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How Did E-Learning Become Much More Popular Nowadays

E-Learning

By Emily WilsonPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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One of the greatest inventions in human history is the printing press. With it, knowledge was no longer limited to just to the oral tradition and to handwritten manuscripts available only to monks and to the aristocracy. The internet, alongside computers, maybe a close second. There aren’t many topics for which you can’t find at least an introductory course online. Anything from math, to languages, to history, everything is online. E-learning is the future, and below you will see some reasons why.

Greater Availability

The most important advantage of e-learning may just be the actual access and availability. Let's say you want to learn some advanced calculus. Before, you either had to attend university, pay a tutor, or find a book and do it alone. With e-learning, you can find videos online, articles, blogs, and forums that can help you.

You can join some online schools, many of which are free, and dive deep into the subject. The information you are interested in is not guarded and kept safe high up in ivory towers, but is in fact right there at your fingertips. As long as you have an internet connection, you pretty much have the knowledge of the world right in front of you.

Creation of Communities

An excellent aspect of e-learning are the communities that spring up. Comment sections and forums are an excellent resource to get some help or clarification when you have problems with certain parts of your learning experience.

There are entire blogs and websites that deal with only one subject, and quite often you can contact the creators. Moderators on forums are there to keep things nice and civil, so you can even ask a question as if you are speaking with a teacher face to face.

And if you really can't find the one you are interested in, well, be the change you want to see in the world and start your own community. You can then share the problems and challenges you face when dealing with a topic, as well as the solutions necessary to reach the next level.

Improved Quality

The quality of e-learning materials is extraordinary. The internet is here to stay and has been here for some time now. The content people post can sometimes be even better than a book you would get from a library. The reason here is that a sort of free market thing was right behind the development of the internet. Any online teacher that is too boring, or impractical, or is behind a paywall has essentially disappeared. It’s actually easier to access a good teacher on YouTube, due to the number of likes and views he or she has, rather than to find a bad one. Now, of course, there are gimmicks and less than moral ways some get ahead, but in general, you will find good stuff online.

Know that this isn’t because of pure altruism and joy that people post this content online (though it must be a big part of it). Being an online teacher, or posting e-learning materials, is a viable job opportunity nowadays.

But, let's say that you, for example, need RTO materials and classes. You can contact a specialist company on the other side of the world if you think those in your area are not up to your standards. The quality is always high because there are just so many people out there doing this kind of work.

It's more cost effective.

E-learning is surprisingly cost-effective when you consider the quality you are provided with. Many people, especially on YouTube, provide you with knowledge free of charge. While they themselves are often paid in merchandise, sponsors, or ads, you yourself won't have to give them a cent.

Instead of spending money on guitar lessons, you can check out some free websites online. And even those that require a fee will most often be cheaper than actual guitar schools. And while nothing can truly beat a good one-on-one lesson, you can set up a Skype call and have something pretty close.

Many books can be found online for free, helping you avoid paying a library fee. Wikipedia, with all its faults, is an amazing resource that would make scholars from ancient times absolutely dumbfounded if they knew it existed, let alone it was free.

Greater Flexibility

Flexibility is an important part of e-learning. You don’t have to travel to the other side of town or lug a huge book with you at all times. Now, if you want to learn, all you need is your laptop or even an e-book reader. Nothing is stopping you from learning from the comfort of your own home. Furthermore, audio books and tablets can help you brush up on a subject during your commutes. In fact, audiobooks are excellent when you do some annoying household chores. Not only are you using your time productively, but it will also make it feel like time is just flying by when you do all this boring menial work.

Conclusion

If you want to improve yourself as a human being, if you want to educate yourself, then e-learning is the way to go. With greater flexibility, both in mediums and in topics, availability, low costs and easy access, there is no excuse not to dive deep into a topic you are interested in. The quality can often be on a university level, and the communities that surround a topic can help you study like never before.

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About the Creator

Emily Wilson

I am a business psychologist with a passion for travelling and marketing. Researching, exploring and writing are my favourite things to do. Besides that, I love animals and music.

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