Introduction
Recently, the university governing body of India, the UGC (University Grants Commission) has made the headlines (Source: Times of India). It permitted nearly 900 autonomous colleges to independently offer online degrees to learners. It is to be noted that, previously, this power was exclusively held by universities. This has shed light on the need for online education as well as its popularity in the public sphere.
The background for online education is the popularity of education itself. Scientific advances and social reforms of the previous century are the main driving forces behind the popularity of education. The industrial revolution and colonisation paved the way for the recognition of the power of education. The spread of English as a global language became the catalyst for a globally centralised education system.
As the industrial revolution caused people to move into cities, the education industry blossomed and flourished. Due to the abundance of work, many young workers flocked to the cities. As the companies grew in size, profit, and reach, the younger generation of workers realised the power of education to transform careers and lives. They recognised the value of academic qualifications in promotions and higher salary ranges. As a result, there was a void in the education industry where full-time college was not a possible solution for learners working full-time jobs. This is how universities and governments started using the internet to provide quality education for learners. Here are some of the reasons why universities, learners, and companies seek online education as an option.
Why are Online Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degrees Popular?
Why Universities are popularising Online Degrees?
With the popularity of digitalization, universities all over the world have become interested in offering online education. Here are a few reasons why online degrees are picking up in popularity across universities.
1. Online degrees are in-demand
Following the popularity of the internet and the desires of students who are unable to attend full-time college, universities and governments quickly recognised the need for online education. This is how night college, weekend college, and distance education became the predecessors of online education. Even before the introduction of the internet, universities were offering such programs for enthusiastic learners through these part-time colleges. As the internet became a suitable medium for the propagation of education, pioneer universities grabbed this opportunity and experimented with online programs. Indeed, online education is as old as the internet itself (Source: Adamas University). This became viable and profitable after the internet became an everyday necessity. Currently, 63% of the world's population is using the internet (Source: Statista). Online education has picked up the pace in countries like India, where internet costs are the lowest in the world.
2. They are cost-effective
The primary reason universities choose to offer online degrees is cost constraints. Online degrees are easier to offer and more pocket-friendly for universities and educational institutions. All the university needs is a team of academic experts or professors with an internet connection. Online degrees don't need infrastructure, excessive staffing, or maintenance costs like a brick and mortar university. Building infrastructure is a major investment for universities. Material costs, construction, running water, electricity, and maintenance can all take a huge portion of the university budget.
If the university accepts and accommodates learners, it needs further accommodation facilities with all the amenities. For the smooth running of the university, outdoor playgrounds, learner materials, a library, a computer lab, and administrative offices also need to be constructed. Again, hiring staff like lecturers, maintenance workers, office workers, librarians, computer operators, and peons can all add to the maintenance costs for the university.
All these costs can be greatly minimised with an online program. Online Learners barely need any of these facilities as they conveniently attend classes and lectures from their homes. This negates most of the costs associated with running a brick and mortar university building.
3. Online degrees need little management
Online programs require minimal management on the part of the administrator. As all the lectures are either recorded or live sessions, administrators can conveniently record or watch them in the comfort of their homes. Moreover, it is easier to keep track of the teaching progress online through internal tools and progress calculators. Learning trends and experimentation like microlearning are easier to adapt to in online degrees than in traditional degree programs.
This is not the case with on-campus degree programs. Teaching staff need to produce complex paperwork to track their own and their learners' progress. It makes it hard for management to identify patterns or to maintain accountability. Management cannot keep an eye on the progress all the time in on-campus degree programs.
4. They help in collaborations
One more reason universities love online degrees is the possibility of collaboration with other institutions or digital companies. As most universities have neither the technological competence nor the expertise in online business, other technical businesses become a great choice for them. This saves many technical hurdles as well as gives other businesses an opportunity to trade their services. Indeed, currently, learners can pursue a prestigious UK Masters Degree online from virtually any part of the world. This has become possible only because of the collaboration between some prestigious UK universities and other online education pioneers like SNATIKA.
Such benefits are not always available for on-campus degree providers. If there is a need for technical expertise, hiring an expert team would be the standard solution. If the university wants to offer these programs to a wider audience, or in different countries of the world, it becomes practically impossible because of the range of education policies from around the world. Universities can only rely on interested learners from other countries that have the money, time, and interest in chasing after the university. This puts most universities in a talent scarce zone where they have to compete with other universities in the country for foreign learners. Offline education deprives universities of such collaboration and international learner opportunities.
Why online degrees are popular among students?
Online education is becoming popular among learners as well. Learners, especially working professionals, choose online programs for several reasons. Here are some of them.
1. Online degrees are plenty in supply
Demand and supply are interrelated in economics as well as between universities and learners. The possibility of earning a bachelor's or Masters Degree online attracts learners like bees to flowers. This works like a spiral where demand nourishes supply as supply attracts more demand. Until the demand for online learning reaches a threshold, its popularity will be unaffected. As online learning has only started to take baby steps, that situation is far in the future.
