Month: June 2017

Online classes these days are the norm, especially when it comes to higher education. Most universities and colleges today have an online school, where distant students can learn from anywhere in the world, without having to visit the university. Online classes have picked up the pace, admitting even more students than regular classes. In this post, we will take a look at the benefits that online classes bring.

Merits of online classes

Affordable

In general, online classes are very affordable, in that a lot of transportation costs are saved in the process. Unlike regular school, online classes do not need students or teachers to commute to classes, all that is required is a computer and a good internet connection. Given that most teachers and students take their classes from home, a lot of money is saved in the process.

Better time management

Most online classes are pre-recorded, meaning that once the lecturer has recorded a particular class, it will be available for the students to access at their preferred time. For instance, if you work all day, you can study for two hours every night or any other convenient time.

Convenient

Perhaps the biggest advantage of online classes is the convenience it provides. When taking online classes, one doesn’t have to dress in a certain way, or even take a lot of time getting ready to go to class. Simply put, online courses can be taken in pajamas.

Career building

Careers are significant, and the more you invest your time building one, the more it grows. For most people, an educational leave has to be taken to advance on education. However, with online classes, one can take their classes while still doing their job.

This is very important, in that it allows people to advance their careers while improving on their education.

Learning new technical skills

Online classes have the advantage that the learning environment is computer based, hence the students learning new skills. Having computer skills is very important, and given that online classes offer these skills for free is good for the participant.

Variety of courses

As an online student, the biggest advantage is the variety of classes that are available online. Given the nature of online courses, online schools can hire lecturers from various departments, and have them record given classes, which will later be availed to all the students. This allows the students to have access to a lot of courses.

Technology has transformed the way people access educational material, where printed books were used before, has been replaced with electronic forms of relaying content. For the educators and content distributors, it is very important to venture into the world of education technology and keep up with the trends in the sector. One trend that has gained traction is the use of websites to avail content to students; most of the time for free. Given that websites these days are very affordable to create and maintain. Getting one is the logical step to enhancing education.

If you are an educator and looking to facilitate the learning of your students, then setting up an educational website is paramount. In this post, we will give you pointers on how to go about creating one.

Creating the best educational website

When creating the site, here are the features that should be implemented.

Security

For educational sites, security has to be tight; this is particularly because of students of the technology faculty, usually try to compromise the site using their computer skills, commonly known as ‘hacking.’ This is typical behavior, and to some level— it is healthy to the students, as long as they follow ethical standards and procedures that are taught in class. To keep the website safe, and allow the said students to practice their skills; it is important to invest in the state of the art security technology.

Intuitive design

An educational website should be simple and easy to navigate. Students should find it easy to browse the site and read the content. The best way is to get inspiration from an established educational institution with a website.

Mobile friendly

A larger percentage of people these days access the internet through their smartphones, and students are no exception. Given the small displays on phones, websites have to adapt to fit the content on the screen. Through a design concept called responsive design, websites can be programmatically designed to adapt to different display sizes. For an educational site, this feature is a must.

Online classes

With the maturity of the internet and web applications, online classes are a reality. Every educational site should allow students to take classes online, and be able to track their progress and performance. Teachers should also be able to create courses and systematically provide learning material, with the capability to monitor and evaluate their students.

Student community

Every educational site should have a community section that allows students to interact with each other, ask questions and have them answered. Having a student community is very important, especially in an environment where students rarely meet in person.