When you imagine school, do you picture yourself cramming for exams? Sitting in a lecture hall filled with hundreds of students? You might be pleasantly surprised at how online learning has changed school for the better. From cost savings to course length, many online business programs offer benefits that you might not find in the traditional setting, such as:
- Credit for work and life experience – Have a solid track record in the work world, but not much college credit to show for it? Many online schools will count your experience toward a degree. In some cases, you can test out of basic classes. Be sure to inquire with the schools you’re considering.
- Accessible teachers – Online instructors make themselves available to students during specific hours, and via class discussion boards. There’s no back row in a virtual classroom; and all students have an equal opportunity to participate and interact with peers and professors.
- Manageable schedules – Forget the commute to class. In an online format, you can log in and learn whenever it’s convenient: before work; after the kids are asleep; on weekend mornings. Break free from the old school and discover the new cool!
- No final exams – Many online schools have realized what students have known all along: Test-taking isn’t always the best way to measure knowledge. Instead, you might find yourself collaborating with classmates to create projects throughout the duration of a course. In many cases, you can showcase your skills rather than risking it all on one big test.
- Short course length – The semester system is gradually going the way of the dinosaur. Online business programs often cater to adult learners with shorter, quick-turn courses that last as few as five weeks. It’s a great way to keep the momentum going as your work toward your degree.
- Lower tuition costs – It seems logical. Freed from the expense of maintaining brick-and-mortar buildings, schools should be able to deliver online courses more cheaply than the on-campus versions. Now there’s proof. According to a 2015 study from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, online courses at small and large institutions cost “significantly less” than on-campus courses at the same schools.
