Online studies have sky-rocketed in 2020 considering the situation we are currently facing. Youths who are still pursuing their degree have a lot of complaints about the way their education is being run with the help of online platforms like Zoom, UberConference, Skype and Adobe Connect. There are some disadvantages of going all online. The main one being that there is decreased face-to-face interaction, leading to intense requirements of self discipline. However, there are still brighter sides that we can look at.
Here are a few reasons why online studies this year can be a blessing in disguise:
1. You can control your own pace:
Even if you have a busy week ahead of yourself, you won’t have to worry because catching up is not going to be a problem. Usually, the way teachers teach the course online is by using powerpoint presentations and providing some work to demonstrate your understanding. In live sessions, the teacher will go through the powerpoint and leave it up to you. These live sessions are then recorded so you can access them later. This makes it easier for you to go back and have a look in case you’re left behind.
In some cases, the future PowerPoints are also up on the portal. So, if you are feeling productive, you can be an overachiever by reading ahead of your peers by going through PowerPoints that you will be taught later.
2. You save a lot of time:
This is one of the biggest benefits of studying online because you don’t need to wake up in the morning, get ready, travel to campus, walk to your classes, wait for your teacher and travel back home at the end of your day. You save so much time when everything is online because you don’t have to travel. But this is not the only thing. When the teacher uploads videos, you can speed them up because, honestly, watching videos in real speed is for slow-pokes. To be even faster, you can practise speed reading, which you can this link to learn how to do effectively: https://tim.blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-learning/
3. You can learn in comfort:
You can literally ‘attend’ class in your pyjamas. I mean, is there anything better than that? Studies have shown that you are better off at learning and absorbing information if you are at your highest level of comfort. So you could be sipping on your morning coffee, wearing the same clothes you wore the night before, have your hair messy and your face unwashed. The chances are, nobody is going to care. You can learn in a way that ensures that you are comfortable. This way, you will also grasp more than you probably would have in your face-to-face class.
4. You will learn the valuable skills of being responsible and being self-disciplined:
Studying online requires a different kind of willpower and self motivation. By signing up for online classes, you also learn to manage your time efficiently. Because everything is online, you will be spending a lot more time relying on yourself. You will be the only one keeping an eye on the deadlines coming closer. This is a great opportunity to learn these new skills that teach you to be self sufficient and motivated at all times. Also, because of these new skills that you learn, online classes look great on resumes!
5. You could be at any geographical location and still learn:
It’s just as convenient as it sounds. You could travel anywhere in the world, no matter what region you are in. It could be the mountains, the deserts, the rainforest. But as long as you have a stable internet connection, you can attend your online classes. Obviously, that was exaggerated. Say you flew to your favourite aunt’s house for a week. First of all, you can travel in the middle of your course. Secondly, you would not need to put a pause to your studies. All education now needs is stable internet connection. It’s quite shocking to think that our education system has come to this extent.
To conclude, 2020 brought upon us a lot of trouble. We are well aware that online education is not everyone’s cup of tea. But since this is the situation the whole world is going through as a collective, we can flow with it by looking at the positives it has offered us. Online studies might just happen to be one of the many positives. It is just about looking at the bigger picture with a different lens.