Every morning, your alarm goes off at 5:30am because you have to be in the car by 6:05am to make it to class on time. After all, you need to account for a buffer in your daily hour and a half commute. It’s a juggling act to figure out how you’ll get it all done – study, work, family, and friends. Sound familiar?
Online learning means you don’t have to sacrifice your life commitments. The Research Institute of America found that eLearning increases retention rates 25% to 60% compared to a 8%-10% in a traditional classroom. Among those who have attended face-to-face and online course, 85% said that online learning is as good as or better than attending courses on campus.
Joining the world’s next workforce requires a flexible and supportive learning environment, and online study does just that. Below are four reasons why learning online is a smarter study option.
Lower overall costs
With a physical campus, there’s usually ambiguity around all the additional fees that are baked into your tuition, like the inclusion of building and services fees. With online learning, these additional costs do not exist which means, in general, online tuition is lower than traditional learning options.
It takes time and money to be physically present every day, so it’s no shock that learning online cuts out one of the most taxing aspects of your daily routine–the commute. A study in Healthline shares how even a 10-mile commute can cause health problems. Increased exposure to air pollution and respiratory problems, and acute moments of traffic anxiety can turn into long-term chronic stress, emotional and physical exhaustion–and who needs that?
In addition to saving money on transportation, you’ll get more time to spend with those most important to you. Psychology Today found that automobile commuting led to decreased available time with spouses, family, and friends. If you’ve dreamed about what you could do with more hours in the day, remote learning can make that a reality.
Around the clock access to tutors/classmates
Access to support is magnified when you study online. Digital classrooms only require a calendar and wifi to meet your mentor, tutor, or classmates. According to Forbes, the increased access to instructors and fellow classmates in an online educational environment contributes to improved retention metrics.
Another perk to learning online is that course material is always accessible, 24/7. You can study when you want, and reach out to your support team when you need them.
Greater control over your schedule
Ever stressed over when you’ll be able to book that doctor’s appointment or take your dog to the vet because of your crazy schedule? When you decide to change your career, there are still aspects of your life that won’t change. It’s important to have a school environment that fits in with your needs, not the other way around.
Online learning provides the space for you to manage your schedule in a way that makes the most sense for your life. If your schedule is already packed, but you know you need new professional skills to give you a leg up or a complete career change, learning online is the option for you.
More productivity and less distractions
If you’ve ever left the office or a traditional classroom exhausted because of all the unexpected distractions, you’re not alone. Actually, 70% of workers claim they are distracted while at work, and 16% say they are almost always distracted, according to Udemy. Being in a work or study space with others can cause you to become side-tracked in a way that is often hard to bounce back from. Learning online gives you the opportunity to create your own environment, with limited opportunities for distraction.
The future of education lies in making learning accessible to all. According to Forbes, 77% of academic leaders think online education is equal or superior to learning in a physical classroom. And over 69% of chief academic officers believe online learning is a critical part of long-term education strategies. If you want to learn anywhere, at a schedule that meets your needs, online learning is the ideal pathway to a new career.
At Thinkful, we’re building the world’s next workforce.
Ready to speak to an advisor about how online learning could be right for you? Contact us.