Harvard Business School (SPNM), MBA: SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Master of Information Technology, Virginia Tech.
Online learning is gaining a lot of popularity in today’s date. It has opened doors for many aspirants who wish to pursue higher studies along with personal and work commitments. It gives the advantage of flexibility i.e lets students study from home, workplace, café, garden or any suitable place via computer, tablet or mobile phones, etc. Online learning has become a very convenient option since it saves the time and money of traveling and is cheaper than studying from traditional colleges. But there are several myths about online learning. Here are some assumptions which don’t hold true:
- Online courses are only for business students:
This is a misconception that all online courses are structured only for business students. Nevertheless, there are many online courses for a variety of subjects ranging from engineering to legal studies. There are various online courses in different domains such as online Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering, online Master’s degree in Information Technology, online Bachelor’s degree in Graphics and Multimedia, Master’s degree in Health Administration, Master’s degree in Medical Informatics, Associate’s degree in Paralegal studies, etc.
- Online learning is costlier than traditional learning:
Universities offering online programs are actually cheaper than going to brick-and-mortar classroom universities. In fact, universities that only offer distance learning courses have fewer expenses to bear. They are saved from paying land rent and maintenance expenses. They don’t have to bear the expenses of staff and personnel every month. This way the university can offer cheap tuition rates to the students. Also, it saves the traveling and hostel charges of the students. Learn various courses from the best experts
- Anybody can do an online course:
Very often people think that online courses are very easy and anybody can do it. However, it’s far more than that. People who take up online courses are mostly working people who have to manage their work commitments and personal commitments together. Hence, managing all this along with studies is a difficult task and not everyone’s cup of tea. It requires time management, self-motivation, patience, and hard work.
- Online courses can’t fetch good jobs:
Apart from the current qualifications of a person, an online degree will always look good on his resume. It shows your potential to learn new and different things. Also, HR managers don’t undervalue online degrees to traditional degrees. A degree is a degree. An online degree from a well-known university will make wonders to your career. It will definitely make you a more deserving and meritorious candidate when you apply for new positions.
- Distance learning will reduce the need for faculty:
The most important aspect of teaching, in a classroom or online, is a responsible teacher. Online teaching institutions are very particular about maintaining a small and convenient class size than traditional universities, keeping not more than 25 students per session. Hence, there is a need for more, not less, qualified teachers.
- Online learning is anti-social:
In online learning courses students from many places participate since it breaks the geographical barrier. Therefore, there are students from different places with different ideas. This breaks the anti-social barrier since the students are engaged in meaningful relations, communication, and social connections and peer interaction. Students are open to exchange ideas and learn about different cultural perspectives.
