures.
Affordability
While there were few to no costs involved for the elementary and high-school students who transitioned to online learning during the pandemic, college, university, and adult learning students often have to pay to enroll in online education e-learning. The costs, however, of distance learning in 2021 are much less than the costs involved for full-time, in-class courses.
Besides, the savings that online learning students incur from e-learning school education, some savings come from not having to commute, no housing costs, no need to purchase a meal plan, or the need to pay for childcare. Online learners can also save by not having to buy textbooks or other materials as they often come in the form of PDFs or other digital documents.
Quality
While e-learning online education is often looked down upon as lesser-than in-person education, those assumptions are undeserved and erroneous. Students who participate in distance learning often take classes with the same teachers, professors, and instructors who lead in-person classes. The quality of online distance learning, like all learning, in fact, also depends on the students.
Learners who engage deeply with online classes and lectures, who are attentive, take notes, and ask pertinent questions are the ones who most benefit. They participate in the same lectures and are assigned the same material and assignments as in-person students. The outcome of those assignments is the responsibility of the students who are assigned them.
Personal Growth
Online distance learning has many advantages, but it also places a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of students. There is no rigid structure to adhere to in virtual classrooms, unlike in-person classes where students are directed where to go and when and are visible to their teachers.
The freedom of distance education forces students to be more responsible and disciplined, which are valuable qualities to have. Students must learn organizational skills, time management, and how to prioritize their tasks much sooner than they would have if they cfcnet continued in the realm of traditional in-person classes.
Networking
Networking is yet another thing that students eventually learn later on in their educational careers, but it is something that online students can develop sooner than others. Distance education puts the onus on students to reach out to their classmates through online chats or messaging apps for help or consultation.
Instead of a classroom environment where socializing is easier, online distance learning forces students to make an effort to collaborate and communicate. Online students, for example, can leave comments on their digital assignments with a program like Lumin PDFeditor and tag fellow students so they can read and interpret them and respond in kind.
