Have a Look at the Positive Impacts of Online Classes

The importance of online classes is increasing by leaps and bounds. Here are a few instances to show how virtual classrooms are becoming a hot favorite amongst both teachers and students.

"Stanford offers more free online classes for the world", a publication which talks about the introduction of 5 free online classes from March 2012 onwards. Stanford University has taken the decision after carrying out a successful pilot in the fall of 2011 that attracted nearly 350,000 participants from across the world. The online classes are part of the University's initiative to use new technology to improve education both on and off campus.

Both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have extended their support in favor of introducing online classes as a part of their off campus distance education initiative.

Ithaka S+R, a non-profit research organization, released a report in May 2012 to show how online courses are gaining in the importance value as opposed to their offline counterparts. The report was based on the study that compared face-to-face learning and online teaching conducted with only an hour of a week of face-to-face interactive time. Researchers found that students did equally well in both formats on every measure of learning. However, the online group appeared to learn faster than those without using technology whilst learning.

Online classes generally lead to higher engagement. Faculty have the option to teach students via a series of multimedia options such as using video clips, online slide shows, through the usage of social media, and more. Students can view the video clips and ask questions in order to understand the topic better. Many professors are also creating "flipped classrooms" where social media, wikis, etc. are being used within a "brick and mortar" classroom format. Many educational institutions are also encouraging students to engage in interactive activities such as problem solving, reviewing learning documents, and working in teams.

Many teachers and universities such as Stanford believes that video clips, social networking sites, etc. have paved the way for better learning and collaboration than what it used to be before. Students can enroll in an online class and start the learning process from basically anywhere that has internet connectivity and a web enabled device to support it. Many working professionals are considering the option to enroll in such online courses to continue with education while on the job. You can earn an online degree studying at home and at your own pace.

Online learning encourages group study. If you and your friends want to learn the same course then it's better to enroll in an online course since all of you can share and exchange materials and ideas while learning. You can even set up study sessions so that all of you can go at the same pace.