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Online computer courses: the pros and cons

The advantages of online computer courses weigh out the disadvantages.

Online computer courses allow you to study from comfort of own home. Photo by Chapendra on Flickr.With the Internet being so popular this day and age, online learning has also become popular among students. Online computer courses enable students to learn a skill or trade while studying at home.

Online education courses are a great solution for people who do not think they have time to further their education. When you are studying via your computer, you can learn at your own pace.

What is online learning?

Online learning is also referred to as distance learning. It is when a student chooses to learn or further his or her education from a distance or from his or her own home. There are many different learning institutions that offer online degree programs, as well as courses that combine online learning with classroom learning.

Many people choose online learning to further their education because of the convenience associated with it. Online courses can be scheduled and attended at the student's convenience. This helps eliminate possible conflicts in schedule, such as a job or caring for children.

You can opt to attend your online classes after your workday is finished or after the kids go to bed.

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What are the advantages?

There are so many different advantages of going to school online. As mentioned above, scheduling is one of the major benefits. You do not have to worry about making it to class on time because online schooling offers flexible schedules. You can attend your classes at the most convenient time for you, yet you must meet the deadline for various course assignments.

Another clear advantage associated with online learning is the money you can save. When you choose an online learning institution to further your education, you eliminate many costs that you would have to pay when you go for traditional learning.

These costs can include:

    • Gasoline.
    • Parking.
    • Lunch.
    • Time lost commuting.

In addition, you can also remove the high cost of your college textbooks. When you choose to learn online, many of your textbooks are made available on the Internet.

What are the disadvantages?

It is true that nothing is perfect, and online learning has its disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you will not get as much hands-on experience as you would by learning in a traditional classroom.

However, some computer science schools and other online schools will offer you the opportunity to learn from activities going on in your community. For example, your online instructor may have all of his or her students perform similar tasks or experiments done in the community and then meet up in a group video session to discuss how the activities went.

Another potential disadvantage is if you're a people person, then you may become frustrated with not being able to ask a question in real time to the professor.

Whether you want to take online information technology courses or you are trying to obtain an accredited degree, either is possible. Online computer courses have become an extremely popular way of furthering one's education.

Photo credit: Online computer courses allow you to study from the comfort of your own home. Photo by Chapendra via Compfight CC.