eLearning advantages

Benefits of eLearning. Advantages and disadvantages of online courses. Going to school online has a number of advantages for students.
Gaining an education through the internet or through the mail is cheaper for the student than going through a classroom system since the
student does not have to pay fees. Going to ‘virtual’ school allows students to build their own schedule and do their class work in the comfort
of their home or while traveling.

This is especially popular in the upper level of lectures (3rd and 4th year courses) where students are largely on their own for their projects
anyway.

Gaining a degree online also allows students to fully decide how long it will take them to complete the coursework-getting a degree can take
as little as eighteen months through distance education if the student is willing to commit to it.

Online degrees are also very useful in degrees were the majority of work is done on the computer anyway or for colleges with students who
would ordinarily be coming from neighboring towns and may not choose to attend because of travel costs.

Online degrees also free up a lot of time for the professor who can set up the courses online and then focus on the other aspects of their job
such as writing, research, and community work.

In Canada for example, a professor cannot gain tenure without publishing something and being involved in boards or councils to help the
community, on top of teaching. Working through the internet frees up a great deal of time.

Many universities and colleges across the western world use their online class options as a way to attract students and encourage education in
older students who may otherwise not have the time to pursue their educational dreams.

Online courses have their disadvantages though. Many students learn better in the classroom and prefer face to face talk with their
professors. These students therefore do not have the same range of classes to choose as those who works through the internet as some
courses in universities are offered solely online.

Online courses also require a certain amount of commitment to finish as the student will have absolutely nothing pushing them to finish their
work but themselves. In the classroom, the student has to at least be vaguely prepared for questions and some professors do at least vaguely
inquire why an important assignment has not been done. Some students will not be able to force themselves to work on their degree and thus
will never actually finish it. Online degrees also require more research on the part of the student as they have to make certain that the degree
is a legitimate and comprehensive one.

There are fraudulent degrees offered on the internet that take money and time from the students and offer nothing in return. Students
interested in online degrees have to make sure it is through an accredited university/college and watch out for frauds. There are still many
employers who prefer to hire students who have gone through the traditional system of education and may choose one of these to one who
has an online degree. However, as far as the student is concerned, studies have been done to show that online degrees offer the same level of
education as the classroom system, so employers have to start changing their minds.

In terms of the faculty, online degrees often require more tutors and volunteers to help oversee projects and course work because online
courses often have a far greater number of students enrolled than the classroom setting.

The reliance on people other than the professor and a couple of teacher’s assistants can make some students and other faculty nervous as
it becomes harder to monitor the quality of the education being given. Such is often the case with entire online programs which rely on
volunteers to bolster the professor.

Online architecture classes for example have had this problem which has made things difficult for schools wanting to do more collaboration
with other schools. Finally, there are some programs which are not yet offered online and one of these is the architecture degree which is the
one of the last programs one has to take many courses through the classroom setting for a variety of reasons.