5 Things You Didn’t Know About Online Studies

You know a lot about online studies. You’ve taken online courses, recommended them to friends, looked at degree programs, and even applied for an online degree. Or maybe you’re even getting your degree online right now.

The sector is booming. Set to surpass $105 billion, online studies are ubiquitous. Online studies offer students opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have—the flexibility to work anywhere and anytime, the ability to make connections, and the opportunity to save money are just a few.

You know this. But you don’t know what you don’t know.

Let’s take a look at a few aspects of online studies you might not now.

1. Scholarships and Loans

Yup. It’s true. You can earn scholarships for online studies. You can use scholarships and federal loans to pay your tuition at online universities. But be careful—your online program needs to be accredited for you to be able to take advantage. How do you check? Check the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or CHEA. You can check their databases and directories to ensure that your program is on their list. Once you confirm that, contact financial aid or administrative services at your online school and tell them that you’d like to apply for financial aid.

2. Age

Distance learning is over 200 years old. Not digital learning—distance learning. Online education is just the latest iteration of a learning strategy that people have been using for centuries.

The first recorded attempt happened in 1728, which was advertised in the Boston Gazette. Caleb Phillips, a shorthand teacher, offered to mail students weekly lessons, provided that the students mailed him back.

Later, in Great Britain of the 1840s, Sir Isaac Pitman, also a shorthand teacher mailed post cards back and forth with his students. He was so successful that he started a chain of Sir Isaac Pitman shorthand colleges nationwide.

The idea of learning from the comfort of your own home—or wherever you are—isn’t new. It’s the medium.

3. Make Your Own

Also true. You can make your own online course. Check out these platforms: Udemy, LearnDash, and Google’s Course Builder. You can create a course as short as 30 minutes, and as long as 2-3 hours. Here’s the kicker: you can sell them, too. In fact, if you make a great online course, you can make a lot of money. If you have something to teach, consider building your own course and marketing to a wider audience.

While it’s a significant investment in time, the payoff can be big—in both enjoyment and income. There’s a learning curve—delivering content, recording and uploading videos, creating interactive graphics—but those who’ve done it argue that it’s well worth it.

4. Multiple Forms

Online learning comes in all shapes and sizes. From text-only email correspondence to highly interactive multi-media courses, and everything in-between, online learning takes on a variety of forms.

It all depends on budget and time. When schools and universities can dedicate substantial resources to the creation and teaching of online courses, they have higher retention rates than schools that don’t have as many resources.

5. Worldwide

It’s not just in the US anymore. Africa has expanded its online learning platforms significantly—Rwanda, Malawi, Kenya, and Nigeria have active online learning initiatives happening now.

You can find MOOCs from China to Saudi Arabia. Not just a cultural Western export, online learning is reaching the far corners of the world—and with great success.

On edX alone, 1.2 million students from non-Western countries are registered for courses. Non-English language courses are offered across 20 countries—and other countries like Saudi Arabia are working on releasing their own versions of edX.

Did we miss anything? Take this new knowledge on online learning and apply it for the greater good. You know you can—and the time is ripe.

Learn more about online studies.