Mistakes that can cost you in an online course

Times are such that we have seen an increasing number of people opting for online courses. Even after being one of the sustainable goals of development and being emphasized on by the United Nations, education is still not accessible worldwide. Each year, we see more debates and activism around the subject. An educated world is a better one giving an equal footing to everyone. It is still not a reality. But, online education has come out and helped the caused extremely. Now, someone in a town of Idlib who wants to specialize in an inclusive data science course can do so by opting for it online. There are ambitious people everywhere in the world; unfortunately, not everyone gets the same opportunity and chances. Online education is a massive help in such cases, allowing the underprivileged to have a crack at education not available in their country. There are more and more courses being accredited by institutes which add up to give a certified degree to a person.

There are a lot of mistakes which one can make when opting for an online course. Not every course is accredited out there. There are plenty of private courses out there where you have to pay a certain fee to get a certificate. They might get you the skill for a job, but that does not mean it will be seen as a replacement for the actual course by an employer. That is one mistake a person can make while opting for an online course. Here are a few situations to ponder over before proceeding to opt for a course:

1. Checking The Credentials- As said, not every school is an accredited one. They might teach you the skills but will certainly not be able to provide you with a certificate recognized by everyone. A legitimate institute that provides accredited online courses is not that many in number. Be sure to check with the institute before applying at one. Private institutes tend to only provide video classes and are not that helpful with their support system. Those students who are opting for online courses require a great level of support in the starting, that kind of support is only available in regular courses. Institutes who offer online courses really do have to go the extra mile to make sure the student has all the facilities they need.

2. Be Ready to Invest- You will have to spend in a lot of hours each week in order to pass the semester. There is no other way around it at all. Think of it as spending 15-20 hours each week for studies. If you want to score high and have a great career path, you will have to study a lot. You are in a course where the teacher is not physically present and you do not have the privilege of a classroom. You are not that equipped as a regular student is, you will have to put in an extra amount of effort to reach the same level of footing.

3. Be Realistic- If you are a procrastinator like many college students, you will find it very tough in an online course. You should first identify your strengths and weaknesses before opting for a course like this. You need a high level of discipline if you are looking to complete a course online. You have to read up a lot and study by yourself. The teacher is not available everyday so there is a need for you to take initiatives if you are stuck in a problem like this. For example, if you need accounting assignment help at one point of time; you will have to read up yourself and go to the internet looking for answers.

4. Having the Right Set Of Tools- You will require a technological set of tools that will allow you take the course free of without any worries. You will need a webcam and a stable internet connection that is fast enough for you to communicate easily. If you do not have the required tools, you will always find yourself catching up.

5. Get The Reviews- You will have to check with friends and on the internet or any source you can find before settling on an institute. You need to get the reviews first before paying up a fee for a course. You will find that teachers who usually teach in a traditional classroom are not that efficient in teaching an online class. An online class is much different where the teacher requires a tweak in their skill set.

6. Know Your Limits- Do not take up multiple online courses at the same time. Each course is an extended one, including a large set of concepts to be understood. There are many students who take up a single course assuming that it would be easy to finish. It only ends up frustrating the student as to how to proceed. Still, you can always take up help of experts from websites like TopAssignmentExperts in case you are too stuck between work and course.

7. No Cheating- You cannot go ahead and try to cheat the institutes. These institutes use all kinds of software to judge a student’s submission. Just because it is not in a traditional classroom does not mean it is not a serious activity. You can always take help of experts or from your colleagues for an assignment. You can go on the internet and read up about the quiz that is going online soon. There are many methods to get help for a course, but cheating is not the way to go.

8. Commitment- Sometimes, you will have to study along with other students or work up on a project with other people. That requires you to connect with other students and work together. You will have to be cooperative in such cases; you have to recognize your strengths and others before proceeding to complete the work. It takes commitments to connect and work with people virtually. You will have to do it if you want to complete the course in the right way.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.