Good News for Distance Learners - A-levels & GCSEs are now Entering Online

What can be more exciting that grabbing the opportunity to sit for A-level and GCSE exams online that hadn’t been done before? Recent reports said that these major exams would be taken online in the coming decade. However, this has given rise to heavy arguments among administrators of the current academia.

Reports by The Independent

Independent Association of Prep Schools’ chief executive David Hancock supported the fact that online models have high chances to replace the UK education system that has full of flaws at present. Since this change can bring a massive impact, concerns have already been raised. It was just the previous week when the The Independent reported that questions must be thrown in regard to the changes so that it becomes easier to understand the realistic scenario of the students’ knowledge and understanding.

Whatever is the impact of this debate, plenty of educational programmes and systems will keep migrating online. The exponential growth of the e-learning market has stood as a clear witness here. Surveys made by the Ambient Insight Research said that the international market showed £20.5 billion for e-learning in 2010 that is highly predicted to exceed £31 billion by 2015.

A-levels and GCSEs must evolve

It’s an unquestionable fact that technology has played a key role in helping students grab more options to complete their education successfully. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why A-levels and GCSEs must undergo a thorough evolution to remain dominant among career professionals.

As per The Innovative University report published in 2011, fears could embrace educators in losing competitors if they are not able to adopt modernised teaching technologies. In fact, online education in the United Kingdom is gradually seizing the place that has been dominated by traditional learning for generations. Today, the UK distance learning programmes are receiving global attention and it seems that the enrolment rate of international students is also on the rise.

So, how beneficial can be online learning?

Well, plenty of factors are responsible behind the worldwide emergence of online education. Here are the most important ones:

Online learning is cost-effective than classroom education

• As per reports, 25 to 60% less time is required for e-learning to deliver equal amount of information in comparison to what is invested in classrooms.
• Secondly, the percentage of carbon dioxide emission gets reduced by 85% per student enrolled in an online course.
• Besides, distance learners are freed from the compulsion of travelling long distances and thereafter attending full-time classes.
• Opting for an Online School programme can help the student fulfil its educational aspirations irrespective of their financial status. This is because many well accredited and recognised online schools provide affordable degrees and diplomas with flexibility in payment. The learners are not under the compulsion of paying a big chunk of their earnings at one go. Some also offer pay per module option where the learners can undertake and pay for individual module at a time.

Learning online involves absolute flexibility

• Flexibility is the biggest strength for online learners based on which they easily complete their higher studies and gather a considerable work experience at the same time.
• Even if one misses one’s classes, he/she can access pre-recorded videos provided by the online learning institution.

Use of updated technologies

A big reason why obtaining education in brick and mortar classrooms seems quite monotonous is lack of new learning tools and strategies. Instead, online education helps students to:

• Gain access to quality study materials along with CDs and DVDs
• Socially network with instructors and classmates
• Communicate through interactive forums or face-to-face study groups

Connecting in-person

• Distance learners are given the advantage to attend live lectures online
• Participate in study groups
• Ask questions at live webinars
• Participate in online discussions initiated by academic scholars
• So, you can measure the impact of distance learning in today’s world and know as how effective it is to pursue education online under a UK university. Well, if you keep listing the benefits of being a distance learner, classroom learning would gradually seem to be an inappropriate option for you.

Sources:

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Is Studying Online a Wise Solution to Cut Down Costs of College Education?

Who likes facing issues that relate to increasing college costs? Affording college education today has no doubt become a daunting task and the same has been felt by a good number of US colleges and universities. They have clearly revealed their financial inability to educate their students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the most popular technology-intensive research university reported that they spend three times more to educate undergraduates that actually stands equivalent to that spent in taking tuition.

Is MOOC the ultimate solution to rising college costs?

For educating innovators in science and engineering and thereafter pushing the research frontier, an institution requires making lump sum investments. Students must be provided expensive instruments and exclusive facilities, and to meet all these demands, it’s pretty obvious for a university to become financially stable. In this respect, what people have started wondering is whether a Massive Open Online Course can be the ultimate solution.

Undoubtedly, MOOCs have gained supreme significance at almost every nook and corner of the world in the past few years. Today, thousands of students can access these courses right from their native lands and that too within their means. However, academic administrators still keep raising questions whether these courses would really be able to help career aspirants achieve their respective goals at a comparatively low cost. Can MOOCs act as the best substitute for a university education?

MOOCs are a possibility

MOOCs might indeed create a possibility. However, what should be done first is to know how to make use of digital tools that can make higher education better and more effective. Imagine what would happen after 10 to 12 years from now if instructors start applying digital learning tools in their respective classrooms and train their students accordingly. The classrooms in the year 2025 then will receive education that will score high in all aspects, whether it’s related to accessibility, effectiveness or budget.

The MIT success story

It was the year 2002 when MIT initiated OpenCourseWare with the intention to post all their course materials online for free. The result was brilliant. About 150 million learners from far and wide enrolled in this course. Today, career aspirants from almost every state in America as well as from other corners of the world are taking MIT classes online.

In regard to the education costs, the ones who also fall prey to financial challenges are the business management course pursuers. Some are either led to quit jobs to enrol in a pricey course while some relocate abroad to get admitted in reputed business schools. Well, digital learning once again can play a key role here in bringing tremendous opportunities to:

• Help students obtain similar learning experiences like those obtained in brick and mortar business schools
• Make use of new learning tools and smarter business approaches
• Access interactive modules that involve rich communication between students and instructors

source: ti.me/1b8yuVR

Online business schools are doing wonders

Interestingly, students are now taking pleasure in studying from business schools under UK universities online. In fact, these institutions are scoring high in not only making students study flexibly but ensuring that they acquire quality learning experiences within an affordable budget. An online business school gives the undergraduates and postgraduates the opportunity to pay per module and save a considerable amount of money which they would have otherwise invested in a full-time business management course. They can pay their fees for the next module as and when they complete each module. This concept is quite helpful for those unable to pay the whole fees at one go.

Other than students, working professionals wanting to further their qualifications in the field of business find this to be a very apt solution. Their busy schedule does not permit them to undertake further study through full time mode. By undertaking their course through an online business school they are able to adjust their work and study quite easily.

So, you can see how digital or online learning can act as a great saviour in helping your develop your career prospects within your means. In fact, what can be a better option than choosing to study in an accredited online learning institution that gives you the flexibility to pay for only those modules and assessments which you require? Don’t you consider it a smarter option than attending classes for hours in a brick and mortar institution and paying a huge course fee? Think about it before you take a leap!!