Online teaching tools give students an opportunity to get the most out of their education in new ways. Here are a few ways that online teaching tools help students unlock their potential: More time for interaction with instructors and peers, Opportunities for personal support from teachers and advisors, and Flexibility in scheduling study time. The convenience of learning on your own schedule is invaluable for the student who is balancing several classes — or work and children. Online learning offers more structured lessons than traditional schooling methods and makes it easier to keep up with coursework.
Advantages of Online Teaching Tools – We all know there are advantages and disadvantages of online learning, but we in the elearning and online training sphere prefer to focus on the positives. But, when it comes to online training and employee benefits, there really can’t be any negatives in our eyes
Online teaching tools have changed the way we think about learning and teaching. Here are some advantages of online teaching tools. Online classes give you the chance to learn at your own pace. You can take a test, watch lectures and do homework on your own time. You can also rewatch videos and lectures as many times as you want. With online learning, you can see exactly what you need to work on to improve your skills. There are no distractions like there are in a traditional classroom. Some people learn better by watching videos or reading textbooks, so they get more out of their education this way than if it were in person. When students are more engaged with the material, they retain more information, which means they’re less likely to forget what they learned later on down the road.”
Online teaching tools and resources allow students to learn using their computers, tablets, phones or other internet-connected devices. These tools are generally created by educational institutions, companies and individuals with the good intentions of helping teachers reach their students in new ways.
Some Advantages Include:
Efficiency
Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. Online learning has a number of tools such as videos, PDFs, podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans. By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources, teachers are able to become more efficient educators.
Accessibility Of Time And Place
Another advantage of online education is that it allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries. Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference. This allows students to access the learning material at a time of their comfort.
Thus, online learning offers students the accessibility of time and place in education.
Affordability
Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs. Online education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning. This is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate. Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while also being beneficial to the environment.
Improved Student Attendance
Since online classes can be taken from home or location of choice, there are fewer chances of students missing out on lessons.
Added Flexibility and Self-Paced Learning
Not many people have the ability to take time off from work to commit to a full-time graduate program, and others often travel for work. For those who still need to juggle working and going back to school, the flexibility of an online program provides individuals with the opportunity to learn while still working and growing professionally.
By earning your master’s degree online, you can learn on your own schedule. Rather than leave the office early or skip family dinner to commute to campus, you’re logging on when it’s convenient for you—at a time that doesn’t interfere with other commitments. That flexibility allows you to more easily balance work, life, and graduate school.
Additionally, students don’t always feel comfortable asking professors to repeat a point they made in their last lecture or dive into deeper detail on a specific topic. When learning online, you can revisit past material or stop the lecture to perform additional research or organize your notes. You can work through the lesson plan at your own pace to ensure you’re really mastering the material before moving on to the next section. This added flexibility allows online learners to move through the course work at their own speed and get the most out of the degree program.
Better Time Management
Juggling work, family, and school isn’t an easy thing to do. Employers recognize this and admire the time management skills it takes to balance all three. Because there are no set classroom times within an online degree program, and students have the flexibility to create their own schedules, it’s up to the student to proactively reach out to faculty, complete assignments on time, and plan ahead.
One of the things we know employers expect is that we manage our time effectively. It’s never enough to be at your desk on time in the morning and stay through the end of the day; most of us are expected to get more projects done in less time. Online classes keep you on a regular schedule of making and meeting deadlines, allowing you to practice managing your time and staying productive week-to-week. Employers often appreciate the time management skills needed to complete an online degree program and view these skills as a valuable asset in potential employees.
Melanie Kasparian, associate director of assessment at Northeastern College of Professional Studies, shares tips on how to be a successful online learner, recommending students work consistently throughout the week. A sample schedule, she says, may look similar to this:
- Monday: Begin required readings and multimedia.
- Tuesday: Continue reviewing materials.
- Wednesday: Post to the discussion forum and begin assignments.
- Thursday: Continue posting and working on assignments.
- Friday: Read and respond to posts and work on assignments.
- Saturday: Read and respond to posts and finish assignments.
- Sunday: Check your work and submit assignments.
