The Advantages of Pursuing Online Distance Learning

There are many advantages that can be seized in the digital age that we live in, and one of them lies in distance learning. Students of many different disciplines can find huge amounts of resources and legitimate tertiary education programs that allow them to study without needing to attend physical classes.

While it isn’t as true anymore that getting a degree automatically puts you in a strong position to look for work, there are many careers and jobs that do require certain degrees. Luckily, many of these degrees and qualifications can be attained through online distance education, meaning that there is a much lower barrier to entry for people to attain them. While not every vocation or field can benefit from the increasing amount of digital education options, fields like nursing, education, technology and business all have a good level of digital education options available. 

But why might someone choose to undertake Pennsylvania accelerated BSN programs online, rather than attending a physical university campus? There are a number of reasons, and this article is not exhaustive, but let’s take a look at some of the most important reasons that people choose to undertake online education programs.

Flexibility Means Working Professionals Can Still Study

By far one of the biggest advantages that online education programs offer is their flexibility. Normal university courses have rigorous expectations of attendance and deadlines to meet, whereas online programs are typically designed to be much more forgiving and flexible. This means that if you have full-time work or family responsibilities, you can still undertake an online education program. With study taking place in whatever free moments you might have, other responsibilities need not be affected by the study.

In some fields, this sort of flexibility is absolutely crucial. In nursing, for example, the pathways towards advancement are typically tied to the attainment of additional degrees, which could be very difficult to complete in a standard university setting, while still working full-time nursing hours. Being able to undertake a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) while continuing to work full-time means that nurses can pursue career advancement without making large sacrifices in their quality of life.

Geography is no Barrier to Online Education

With traditional university programs, there is a necessity to be geographically close to the university, which is, obviously, restrictive. Online education programs hold no such restrictions. They allow students who match their entry criteria to engage in learning from much further afield, allowing them to continue living their lives while at the same time seeking to improve their education level or qualifications.

This is perfect for people who do not want to, or who cannot, relocate to a university town. It democratizes access to tertiary education and allows people who in the past would have been excluded from attending to make a go of improving their lives. People from small towns have the same access to world-class higher education as those who live near universities is an amazing benefit.

Online Education is More Cost-Effective

We don’t want to say that online education options are cheap, but they are definitely more affordable than most physically present options. Typically, the fees for the courses themselves are a fair bit lower, but many of the savings come from additional expenses that simply do not exist when you engage in online education. 

There is no need to commute or to pay for expensive near-university accommodation, and you don’t need to purchase physical study materials like textbooks and note-taking materials. On top of all this, as we have mentioned before, you can continue to work and earn money while you study.

While this might not be a deal-maker for some people, there are plenty of fields that benefit enormously from the reduction in the overall cost of education. Psychology, nursing and business management are three that spring to mind. In these fields, there are typically long periods of study that include placement, which can become prohibitively expensive as time goes on. Some online education options even offer more flexible payment options to allow an even broader number of people to access their services.

Learn At Your Own Pace and Learn Self-Motivation

This benefit can be a double-edged sword for some. The ability in online education to take the study materials at your own pace is undeniably good. For some students, this can mean an accelerated pace towards completion of their degree, and for others, it means a slower pace that increases their understanding and knowledge retention. However, online education necessitates that the students manage their time effectively, practice good self-discipline and have accountability for their study sessions.

For some people, managing their time in this way might be a nightmare scenario, while others may thrive. Importantly for some fields, people who have completed online education tacitly prove that they are able to manage themselves well and can work somewhat independently. Being able to prove that you have developed skills that speak to your autonomy can be a real benefit in many fields. But it is important that people who engage in online education either possess these qualities or are seeking to cultivate them.

Final Thoughts

Online education holds a larger number of advantages than we have been able to list here, but the salient points have been covered. Flexibility, affordability and accessibility. Three things that make online education a very attractive proposition for many people. 

No longer are working professionals required to sacrifice their personal lives or career progression in order to seek further education; online education allows them to continue working and meet other responsibilities, while also engaging in education.