Why Online Classes are Better?

The modern age is the age of information technology and eLearning. The world has literally been placed on your finger tips. A click of a mouse can take you across the globe in a jiffy. The steep learning curve of knowledge never seemed so easy to scale in the past. Cyber technology and cyber learning are the new mantras to success. Traditional class rooms are rapidly giving way to ultra-modern online classes. Computer technology has opened up a new world of learning opportunities for one and all. You hardly have a reason today to stay away from the fountain of knowledge that has literally walked to your doorstep.

Be it the field of science or literature; online classes can be a real answer to one’s learning needs. The concept has literally come of age and has long crossed the trial period. It has asserted its relevance and success in unequivocal terms. Today, one can confidently make an informed decision to join online classes over traditional ones. I would strongly recommend my friend to join an online class, as he has everything to gain and nothing to lose.

While the traditional classes place innumerable constraints on the learner, the online classes come as a breath of fresh air. No roll calls to miss and no fines or embarrassment for coming late to the class! Flexibility and malleability is a very attractive feature of online courses. In a regular class room, a student has to learn what the teacher has planned for the day. In online learning, you decide what you would like to study on a particular day. Suppose you are comfortable with Robert Frost but a little shaky about Wallace Stevens; you can easily spend more time on Wallace Stevens and skip Robert Frost for another day and so on and so forth in other subjects.

Moreover, online classes are far less expensive than campus coaching. You get the same degree for far less than you would get through traditional system. The student also saves time, money and energy on transportation, as the classes take place at home itself. Matthew L. Helm writes, “Most online courses are asynchronous, which means you don’t have to attend a lecture at a particular place and time” (3). Online classes offer plentiful study material and access to online journals and libraries. This further saves money on purchasing expensive text books etc.

Online classes can be real fun. The availability of various audio-video clips as a course material makes learning thoroughly enjoyable. The students are provided instant access to televised dramas and movies like Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” or Jane Austen’s “Pride or Prejudice” etc. which may be the part of the curriculum. The student doesn’t have to wait for his teacher to show all that stuff to him. The virtual class room can be country wide or world wide. The online classes can provide a real cross-culture experience. The students also have an opportunity to share and discuss various topics through online message boards and blogs.

Most online courses require the student to submit the assignments by the end of the semester and not by the end of the week or so. This reduces stress considerably and gives the student peace of mind. He knows that he doesn’t have to finish his assignments in a huff because of paucity of time. With plenty of time at his disposal, his performance is bound to go up. He can coolly apply his mind to a topic and can come up with a nicely executed well-researched task or assignment. No wonder, students attending online classes tend to show a significant improvement in their grades.

The biggest advantage of online classes is that one can easily earn and study together. Hence, no more drop outs from the school or college due to lack of funds or time! One can easily manage one’s time in such a manner that there is little scope of clash between one’s work and online studies. If the student is tired after day’s work, he can afford to have a siesta and start his online class when he feels like. This luxury is unimaginable in a regular class room. This facility surely increases one’s output and retention power.

Online classes also help improve performance by ruling out the need to jot down notes manually. Manual notes-taking is susceptible to errors and spelling mistakes. Online classes provide clear, picture-perfect notes delivered straight to your computer screen. You can easily read, download or print these notes effortlessly and quickly. The names of the unfamiliar authors, critics and their works pose no problem whatsoever.

Online classes are like an ongoing discourse which you can pause, stop or resume at will. You learn at your pace. Imagine, how many times, possibly, can you ask your college teacher to repeat a particular topic? Many students hesitate to make such a request even once. Not only this, online seminars, tests, mock examinations and quiz etc. help the students keep tight tabs on their progress.


Since, online classes take place in the secured environment of one’s home; one can have much greater sense of safety than possible in a college or university campus in today's scenario. But then, studying in a real college/university environment has its own special charm and enthusiasm. Studying in a real class room is always different from pursuing studies in a virtual classroom. Real classes have their own special advantages. Apart from being more vibrant, they are far more lively and invigorating than classes attended online. The ability to interact face to face with real people in real time has no comparison whatsoever. Interacting through a machine or PC tends to become boring after a period of time. Real classes have a touch of timelessness about them worth looking forward to on daily basis.

Online classes are specially recommended for those who are unable to attend regular classes either due to paucity of time or other pressing constraints like job commitment etc. I would also caution you to choose only a duly accredited institute with known prestige, goodwill and credentials. This would guarantee a wholesome experience and a worthwhile degree or diploma that can really boost your career.

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Works Cited
Helm, Matthew and April Helm. Get Your Degree Online . New York: McGraw Hill