2. They reduce the Cost of Education
The primary concern for learners is the cost of a degree. Full-time degrees are more expensive, and not everyone is ready to get into debt for education. However, online education is an attractive solution for such learners. Most online degrees, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, are offered at a fraction of the cost of their on-campus counterparts. Due to low operating costs, universities can easily cut their fees far below their on-campus degree programs and still earn profits. This helps learners who are struggling financially. This is one of the major reasons why learners with financial commitments are turning toward online degree programs.
3. They offer Flexibility
It is no surprise that online degrees offer flexibility for learners. This flexibility is outmatched by even distance education, evening college, or weekend degree programs. Online degree programs offer a flexible learning schedule if the university has no rigid teaching hours for live sessions. If the program content is pre-recorded, the flexibility element further leaps up a step.
This is a priceless quality for working professionals. As they need to keep up with their full-time job and family commitments, rigid learning hours become out of the question. With online education, though, they can easily adjust their timings and simultaneously pursue educational and career goals.
4. Online degrees are of Equal Quality
If you choose right, online programs offer the same quality of education as their on-campus counterparts. Without the same quality, no university can survive in the highly competitive education industry online. Learners can be sure to get the exact syllabus, teaching methods, and academic support from their online educators. Even companies are realising the value of online degrees and are sponsoring their employees for their academic development.
5. Age will not bother learners
Due to awkwardness or discomfort, many senior learners are somewhat reluctant to continue their education with a younger generation of classmates. This can hinder many senior professionals academically and professionally. Moreover, some prestigious universities and business schools like Harvard have a subconscious bias against senior learners. As a result, age might become a negative constraint in on-campus universities.
However, online education is free from these concerns. Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or nationality, anyone can apply and pursue an online MBA or Masters Degree program. In the absence of awkwardness, more and more senior professionals are choosing to pursue their dream academic qualifications. Again, the virtual classrooms offer networking opportunities for senior professionals, as online learning is quite popular among senior professionals. As a result, finding senior classmates is not uncommon.
6. Accessibility is a plus
Unlike on-campus universities, online programs are accessible from virtually anywhere in the world. On-campus degree programs require the learner to regularly attend the classes full-time. The classes are offered in the same classroom for the whole duration of the program. Also, international learners will have to travel to the country and stay there to pursue their education.
Online degree programs, on the other hand, depend on an internet connection. Classes can be attended on a desktop at home, on a laptop or smartphone from anywhere in the world. Learners can easily travel to different regions or countries without giving a thought to running late or missing a class. This is why most senior learners love the online format of higher education.
7. Learners can Work and Learn together
In a full-time college, learners can only work part-time jobs for extra money. Even then, assignments, extra classes, or activities take this free time away from learners. This puts professionals with commitments at a stalemate. They don't want to quit their jobs to pursue an academic title because the degree will help them grow in their careers.
Online degrees allow the learner to keep their full-time jobs, on the other hand. For example, SNATIKA's Masters Degree programs require just a couple of hours of effort from the learner. These can be managed with slight modifications in the learner's daily routine. This opportunity to work full-time while pursuing a Masters Degree or MBA is what made SNATIKA's online programs a favourite among senior professionals.
Why online degrees are the best choice for Companies?
Companies sponsor their loyal employees' education as an appreciation of their work and a prospective future in the company. However, sending their high-performing employees off to a foreign country for 2-to-3 years is not an option all companies can afford. Due to the employee retention challenges and the skilled employee crisis, companies are more likely to sponsor their employees for an online degree. This helps them stay in the workforce while simultaneously upgrading their academic credentials.
1. They cut Costs
The primary reason why companies are more likely to sponsor an online degree is the cost. Online MBA, Masters Degree, or bachelor's degree programs cost less than their traditional counterparts. Companies with a budget constraint on education policies are more likely to be open to online education.
2. They help in Employee Retention
Online education helps companies to keep their current employees working for the company. As online learning requires fewer hours, learners can be simultaneously upskilled in their work and upgraded in their academic credentials.
Conclusion
Online degree programs offer several benefits to all parties involved. It can benefit the degree providers, the learners, as well as the companies in which the prospective learner is working. In the digital age, online education has become a boon for working professionals. It helps universities cut costs by building, staffing, and maintaining the structure. It saves money and time while avoiding obstacles for students who are unable to attend full-time college. Online degrees help companies to retain their talent without spending huge amounts of money on each learner. Ultimately, an online degree is a learner's paradise when they are in a situation where they cannot pursue it.
SNATIKA is one such educational institution which offers prestigious UK Masters Degree and MBA programs for senior professionals. If you have managerial experience in the relevant industry, you can easily apply for SNATIKA's programs. In just 12 months, you can earn a Masters Degree or MBA along with an equally prestigious Level 7 Diploma from the UK. Currently, SNATIKA offers Masters Degree programs, Diploma programs, certifications, and a PhD program in management. Our ISO certification and a huge learner base spread across several countries are a badge of quality for our education.
If you are interested in restarting your higher education, visit SNATIKA and weigh the benefits, quality, and easy access to the programs.