Kasparian says, “Working on the train, during a lunch break, or in the morning—there’s really no right time to study, as long as it fits your life.”
Demonstrated Self-Motivation
By successfully earning your master’s degree online, you’re demonstrating that you can practice time management and are self-motivated, which are among the top 10 employability skills employers want to see in new hires. By succeeding in earning an online degree, you prove that you can tackle multiple tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing work conditions.
Instructors expect students to be independent, to learn on their own, and to engage with the material that they are teaching. It’s the same thing in the workforce; employers want you to be self-motivated, go after things that interest you, and seek new opportunities and ways of doing things. The more you put your heart into it—whether it’s learning online or working for your employer—the more you’ll succeed.
Individual Pace
Online learning solutions provide much-needed effectiveness for teachers, allowing them to maximize the potential for individual learning curves and styles within the classroom. Many online learning solutions account for self-paced learning and allow students and teachers to work together to meet scheduled targets.
Application of Theory
Now more than ever, children, youth, and students are accessing information and news online, communicating, sharing, and exchanging ideas and concepts via technology. Online learning enables teachers to tap into this realm of constant learning by embracing the real-world application of theory through multimedia, video, chat, and interactivity. Educators can effectively harness the power of everyday technology to bring educational theories into the classroom.
Practicality
In modern times of global economic and political instability, federal and provincial/state education budgets are often placed on the chopping block. Online learning is an incredible way to compensate for reduced access to teaching information and time dedicated to tracking student progress. The practical benefits to teachers can be measured in terms of time-based efforts and workload reduction. For example, using an LMS allows teachers to quickly create tests and quizzes using a preexisting or ever-expanding question bank. LMS technology also permits the automation of marking those tests and quizzes. Practical benefits also include the ability to track the submission of digital assignments, and reuse or reconstruct a course curriculum using new course templates.
Improved Virtual Communication and Collaboration
Learning to work with others in a virtual environment can make you a more effective leader. You’ll develop critical leadership skills by utilizing specialized knowledge, creating efficient processes, and making decisions about best communication practices, such as what should be discussed in-person or electronically.
In an online program, you’ll also participate in discussion boards with your classmates, communicate with professors via email, and collaborate through various software programs. As the program progresses, you’ll get better at pitching your ideas and making strong, succinct, professional arguments through text.
Participating in discussion boards is a lot like participating in a virtual team. Communicating your ideas clearly, getting responses, and projecting a professional image are necessary skills in a virtual workplace. Instructors, just like managers, expect you to write respectful, thoughtful, and polite communications, respond to different perspectives, and build a rapport with your peers. Luckily, in an online program, you’ll refine this skill quickly— post after post, week after week, course after course.
The Way of the Future
Online learning offers significant benefits for educators. It’s estimated that by 2019, at least 50% of all post-secondary courses will be delivered online, providing schedule flexibility and cost-effectiveness for educators, as well as access to new learning platforms and the opportunity to learn from celebrated educators located elsewhere in the world via long-distance education. In elementary school settings, blended approaches to online learning allow both teachers and students to access a wide variety of modern teaching/learning tools and resources.
What to Expect in an Online Course
Online learning can take all sorts of shapes and sizes. So, what to expect varies widely depending on the type of course or program you seek.
If you’re looking to gain basic knowledge of a specific topic, a free online course may be the answer. These are more likely to be self-paced, which often means less direct guidance from an instructor. Offerings are available in virtually any subject area that comes to mind, including both soft and hard skills.
You may consider a paid online program offering a credential if you’re looking to make a more dramatic career change or advance into a managerial role (or help members of your team move into new internal positions or gain new skill sets). This credential may be a certificate, professional certification, or even a full online degree, among others.
Conclusion
Many faculty and students like the flexibility afforded by online tools, which can allow for more customization of the lessons and assignments. Many distance-learning courses are intentionally asynchronous, making them not only flexible but available to students (particularly those with transportation challenges) who might otherwise be prevented from attending class.
Online teaching holds the potential to transform education. With the help of technology, students have the opportunity to take the same courses for free. As a result, traditional educational institutions now offer distance-learning programs, and with them various advantages of online classes.