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!!

Innovative Learning Tools giving education a new perspective

Why education every time has to come in terms with books, chalks and blackboards? Why educators cannot imagine teaching their students without taking help of brick and mortar classrooms? Why it is necessary to pay lump sums for enrolling in a professional course? Answers to these questions have been clearly given by the growing trend in technology. Let’s find out how!!

Reports and responses brought in by technology in the world of education have been so convincing over the past years that a lot of schools, colleges and universities have now taken firm resolutions to replace tradition with technology.

According to a recent survey, it was found:

• At least 1 out of 5 undergraduates enrol in at least one distance learning course.
• A lot of high, middle and even elementary school teachers have started using distance learning apps in classrooms
• Modern educators are now planning to use new tools and software applications that can help online learners pursue their respective courses with more convenience and effectiveness

Now, here are 6 educational tools and platforms that not only help distance learners study enthusiastically but also make educators realise the worth and pleasure of teaching. Have a look:

Blackboard – 

No, it’s not the one which you typically find in brick and mortar classrooms. Rather, it’s an amazing platform for education that however operates almost like the traditional one. This modernised tool brings diverse ways for both students and teachers so that they can collaborate with one another with ease. What’s best about Blackboard is that it acts as a one-stop solution for administrators instead of piecing together different tools for communication.

FaceTime -

This is indeed a happening tool for both teachers and students who can now build connections through not only voice but also by using videos. So, the necessity of attending classes and sitting face to face with instructors will certainly not be essential for the new age learners.

Canvas – 

It’s an open source solution that can initiate online collaboration. In fact, Canvas has been designed in such a manner that one can easily operate it without facing any single complication. It is best known to integrate tools which people are already aware of. Accessing YouTube or Google Docs for instance will leave you delighted with Canvas.

Google Plus Hangouts –

If you are looking for amazing online video chat solutions, Google Plus Hangouts is your answer. Students, teachers and even third party experts will be able to initiate video conferencing in groups. In fact, it can be used for live broadcasts in packed auditoriums.

Schoology –

Being an amazing tool for distance learning, Schoology emphasises on the monitoring of students. So, you can say that it has been ideally designed for educators who can analyse and educate kids in a more efficient manner.

Adobe Connect – 

What more you can expect from this software application that lets companies organise meetings online? Educators here can provide real-time quizzes, tweak presentations, breakout sessions and facilitate interactions. Employees who are having plans to study online will also benefit from such a happening software application.

So, you see that it’s not at all necessary to walk into classrooms and thereafter attend classes for long hours, especially after the initiation of such outstanding learning tools and applications. In fact, the majority of these tools and programmes are available online and you can even download them for free. In other words, you are saving time and money which you would have otherwise wasted at the bookstores, isn’t it? Think about it!!