Online education has gained a steady growth in popularity among young students. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group in 2015, a total of 2.85 million students take all their courses online while 2.97 million students take some of them. The trend of taking online classes is not limited to college students, however. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning or iNACOL says that 250,000 kindergartens to 12th-grade students have enrolled in online schools annually. This number continues to increase.
There are several reasons why more and more people prefer online education to classroom-based education.
One: It is convenient.
People who have many responsibilities and commitments but want to pursue their education love the fact that they can just fit their classes into their schedule and that they can read and work on the learning materials whenever it’s most convenient to them. Another thing that makes virtual classrooms better is that students don’t have to travel to school. They only have to log in to the virtual campus and study in the comfort of their own homes.
Two: Students learn more.
Online academies such as Kids Academy Talented & Gifted usually allows parents to tailor courses that fit the level of the learner. Because students study at their own time and at their own pace, they are able to move faster on certain topics that they already know about and spend more time on those that they are not yet comfortable with. In fact, according to a study, nearly 70% of students claim that they learn more through online education than that in a traditional classroom setting.
Three: It is cheaper.
The reason why most individuals don’t enroll in courses even though they are interested in it is that they cannot afford the cost of the tuition. Online courses are available at a much lower cost, thus making it more affordable for most people. If you really don’t want to spend money, you can also find free courses online. However, you might not get a certificate after passing these courses.
Four: Retention rates are higher.
The Research Institute of America has found that students who take online classes have increased their retention rates from 25% to 60%. Because online education uses more engaging multimedia content and students have more control over how they study, they tend to understand and retain more of their lessons.
Five: There are more frequent assessments.
In online courses, assessments are given after every important chapter of the course. Usually, online courses assess the students’ learning every week, thus tracking their progress better. Moreover, a research from Harvard revealed that short and regular tests decreased the students’ distraction by half, tripled the student’s note-taking, and improved their overall content retention.
Final Thoughts
Online education is a blessing to people who want to pursue their education despite their busy schedules. Though it is still not as widely accepted as classroom-based education, it’s gaining popularity and will continue to do so.
