E-Learning: Is it for You?

With the internet being dubbed "the information highway", the next logical step is e-learning. Why not study online?

Types of E-Learning

At one time, anyone interested in learning online had to look for the information themselves and study on their own. Not so anymore. Now we have entire websites dedicated to offering hundreds of online courses.

An online course can be as simple as sequential lessons sent to your email with little or no follow-up, or they can be full-on, with teacher contact, assignment deadlines and grading.

Universities and colleges now offer many of their courses online as well. You can enroll with the school and they will send you the texts. You can assist class online, usually through video conferencing or a chat room designed for the purpose, to interact with your professor and fellow classmates. Some universities require that you attend a specific number of "real-life" classes on campus, so it's important to check out the fine print before paying.

More recently, high schools and even elementary schools have begun to offer e-learning tools. While most are designed to help students with homework and other assignments, some are aimed specifically at home-schoolers. Now, it is no longer necessary for a parent to teach, or for correspondence assignments to be sent back and forth through snail mail, it can all happen online.

Disadvantages of E-Learning

Learning through the internet is not the perfect solution for everyone. First of all, there are very definite limitations as to what you can learn this way. For example, there is no good way to study medicine online!

University courses offered online are limited mainly to subjects such as Business Administration and other similar topics that don't require practical experience. This is a big disadvantage to those who want to take on another type of course.

Unless you are a self-motivated person, you could have troubles with e-learning. It requires the student to push themselves, to show up for the e-class and to complete assignments on time, without the prompting of a professor.

If you need help during a regular, non-video class, you are limited to the chat room or email, which can be frustrating at times.

Advantages of E-learning

The advantages of e-learning, for a self-disciplined student, far outweigh the limitations. For anyone confined to the house, the advent of e-learning makes it possible to take courses where it was impossible before. It also makes taking courses in remote locations a possibility, and if you are travelling around, you can still make it to class!

How to Get Started

All you need to start studying is an internet connection. For paid courses, you will also need a method of payment, which could be a credit or debit card, or an online payment service such as PayPal, or e-Gold.

A quick search on Google will help you find the courses you are looking for, as well as universities that offer e-learning. Or you can ask your local community college what courses they offer online.

Once you are signed up for a course, you will receive information on what days classes are held, where to go to join the chat and you will begin to receive your first assignments. The time needed to complete an assignment varies by the course.

E-learning is addictive, so don't be surprised if you find yourself signing up for more courses once the first one is over!