Trends in Online Education: Going Back to School Part 2

Overcoming the Obstacles of Going Back to School

Online education is an increasingly major part of this trend, as it allows students to bypass the obstacles of traditional educational methods. Adults returning to school, whether for continuing education or to complete unfinished degrees, have adult responsibilities such as jobs and families. This often makes it completely impractical to return to a traditional college setting, with inflexible schedules and inconvenient, time-consuming travel to and from the classroom. But in an online format, “re-entry” students can create a flexible schedule to fit the obligations of their daily lives and set their own pace.

Dealing with readmission to a traditional college presents a whole host of other problems. There will be only a limited number of nearby schools, and that limits one’s choice immeasurably. Not only does this severely reduce the chance of admission, but it restricts the choice of school itself: It can be difficult to find the right fit if one is restricted by the practicalities of physical travel. But the online option opens up a whole new set of possibilities. Instead of choosing between a half dozen schools (if that), one can do a little research and pick between a much larger number of suitable possibilities. It is like comparing shopping at the local electronics store for a computer vs. shopping online. In the latter case, you will get a far better selection and probably a far better price, and wind up with a computer far better suited to your particular needs. It’s the same deal for education.

Online schools are tailor made for the student returning to school. The right school can be carefully selected from among many, from fully-online educational institutions to self-paced online college courses that can be transferred to either online or offline colleges. A student can craft his or her own goals and set his or her own pace. Time spent travelling, likely several hours a week, can be devoted to study. Re-entry students are likely to have busy lives and can save a great deal of time and money returning to school online.