Online learning offers flexibility

Getting an education has never been easier thanks to the proliferation of online education programs. If you missed that natural step of getting a college or university education after high school, or if you wish to upgrade, you may appreciate the flexibility of online learning.

E-learning offers flexibility of location. If you don’t live near a university or college, you may have limited options. Why should you be denied an education simply because of where you live? There is also flexibility in scheduling. The option to keep working on your career while pursuing an education can be very attractive. In many cases the student can choose the pace of learning, adding another level of flexibility to those who are juggling career and family life while studying.

A growing number of students in Alberta are bypassing a bricks and mortar education and signing up for online learning. “Nearly 11,000 students took courses at eCampusAlberta last year, which is up from about 7,000 two years ago,” says a CBC report from early this year.

The inevitable protest is that online learning is not like classroom learning where students and instructor are face to face, providing that immediate interactive exchange. E-learning programs seek to create the best online learning environment, but do not necessarily attempt to replicate a classroom situation in every detail, and for many students this is not the top priority.

The CBC report found an Alberta student who felt that a traditional classroom environment slowed her down. “At online school, you can really go as fast as you want. I only asked the questions I wanted to ask and I didn’t have to sit through other people asking questions so it really is a one-on-one personal experience.”

The choice is an individual one based somewhat on learning styles and personality types. Hopefully, we’ve reached a tipping point where programs need not be judged on whether they replicate a classroom but on what’s effective.

A 2012 report by Ontario’s Distance Education and Training Network on online learning in Canada says, despite the lack of a strategic focus, “There are signs of more institutions seeing online learning as critical to their strategy and core to their business plans for the future,” and new institutions such as the “Ontario Online Institution” are emerging.