5 Misconceptions About Online Learning

For some, online education is an urban myth. Online learning has become ubiquitous with the internet expanding exponentially in the last decade and the advent of mass handheld devices, but so have the myths.

In this blog post, we look at some of the common myths about online learning that we come across everyday.

Common Myths of Online Learning

1. Online Learning is difficult.The most common misconception amongst all new online leaners is that online learning is somehow very difficult. This is certainly not true as the content and difficulty of the course or the content depends on the content creator with no inherent link between difficulty and the delivery platform such as Udutu. You can have a course that is very easy and you can have a course that is difficult, depending on the instructional design, content pieces and structural elements of the course. The content delivery platform itself (such as Udutu) is often quite intuitive and easy to navigate as well.

2. There are no deadlines, goals or targets.Deadlines again are at the discretion of the educators and the content creators. The misconception is that as online learning is traditionally considered “self paced”, it will not have any deadlines. This is of course not true as the educator and the content creator can set markers, triggers and assessment deadlines as per their need. For e.g., a safety inspector can create content which requires participants to login and interact with the content every day. Similarly, there can be deadlines and forced participation in the form of comments, papers, tests and scenario based exams.

3. You need a dedicated machine like a personal computer to access eLearning content.These days, eLearning platforms such as Udutu are accessible across a variety of devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones and kiosks. As these kind of eLearning platforms (SaaS) reside remotely in the cloud and require no licenses, there is no need for a dedicated machine to access content. If you have an internet capable device and an internet connection, all eLearning content and material is available to you through your personal account.

4. There is no prestige or value to online learning.Perhaps the most widespread myth we hear everyday is that online education is not as effective as campus based learning programs; on top of this there is no prestige or accreditation/credibility to learning online. Well this might have been true a decade ago, but is not accurate anymore. Online learning has gotten more sophisticated as time has passed till the point now where it is very difficult not to make a case for online learning being better than traditional learning. Online courses have the same curriculum as traditional ones as well as extra content pieces, interactive exercises and assessments which are normally not possible in traditional methods. The whole world has been digitized from Networking (LinkedIn), Socializing (Facebook) to Transport (Uber) and its only a matter of time before online learning takes over traditional learning rather than merely complementing it. Most institutions have come to realize themselves the value of online education as exemplified by all Ivy League universities offering most of the course content online.

5. Online education is not personalized.As traditional educational programs are considered more hands on, it is assumed that online learning would be less individualistic. This is a fallacy as online education can be greatly customized and personalized per the needs of the learner. So, the idea of not getting enough attention from a teacher is not necessarily true as one can certainly get enough attention through assessments and adaptive quizzes, webinars etc. that make more than enough for lack of brick-and-mortar seating space. One of the biggest strengths of online education is that its improving in quality all the time as changes and additions can be made instantly and similarly be personalized for an individual learner.

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Here at Udutu, we take great pride in helping eLearners understand different engagement based learning solutions that actually make a difference. Contact us to help us help you make this transition.