Online Universities

The internet has brought about several changes in our day-to-day lives. From streaming movies online to attending virtual meetings, our world has changed in more ways than one. Owing to these, it has become a lot more convenient and easy for everyone. Many sectors of the economy have undergone rapid changes due to the emergence of the virtual world. Entire business models and revenue models have been changed as a part of the transformation process. Education is one such sector that is seeing a rapid change owing to the advent of the internet. Schools and colleges are no longer about having a physical classroom and premises. They have instead moved to the virtual setting, with the internet being the virtual classroom for students.

The advantages offered by online learning platforms

The transformation has been of immense help to students as well as teachers. For starters, it has made the content delivery a lot smoother. Teachers can make use of various online teaching aids to make students understand different concepts and help them ace multiple topics. It has also made the students’ life much more comfortable. They can now revisit the lectures and study material provided during the classroom interaction and brush up on difficult topics. Additionally, they can look for alternative sources of study material, thereby having access to the best of resources. The other significant advantage that online teaching has over offline teaching is accessibility.

The accessibility factor

Owing to its global reach, online education can reach even the most remote towns and villages. The kind of reach offered by the internet has enabled educators and institutions to cover larger areas and provide education to every individual who seeks it. It has practically shattered the constraints posed by geography and location, making good quality education accessible to everyone irrespective of their race or nationality. Students of today have access to the best of tools and resources, making them equipped to explore different types of courses. The online education sector or more popularly known as the ed-tech sector is booming in many countries around the world. Right from the K-10 segment to the university level courses, all types of courses are available to students of various age-groups.

A plethora of courses on offer

Many ed-tech startups around the world have gotten into strategic collaborations with renowned educational institutions to offer online degree programs and various other courses to the student community. The students can go for short-term skill development courses that focus on imparting specific skills, or they could go for long-term degree programs. The students have been spoilt for choice. Almost all the major universities around the world offer online programs either through strategic collaborations or directly through their online learning mediums. In addition to all the benefits mentioned above, the students also have the advantage of doing multiple courses at any point in time or even pursue these courses while working part-time.

Upskilling and reskilling

Apart from students, the other user group that has benefited the most from the ed-tech space is working professionals. As organizations around the world see a rapid change in their business processes, the employees working in these organizations are also facing a challenge of sorts. Owing to the transformation, employees are experiencing a significant skill gap, making them irrelevant for their current job role. Such a skill gap has led to organizations introducing various upskilling and reskilling programs for their employees. And the online education and training ecosystem has proved to be a boon in this regard.

Online education – a boon

Employees have been equipped with access to online universities and other learning platforms, thereby helping them to learn new skills and make significant career progressions. Moreover, these online education platforms have proved to be a boon in uncertain times like these. With social distancing and self-isolation being the norms around the world, the presence of these platforms has ensured the smooth progression of courses for students. The online education ecosystem and especially online universities are indeed a boon for humankind. They are affordable, offer quality learning opportunities, and accessible to everyone.

FAQs

How is the course delivered in online universities?

The courses are delivered through a mix of video lectures, live sessions, and dedicated study material. The online universities may either use all of these or a couple of these based on the type of courses on offer and the available infrastructure.

Are the degrees awarded by these online universities considered equivalent to the ones provided by offline universities?

Purely in technical terms, yes. However, one has to understand that online universities are still quite new, and they will take some time to gain a reputation among recruiters and other industry professionals.

Are online universities the future then, and will offline universities cease to exist?

One can never be sure when it comes to predicting the future. However, as time passes by the online universities will continue to gain popularity around the world and may exceed the enrolment numbers of offline universities sometime in the future.