Online Learning Shows Surprising Rise in Student Comprehension

There are a number of reasons why people enrol at online universities. For example, cost is a leading factor considering online schools tend to cost 40% less than a brick and mortar school. Another is schedule and flexibility; being able to take a course when it's convenient to the student not the school. This benefit is one students holding down regular jobs or single parents are particularly taking advantage of, allowing them to get the best online degree while dealing with their obligations. It's these kinds of benefits that have made enrolment at online schools grow faster than on campus colleges. Now, a federal-sponsored report recently published reveals another reason to take online courses: Online learning is a highly effective way to learn.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the report reviewed hundreds of studies of online learning over the past decade. It concluded the average online student performed slightly better than going to a real classroom for their lessons. In other words, their grades were not only better, but their comprehension was better.

The study primarily concentrated on adults holding regular jobs who were getting their degrees outside of their 9-to-5; who also happened to be the biggest demographic group for distance learning. It also included students in elementary, middle and high schools. Regardless of age level, the results uncovered online classes yielded higher performance.

The key reason for these results was time. Students were able to move at their own pace. They were able to manage their valuable time resources for better effect. This enabled them to focus on what they found interesting or problematic. That freedom also found them spending more time working with fellow classmates to re-examine what they learn. When all was said and done, they were maximising their educational environ.

Another thing that helped was the use of different teaching tools than those used in campus-based courses. These included videos, online quizzes, study groups and online guidance. Despite this broad range of choices, the study discovered learning rates were not inhibited by the technology. Yet it was time management that was uncovered as the most valuable part of students' results.

This didn't mean it all comes together easily. Online learning course teachers work hard creating the lessons for their students to maximise this valuable learning time. Serious schools also had to employ premium and the most modern computer systems and experienced IT staff, learning management software, student services, libraries and staff to train their professors on how to teach online.

At the same time, most hiring managers agreed the investment pays off. The best online degree programs were considered as academically challenging as classroom-taught counterparts. Another survey discovered 80% of CEOs and owners believed online degrees provided results equivalent to a campus-based program.

This was because students who got an online degree had already developed good habits, such as time management, self-motivation, forward thinking, online social networking, team building/collaboration and the ability to learn independently. These are now considered highly desirable skills that are taught better when a student learns online.