The last few years have seen education make enormous strides. The number of digital tools and learning methods available to people has grown at an astonishing rate. This has made learning easier for many people. Whereas before you were limited to the confines of schools, colleges, and universities, now online instructors or self-study courses can be accessed from the comfort of your home, this is known as remote learning.
What is Remote Learning?
Remote learning (also known as distance learning, eLearning, or online learning) is when learning is done through technology such, discussion boards, video conferences, or online courses. Students may interact with their instructors in real-time through video conferences and chat logs. Students can even access the content at their leisure, depending on the course. There are many benefits to remote learning, and it has proven advantageous for many who have chosen to adopt it.
Advantages of remote learning
1. Learn at your own time and pace:
Everyone learns at their own speed and often one of the downsides of a classroom is that some students tend to fall behind. This is made much easier through remote learning where students can get through the material in a manner that suits them. Some can go through it methodically and step by step while others can go through it quickly. It evens things out and ensures that all students are on equal footing.
2. Successfully balance work and learning:
Many adults who wish to learn new skills tend to opt-out due to the struggle of work-school balance. Online learning makes this much easier since they can learn whenever they find it suitable; they can do it after coming back from work, on the weekends or whenever they’re free. Learning is now made much more accessible.
3. Save on expenses:
High tuition costs have kept many from pursuing an education that would be beneficial for them, especially when you factor in the cost of textbooks, student activities, lounging, and transportation. Remote learning simplifies the process. The fees for online learning are more often less and all-inclusive.
4. Save on time:
A lot of time is spent commuting to and from work. Whether you are driving or using public transport, it can take a few hours to get home by which time many will be exhausted. Online classes don’t require you to be physically present. Simply sit back at home and peruse the content at your own pace. There is more time to devote to yourself since the peace of mind is essential for excelling academically.
5- Learn from the comfort of your home:
If you are one of the many people who dread the monotony of classrooms and don’t look forward to going back to them then online learning is your answer. Fancy studying on the balcony while enjoying the morning sun or maybe you would prefer lounging on the couch in your living room either is fine. The efficiency in remote learning is how it adapts to the various needs of different people; you might not even have to leave your bed.
What can you learn remotely?
Anything that you can think of can be taught online. Ranging from creative courses to personal development ones, everything from marketing to IT to languages and business has a course online. The amount of learning resources at your fingertips is exponential.
People are always looking for that one skill that makes their CV/Resume stand out or maybe they just want to improve themselves with that one extra language. All that and more is possible with remote learning.
Is remote learning as good as physical learning?
We have outlined the numerous benefits of remote learning, but many are still hesitant to try it. Physical learning has been around for much longer and utilizes methods that are tried and tested. For many people, this is more than enough for them to disregard online classes and stick to what they know. Here are a few of the downsides that may make someone anxious to try remote learning and why they really shouldn’t.
1- Loss of networking – One of the advantages of physical learning is the interaction between peers. This could lead to friendships outside of classrooms and even valuable networking opportunities further down the line. However, online interaction between peers has its upsides too and it does free up time for you to pursue other activities that could lead to further networking opportunities.
2- Lack of motivation – The chances of getting distracted inside the confines of your home are high, without an instructor present and without the discipline inherent in many classrooms. On the upside, this can lead to better time management skills since you will now have to take responsibility for a better balance between work-life and learning new skills. This will have positive effects years down the line.
3- Technical Issues – The chances of losing progress due to your internet cutting out or hardware malfunctioning can lead to frustration. The good news is that remote learning can be done anywhere with an internet connection and learning can take place from any device such as a laptop, phone or tablet. The ease of access is hard to beat so you can study from your favorite coffee shop or even while traveling.
Is Remote Learning Expensive?
Remote learning is cost-efficient for a variety of reasons. In addition to learning at your own time and pace, you save money on commuting and course materials. Once you pay for many online courses, you’ll have access to them for years and sometimes forever. Many sites even offer personalized certifications that will give you that extra boost in the job market as well as skills that companies actively look for. These are advantages you can’t afford to miss out on.
Free online learning options
Due to the effect of the recent pandemic, we understand that these are troubling times for many but it always pays to focus on the things one can control. Although many of us may be stuck indoors, we still have access to our laptops and phones which is all that’s needed to access online learning platforms.
Dozens are offering their courses for free to help people make the most of their time while teaching them skills that will prove essential in the future.
Here are some of the best online learning options available to you (Continuously Updated):
1- Cudoo
Cudoo’s online courses include 160+ languages and dialects, soft skills, online marketing, human resources, and much more.
The Offer:
Cudoo is offering access to Cudoo Pro (800+ online courses) for free for a whole year to all frontline workers including healthcare and medical professionals, firefighters, emergency responders, and police officers worldwide.
2- Coursera
The online learning service has hundreds of free courses available for free from top universities and companies around the world.
The offer:
They have made a selection of courses completely free. These include popular courses such as Yale University’s The Science of Well Being, Stanford University’s Introduction to Food and Health and Machine Learning.
3- Udemy
The platform offers lessons from instructors around the world in various fields such as IT, business, personal development, design, accounting, and finance, to name a few.
The offer:
A curated collection of more than 150 free Udemy courses to help students adapt to working from home, search for a job, maintain balance, and more.
5- Codecademy
There is no better time to learn to code and Codecademy is one of the best to help you get there. The courses are divided into bite-sized chunks ensuring you get plenty of practice with time left over afterward. C
The Offer:
Currently, they are offering over 10,000 free scholarships to high school and college students worldwide. Try out a new skill. It could be the thing you need.
6- Moz ACADEMY
MOZ is one of the most prominent players in the world of SEO. Its academy is one of the most useful resources.
The offer:
Choose from 20+ free SEO Courses: Includes courses exploring all aspects of Search Engine Optimization. These normally cost $50 to $200 each but are completely free when you use the promo code: wegotthis
7- Pluralsight
A platform with 7000+ courses in technology, software development, IT, Cybersecurity, Machine Learning, AI, and much more of tech demanded courses in the market today.
The offer:
Sign up on their platform to get free access to the 7000+ courses all through the month of April.
8- Harvard University
Harvard University is offering 64 free online courses under the subjects of business, programming, healthcare, humanities, art, and science.
The offer:
Requires sign up and registration to access the course you want for free.
9- Spocket Academy
Spocket is giving free access to its high-quality courses covering subjects related to SEO, digital marketing, social media management, and online sales.
The offer:
Create an account and choose from 40 courses to start for free.
10- PPA
Offering a 1,100+ courses related to photography and how to start a business in photography. They offer the courses every aspiring photographer needs to get started with their career.
The offer:
Simply create a free account to access over 1,100+ online classes
The future of Online Learning and Edtech
Despite the skepticism surrounding it, online education is on the rise. A survey conducted by the Changing Landscape of Online Education found that 84% of large colleges reported growth in online courses. That’s not all, another survey conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group found that remote learning enrolments increased for the fourteenth straight year and that 31.6 percent of students were now taking at least one distance course. The notion of physical learning being the norm is slowly being challenged.
Heading into the future, the education technology industry is only growing upwards. Back in 2017, investors had staked around $8.15 billion into EdTech companies. The rapid growth in technology and the desire to offer free education has only compounded this. Experts predict that going forward, the future of EdTech means better grading systems and technology that can lead to deeper learning for everyone.
The future of remote learning looks bright and many are looking to avail of its numerous benefits while carving out a career of their choice.
Andrie Steliou
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