It’s no secret that online learning has been growing in popularity and the range of courses available is almost endless. But who benefits from online learning? The simple answer is everyone. Online learning has opened opportunities for people all around the world and from all types of backgrounds to learn and achieve their educational goals.
Failed Students
For those students who didn’t get the grades they wanted at GCSE or A-Level, can now enrol and study online with ease to gain qualifications to help them progress on their learning journey. Rather than having to just accept bad decisions in the past or wasted educational opportunities. Students can now return to learning at an affordable price and get qualified. More importantly, these students have the chance of redoing their qualifications in less time than it would take with going back to school.
Adult Learners
The term ‘Adult Learner’ tends to be applied to people who have been out of the education system for a few years. They are people who have established careers, who are looking to upskill. Whether they are looking for a promotion or to go back to University to change careers, thanks to online learning they can now do this quickly, easily and without having to give up work commitments. Meaning that either Professional Diplomas or A-Levels can be studied at home as and when they have time and completed comfortably without the financial worry of not being employed while studying. Being able to study like this, means that online learning is much more affordable than traditional learning routes.
Parents Returning to Work
Another demographic that online learning can benefit is parents looking to return to work after having a career break to raise a family. It’s very easy for qualifications and experience to become out of date or not relevant to the workplace if you take time out to raise children to school age. So with the help of online learning it’s possible for parents to update their skillset and keep in touch with their industry in preparation for return to work. All without the worry of finding childcare and covering the extra cost of this.
Retirees
The last (and probably most overlooked) group of learners are retirees. Studying an online course gives a student the chance to exercise their brain and keep their grey matter working. Which makes it the ideal choice for someone who is retired and looking for ways to keep themselves active and motivated. It’s not unusual for a retiree to return to studying to achieve qualifications in subjects they previously enjoyed, but didn’t have the time to learn about properly.
Online Learning Course Types Available
Thanks to the massive improvements in learning management software, the types of courses available for online learning are wide and far reaching. It’s safe to say, you can probably study an online course in just about anything these days. However, with that said, some types of courses lend themselves better to being studied online. For example, if you wanted to study a course in Drama or Art, it would prove very difficult to do the more practical sides of the subject through an online portal.
Surprisingly, some subjects that you might think are impossible to study online, like A Level Environmental Science or Geography, can still be studied through an online portal. The practical sides of the course are covered as an additional unit of physical study through an examination centre. Other courses that have a practical or coursework element that can still be studied online include:
Online learning isn’t just restricted to courses such as A Levels or GCSEs, there are plenty of options in the more vocational fields of study too. For example, you can study and learn a Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, in preparation for working within Healthcare easily online. There are several recognised Diplomas available for study and enrolment onto these courses literally takes just minutes for students.
How to Start Online Learning
The process of starting your online learning adventure really is easy. First things first, you need to decide on the course you want to study. Once you know this, it’s time to do a bit of research to find the right version of the course online for you. Then it’s just a case of getting yourself enrolled ready to begin. All those steps are so simple and quick and easy, it means you can be up and running with your online learning within a few hours if you really wanted.
Benefits of Online Learning
- Flexible in nature – you can start online learning whenever it suits you and you can choose when you study and where.
- Independent study – you can study on your own or with the support of your tutor. You decide.
- Open enrolment – you can study any course you want, without worrying about previous qualifications.
- Affordable – online courses are low cost and you can usually spread the course fees over an instalment plan.
- Range of courses – you can study a courses in almost anything you fancy.