Online schools are a new type of schooling that enables you to learn without any geographical barrier from the cosy nook of your house at your convenience.
Often people are hesitant about taking online schooling or online courses because of the common myths that are associated with them. This post will help you bust the myths about online schools and will tell you how online schools and courses are equally educational as the traditional ones.
Easier than the traditional one
The main advantage of an online school is to enable students to get an education at their convenience. But often this advantage is associated with a myth that online school or course is easier than the traditional, offline method of learning. Students get enrolled in online schools thinking that it will not require compulsory attendance, and they can easily get A in the course without putting in much effort. This is not true; in fact, online schools are as demanding as traditional ones and the teachers expect the students to timely submit their assignments and complete their assigned tasks.
No fixed time
Often people think that by enrolling in online schools, they can attend schools whenever they feel like it, i.e. they don’t have any fixed time. That is far from reality. Just like traditional schools, online schools also have fixed times during which students need to be available online in order to attend the classes.
Students also need to complete their courses within a stipulated time. Usually, the time of completion is specified at the beginning of the course, ensuring that students strictly comply with it.
Low quality of education
The other common misconception is that the quality of education provided in online schools is lower than that of traditional schools. This can be true for some online schools or courses which are not properly designed or which deliver content in a haphazard manner. But these online schools are just like some traditional schools which lack proper management and good teachers.
Usually, online schools diligently design their courses, ensuring that every topic is taught well by the best teachers. They also see to it that the content, i.e. lectures, exams etc., is delivered in the best way possible to comply with the best online teaching standards.
Lacks proper one-on-one interactions
Proper interactions between teachers and students are essential to have a free flow of knowledge and thoughts. People are often hesitant to get themselves enrolled in online schools believing that they lack one-on-one interaction. Just like traditional schools, online schools also ensure that there is proper communication and interaction between a teacher and a student. In fact, many online schools provide the facility of one-on-one sessions for those students who need special attention.
Also, teachers don’t have to wait for an open house meeting to get in touch with parents and tell them about their children’s progress. With the facility of online schooling, teachers can easily access every kid’s performance and inform his/her parents about the same. Apart from specified class time, teachers are readily available to help kids clear their doubts via email or messages.
No peer interaction
Many parents are of the view that online schooling inhibits peer interaction. This myth needs to be busted. Though in online schools, students cannot meet each other physically, they can always interact and communicate with each other virtually. There are many ways in which students can interact with each other while attending online schools. Activities like quizzes, discussion forums, and group projects and presenting those projects online, all require peer interaction.
Online schools ensure that there are regular peer interactions so that students can learn from each other.
Need to be tech-savvy
Attending an online school is no rocket science. All you need is a laptop with an internet connection, and you are good to go. Often people are scared to get themselves enrolled in online schools because they believe that it will take extended technological knowledge. Just basic technological knowledge will do.
In other words, basic technical skills will help you navigate a browser, download documents, and images from the browser, surf the browser to complete assignments and so on.
Lacks integrity
People often doubt the integrity of online examinations because monitoring students can be an issue.
To overcome this, various online schools have come up with a solution. Nowadays, online schools use new-age software that monitors students through their device cameras during the entire examination duration. This way, even students get a feeling that they are being supervised.
Conclusion
There are various myths about online schools and courses. Hopefully, this post would have helped clear some of your misconceptions. Though online schools lack the physical presence of teachers, students and other school staff, they make up for it through online monitoring and individual progress tracking. Also, they provide you with the facility to get enrolled in an online school of your choice, as geographical barriers are not a hindrance in online schooling.
Whether an online school is good for you or not is something which only you can decide. Before getting enrolled, see to it that the online school you have picked has an education programme that is designed well and meets your aspirations and requirements.
