The Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Learning Environment

The internet reduces the world into one global community. Thanks to the World Wide Web, the speed of information being exchanged is made in real time opting for educational institutions to make use of this opportunity by providing a virtual learning environment to help reach and educate students from around the world. The learning platform is not only exclusive to students as professionals and lecturers from around the world can make use of the platform to upload their lectures, modules, other learning materials and share these to students, colleagues and other individuals in the community.

The first university that offered distance education or learning is the University of London in 1858 and the concept reached the United States in 1892 when the correspondence school was developed. Today, distance learning is common and almost all highly respected and popular universities offer some type of distance-learning program. Another type of distance learning is online learning. Online learning rate increases every year as more courses are offered by the universities.

Benefits of Online Learning

One of the benefits of online learning is that students are exposed to many different experts in the particular course they are enrolled in. Professors or lecturers and even students can create several online study groups to discuss the topics. As the students and lecturers can come from diverse backgrounds, one’s thinking is not limited to just one’s perspective but becomes multifaceted.

Another advantage of e-learning is that students can work around their work and family obligations which are great for students who are working or for professionals who want to increase their knowledge base. Many working students would also save cost from travelling from their workplace to the institution thus enabling them to save. Students who have laptops can also access the web-based platform wherever they are as long as internet connectivity is present.

Disadvantages of Online Learning

E-learning also has some disadvantages that should be considered when one is deciding whether to enrol or not. An example is that of students who have poor study habits who may find it hard to catch up without the physical presence of their professors to motivate them. Hands on lab activities would also be difficult to simulate in a virtual class. Another is that students who have poor computer skills may not find the complexities attached to the virtual learning attractive and would forego the program.

Last but not the least is the fact that some courses or lectures might be hard to understand and instructors may not be available online to answer the questions of students.

Having said this, the concept of virtual learning is interesting and is a fact that is now widely accepted in the society. Virtual learning environment provides a platform for alternative education for students who otherwise find it hard to access education in their area. Although there are some disadvantages that might come up with the idea, the fact that it provides greater benefit for all is something to be considered. To learn more about virtual learning platform, one might want to check out MYVLE.com.