Gaurav Bhagat is the very definition of “self-made, he was dabbling in entrepreneurship even when he was 16 and formally started his first company, Consortium Gifts, at the age of 19 years. After having garnered overwhelming success in the business sphere, Gaurav then turned his attention towards training large corporates, business owners, and working professionals so that they can achieve their goals and 10X success as well. Towards this purpose, he launched the Gaurav Bhagat Academy in 2018, it’s an organization dedicated to training and mentoring businesses and individuals, so that they can enjoy the 10X life.
According to market research, the global e-learning market, which was worth $200 billion in 2019, is expected to reach a new height of $375 billion by 2026, a spiralling height of CAGR – 8%. Online learning has gained massive popularity in the past few years, and has made education easily accessible and convenient for all strata of life. E-learning infrastructures are now being integrated into all sorts of educational institutes – from schools to colleges to special training workshops for business professionals.
Online education has simplified the teaching-learning process and has made the disbursement of education much more efficient. While the online learning market was already growing rapidly, it has gained some serious momentum because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students and teachers are relying on e-learning platforms, to maintain the easy and seamless flow of education, ensuring that the students do not lag behind, under any circumstance, in any sphere. At the same time, reputed institutions that offer training programs to working professionals have also made their courses available and easily accessible, on online platforms to ensure that those who are in need of learning are able to use it as per their desire and convenience of frequency. In the light of these facts, let us take a look at how online learning benefits both the teachers and the students.
Benefits of online learning for teachers
Setting the right pace
It is a well-known fact that not all students learn at the same pace. However, the classroom environment does not permit the teacher to individually teach each and every student. With online learning, however, the teacher can create learning programs, that are tailored made to the learning abilities of every individual student. It also allows students and teachers to work together to achieve specific targets.
Simplifying complex concepts with technological aids
With technological aids like animations, videos, holograms, etc., the teachers can easily explain otherwise complex and lengthy concepts to the students. Different people have different preferences when it comes to learning. While some are verbal learners, others are visual learners. Online learning allows the teachers to leverage different technological aids to best explain concepts to students in their preferred way of learning.
Practicality
Online learning is more practical than classroom learning, and we can easily calculate the practical benefits by measuring time-based efforts and workload reduction. For instance, the teachers can now easily create quizzes and question papers with the help of LMS (Learning Management System). E-learning also makes it simple for the teachers to track the progress of their students and make necessary course corrections.
Learning opportunities for teachers
One cannot be a good teacher without being a good student first. Teachers who are passionate about their job, want to keep on learning and developing their skill set. The ever-evolving e-learning technologies, keep the teachers on their toes and give them plenty of opportunities to grow and get better every day.
Benefits of online learning for the students
Convenience
E-learning allows students or working professionals to study from the comfort of their homes. It is a very important advantage, especially in these difficult times when going to a place where there are a lot of people – like a classroom – can pose a hazardous threat to health. Even without the pandemic, e-learning makes it quite convenient to access education, which is why it has become so popular among the students.
This becomes an even more important trait when we consider business professionals who want to pursue certain training courses or certifications. Most workers do not have the time to attend classes in person, but with the help of online learning, they can spare a couple of hours every day to learn important concepts, which can help them advance their careers.
Flexibility
Contrary to classroom learning where every student is supposed to learn at the same pace, e-learning offers flexibility. The students can pause the lectures, rewind to get a better understanding of the concepts being taught, and practice as much as they need to, without worrying about getting left behind. One of the best things about e-learning is that it gives you 24/7 access to education. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, its just one click away.
Economical
Compared to offline education, e-learning is much more cost-effective and affordable. You do need an internet connection and certain gadgets like laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc., but that’s about all you need. While the online courses themselves are much cheaper than their offline counterparts, you can also save plenty of money that would otherwise be spent on transportation, stationery, etc.
Engaging
One of the many benefits of online education over offline education is that it is highly engaging. With the help of images, videos, animations, etc., the entire learning process becomes fun and interesting. On the other hand, offline learning relies a lot on the teacher’s ability to explain complex concepts in an easy to understand manner – which may or may not work out at times.
Specific feedback
Even though the teachers know which of their students are lagging behind, they often find it difficult to pinpoint the exact areas where they need to improve and scale up. This is where online learning programs enter the picture. With the help of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the e-learning programs can prepare every individual student’s progress report, highlighting specific areas where the student needs to work on. This makes assessment much more effective.
Conclusion
E-learning has a plethora of advantages over conventional learning methods and it is an undeniable fact that e-learning is the future of education. The sooner we adopt and embrace it, the better off we will be.