The Covid-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways. For learners and tutors, navigating education in these strange times can seem daunting. However, learning is a continuous process, and the reality is that you can keep learning from anywhere and at any time. All you need is the right mindset and have self-motivation.
In this post, we feature tips for ensuring uninterrupted learning during a pandemic.
1. Choose the Right Online Learning Platform
For learners and instructors, it can be tricky to determine which virtual learning option is the best match. A favorable online learning system turns the whole idea of distance learning into a pleasant, immersive experience. The platform must be engaging and focused on the needs of the learners as well as allow the instructor to pass on the knowledge.
When accessing your options, you ought to consider different factors. Here is an overview of the questions to bear in mind when evaluating an online learning platform.
- Does the system give the students and instructors time to feel comfortable? – Don’t choose an online learning platform that is complex to use.
- Will the platform ensure smooth communication? Ideally, communication is an essential factor in a successful learning process. Thus, you may check if the platform supports chat, discussion boards, email, and video conferencing.
- Does the e-learning System make learning fun? The boring system rarely gets the job done in the world of learning. Choose a system that incorporates game-design solutions to help the learners feel comfortable.
Here are some of the top ten online learning platforms:
Khan Academy is an American Non-Profit educational platform. The platform seeks to help educate students through short lessons in the form of videos. Their website offers supplementary practice exercises and materials for learners. The online video library hosts a wealth of lessons available at no cost. In addition, Khan Academy allows users to learn at their own pace, meaning the learners can fast track the courses.
EdX is a credible learning platform created by professors from Harvard and MIT. The EDX courses feature content from the top ranked universities. The learners receive an accredited certification on course completion. The platforms most popular subject areas include computer science, engineering, humanities, and data analysis.
EDX is ideal for learners looking to gain skills, learn at their own pace, and earn a certification of course completion. The platform offers free courses, and paid courses are available at an affordable rate.
Open Culture Online Courses offer free audiobooks, online courses, certificate courses, movies, textbooks, ebooks, and language learning resources. The platform offers hundreds of free audio books containing a wide range of works. While the platform is ideal for learners looking to gain a new skill, most traditional universities won’t give students credit for taking the Open Culture Online Courses.
Udemy is an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 40 Million learners. The Platform allows instructors to build courses on their preferred topics, and sell to students. The paid online learning platform has become a leading destination for online courses that empower learners to grow professionally or personally.
Codeacademy is an education company that teaches online courses and paths in 14 programming languages. The platform features interactive and beginner friendly content. Learners can choose between the free basic plan and the paid pro plan, which includes a 7-day free trial. The codecademy courses and paths are self-paced, and the platform offers a strong sense of an active and supportive community.
Skillshare is an ideal platform offering thousands of classes for creative people and entrepreneurs. Their courses target professionals that want to develop new skills or to improve existing ones. The platform offers free trial on its premium plan, ideal for individual users and billed annually at $180 or monthly at $32.
MIT Open Courseware is a free, open-licensed platform featuring a collection of high-quality teaching and learning materials. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the platform aims at promoting and enabling quantitive, rigorous, and inter-disciplinary research on teaching and learning.
Coursera is an online learning platform offering learning programs from courses to specializations and degrees. The platform collaborates with leading universities and organizations to facilitate its online courses. Their courses offer a variety of payment plans from completely free to paid courses available on monthly or annual subscriptions.
Alison is a popular online learning platform offering a diverse range of courses designed to advance educational opportunities. The platform offers free courses, and paid courses available at an affordable rate. Alison is expansive and covers a variety of topics in business, engineering, construction and languages.
Connections Academy offers tuition-free service to students. The platform features defined curriculum aligned to the students requirements. The platform can help your students learn from anywhere, helping them with revisions and supplemental learning materials.
Whether you are a student, an instructor, or a parent searching for an online learning platform, be sure to evaluate the options against the questions highlighted above.
2. Plan a Routine Together
Upon finding the right platform for your online learning during a pandemic, the instructor and the students should try to establish a favorable routine. Chances are that students and learners live in different time zones. Factor in the most appropriate schedule for both parties and do not forget to be flexible where possible.
For children, the consensus is that a structured environment is required. This is since they get distracted easily. Where possible, switch up your activities to match the appropriate learning time for the student. In that regard, instructors may need to liaise with the parents to make sure the child is within the right learning environment.
3. Find a Tutor Perfect For You
Finding the right tutor for your children or even yourself can be an intimidating experience. However, the best tutor is the best way to make the most of your online tutoring classes. Do not forget that with the right online learning instructor, learning becomes so much easier.
Therefore, you may want to review the online tutoring service and find out if they have a great short-time or long-term tutoring assistance. Reliable online tutoring platforms provide instructors to help you with a range of subjects including accounting, math, languages, engineering, and even medicine. Some tutoring sites work with tutors across the country, so you do not experience limitations. In such a case, you have access to a database of subject matter experts, so you can match with the right tutor easily. When vetting a tutor, you may consider their teaching style, experience, go for subject matter experts, and consider their interest and passion.
4. Consider Peer Tutoring
Sometimes, finding a good tutor is as easy as asking your classmates or looking within your network of friends. You may know a relative who has certain subject area expertise and can help you or your child master the material. However, this arrangement is often suitable for short-term tutoring. It is a good idea to find a tutor who is available on-demand, and ready to support your learning needs.
5. Set a Budget and Follow It
There is no point in contacting a tutor who charges more than you can afford. However, remember that the quality of education and the overall online learning experience depends so much on how much you are willing to spend. You will find online tutoring platforms offering tutoring services for all budgets. Consider different alternatives and remember to go for the best quality.
When setting the budget, have specific goals in mind. Therefore, if you want to be a subject matter expert, you may have to spend more than another person wanting the general knowledge ends up spending.
Conclusion
With modern technology, learning should never stop. Whether there is a pandemic or not, learners and tutors need to embrace the online learning model. However, to ensure value for money and more importantly, protect the quality of education, you need to find reliable online tutors. In addition, remember to go for the most convenient online learning platform.