How Online Learning Courses are Changing

Last Updated on November 23, 2022

Not all online training courses and training companies are created equally. Content, communications, learning philosophies, teaching practices and software have come a long way in a short time. Let’s take a brief look at the history of online learning and how far it has come.

Humble Beginnings

When online learning courses first emerged on the Internet, they were completely basic. You would typically read the material off of a web page, or you were emailed a Word document to go over and then you were given an online form to input your answers or you emailed your answers back to the training entity.

Most of the training was provided by online universities, and some were pretty sketchy while others weren’t accredited. Additionally, the degrees and certificates offered typically weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. Still, this was an attractive alternative for people who worked other jobs during the day or had no way of getting to a regular learning facility.

After a few years (and many growing pains) online training started to evolve out of necessity. It was always a good idea, but the potential for improvement was limitless. It went from completely text-based training to video training and eventually to interactive training as the technologies became fast enough to transfer data over the Internet.

Personal computers with internet connectivity became a staple in every home and office so no matter where you took your online course, you could submit your answers more efficiently through dedicated communications programs. Courses grew to be more interactive through the use of group chats, conference calls, and video conferencing. Students could even attend classes in small groups in the same location in facilities where resources were available. Eventually, more and more people were online which provided an opportunity for online classrooms that was previously unimaginable. That larger opportunity began to drive innovation.

Online Learning Expands

Eventually, more online training companies started to pop up and the quality of online universities improved. Additionally, their accreditations, degrees, and certifications became more widely accepted. When traditional universities started to realize that online learning was quickly becoming the wave of the future, they saw it as a means to reach a whole new audience of potential students. All of these forces competing with each other started to propel online classroom innovation.

Online learning became more and more popular and is now quickly becoming the preferred learning method by an ever-growing population of students – young and old. With the ability to obtain degrees and certifications on your own time at your own pace, online training is also making education more affordable than attending classes the traditional way.

Present Day

Now, live online learning centers, like ONLC, offer state-of-the-art technology that provides multiple ways of learning to fit any situation. Live online training courses allow users to interact with an instructor and other students in real time, participate in lab exercises, and obtain credit upon completion. On demand courses provide pre-recorded video, skill assessments and practice labs that can be accessed at any time.

Today, ONLC live online, interactive and on demand courses be taken from anywhere. Through the use of RCI technology, you can receive the same training as if you were in the room with the instructor. With live online courses, participants are able to ask questions and get answers in real time.

In addition to live instructors, a voice bridge connection is also provided so that you can hear the instructor as well as hear questions from other students. Lab exercises are provided, and if you have trouble completing an assignment or fall behind, the lab instructor can view your screen and take control of your session to help you along.

Or you can choose pre-recorded, on-demand content that you can absorb at your pace and at any time that fits your schedule. On demand courses are ideal for those who are new to a technology and prefer to space their learning over a period of weeks or months.  On demand courses allow the opportunity to review and repeat labs until mastery of the new concept is gained.

Join In

Now you can participate in a course or training at any location; provided that you have an adequate computer and a reliable internet connection. With all of the online learning options (live, on demand, etc.) provided by ONLC, there is no reason you can’t obtain the training you need to move your career forward. Contact us today to see how we can get you started.