Online learning is not better or worse - it is all about choice

By 2015, 25 million students in the United States will be taking classes online, according to latest research. There are also a growing number of organisations including the ACCA who are using online learning.

This all points to the growing popularity of learning online, yet many will still argue that face to face learning is superior.

Online learning vs face to face

Despite wanting to compare online with Face to face (F2F) learning, it’s not particularly helpful to do so.

Is for example a bike better than a car?

Many would say that the car is better; it’s faster, more comfortable and has many new technologies. However it’s considerably more expensive, provides no opportunity for exercise and is dependent on an increasingly scarce commodity; oil.

Flexible and scheduledIn many ways you end up with the same answer for learning, it depends on what you want or need.

Flexible and scheduled

Rather than thinking of online and F2F, consider the terms flexible and scheduled.

Flexible includes learning remotely without the constraints of a timetable or fixed location, following an online course or working through course materials.

Scheduled relates to the traditional F2F lecture and “live online”; a timetabled delivery where you can both see and hear the tutor delivering the lecture using online technology, with students asking questions via a chat panel in real time.

The question to ask is what is best for you?

Do you prefer a rigid timetable with dates and deadlines, or perhaps a series of targets and objectives to work towards in your own time.

Although having set dates will help with time management and planning, if you are unable to attend a lecture, the learning is in some ways lost.

Equally when attending a scheduled F2F session, the pace of the lecture may be too fast or slow for you. Compare this with flexible learning solutions where you can study at your own pace and are able to go over material until it makes sense.

Making a choice

These qualities are two of the most compelling reasons for the growth in online.

There are of course others including price and more efficient use of travel time.

In many ways Live Online offers the best of both worlds; scheduled because you have to attend live lectures, but if you miss anything or would simply like to go over it again at your own pace you can do so via the recordings. To find out more about Kaplan’s Live Online accountancy courses, click here.