Online education has become a recent trend that has allowed many people to attend school that could not before. No matter what the age, location or interest there are online universities that will help someone earn their degree. Online education has specifically been beneficial for teachers, or other professions, who are going back to school to receive their masters or doctorate. Now, more then 75% of all colleges have an online education program of some kind. In a time when education is the key to moving up in the world, the impact of online education has become substantial.

The largest benefit of online education is the availability. For the first time, students have the opportunity to enroll in a college that meets all of their expectations and offers a degree that matches what they want to do. Many times, at traditional schools, a student chooses a major that is as close as possible, but it isn’t want they really want to do. With online universities, prospective students do not have to factor in location when applying for school. This results in students really focusing on their degree choice and their intended career path. Sometimes, the amount of school choices is overwhelming; however, 360 Education Solutions is partnered with a vast amount of online universities to help people, such as teachers, find the school that is right for them. For teachers who are returning to school to earn a graduate degree, they can choose a school that is all the way across the country and still continue to teach and learn in the state they live in. The availability of online programs allows students to find the best education that fits their lifestyle.

Another great perk of doing online education is moving through classes at different speeds, or “asynchronous” learning. Students can choose when to do their work whenever they please. If students are like most adult learners, have a job or a family, they can do their work when it is convenient for them. All of the lectures and class work are online 24 hours a day; therefore, a student could do their class work at night and go to work during the day. Also, for people who may be slower at learning, they can their time learning the material to ensure that they do well on tests. By working at one’s own pace, it is possible that they can earn their degree in a shorter amount of time. A master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at a traditional university may take over two years to complete; however, through online schooling, a student could earn his or her degree in 18 months. This benefit has helped many people go back to school to get a higher education, which was not possible before.

A third advantage includes learning how to become computer literate. Because all of the courses are taken on the computer, it is imperative that students know how to use a computer correctly. Also, with online courses come different learning methods. Many courses use discussion boards frequently. This feature lets students talk to each other and get any questions they may have answered. This also leads to countless networking opportunities through peers. Most online courses have students that live all across the country; so many connections are made through their classes. Networking allows teachers from all over the nation to communicate about education. A teacher inCaliforniais able to create a friendship through an online course with a teacher fromNew York, which most likely would have never happened if it wasn’t for the class. E-mail is an important factor in online education as well. Students learn “netiquette” which allows them to better communicate through the internet.

With all the benefits that online education offers, it is no wonder that this trend has swept the nation. Not only can students be flexible with their schedules, choose a school based on the degree and become computer literate, but they can also save thousands of dollars. Online tuition is usually a lot cheaper to begin with; however, students are saving costs by not having to travel to school, buy textbooks, pay for living expenses and pay for extra university fees. Online education is the ultimate way to earn a higher education for students who don’t think that traditional schools are the way to go.