How international students can benefit from online learning

“Sometimes learning can be a long and a tedious journey…online learning makes that journey interesting and fun”

CEO of internship & training platform Internshala Sarvesh Agrawal discusses the benefits of online learning over traditional classroom-based learning.

Many students across the globe looking for internship and job opportunities end up getting rejected, and the reason behind the rejection is often of a lack of relevant skills. Employers actively seek to hire students who have skills and knowledge that could be put to the test and be an asset to the company. One possible so to the problem is online learning.

To begin with, what is online learning?

Well, unlike conventional classroom learning, online learning is a form of learning where the content is available for students digitally anywhere and anytime. Instead of reading and learning through physical copies of books, online learning uses visual content.

At the successful completion of training, students receive a certificate that will put them a step ahead of their peers and they develop in-depth knowledge about a subject that will help boost their career prospects.

But why consider online training? Sometimes learning can be a long and a tedious journey. Students can lose interest offline centres and the study material that comes with it can make learning monotonous. Online learning makes that journey interesting and fun; you can sit back and relax while you learn.

Some of the advantages of online learning are –

1. Economic: 

In online training, students’ objective is to learn so companies do not have to incur any offline expenses. The prime focus is on developing the content and thereby lowering the overall cost of training. Moreover, it will also help save a lot of time that might have been spent commuting.

2. Flexibility and convenience:

Students may have short breaks during their professional and academic journey, which they spend procrastinating. But online learning helps make use of free time in a productive way. You will be able to learn a new skill,  devoting as many hours in a day as you can afford to.

3. Ask questions without hesitation: 

It is completely normal to have doubts while learning new things, but many students hesitate in asking questions in front of their peers and thus making even the simplest concepts difficult for them to grasp later. In online learning, you are an anonymous user and your doubts, as trivial as they may be, do not have to be asked in front of a full class.

There has been an increase in the number of students opting for online learning but some of the bad experiences have cast a shadow over the good. Students and parents have started wondering if it is a value for money option and if they are able to learn as much not being in a classroom. The transition from hard copy study material to online digital content seems like a big change. Students even worry about getting duped, which could make them cautious about opting into online training.

Every year, millions of students graduate and start looking for new opportunities, so it is essential to keep yourself a step ahead. Over the past couple of years, there has been growth in the number of students opting for online learning and it is becoming a mainstream medium for learning. You can remove your concerns by thoroughly researching about the platform, so the decision is yours — online or offline learning?

Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder & CEO of Internshala – an internship & training platform. An alumnus of IIT Madras, he is on a mission to build a ‘world-full of opportunities’ for students by providing meaningful internships and reducing the skill gap between the industry and the students.